New York officials are giving retailers another month to
adjust to a plastic bag ban. The plastic bag ban still officially goes into
effect on Sunday. That means retailers who charge sales taxes are supposed to
stop handing out single-use plastic bags to customers at checkout.
But Friday the state’s Department of Environmental
Conversation said it would not start penalizing businesses that use plastic
bags until April 1, Politico NY first reported Friday. The delay in enforcement
comes after a court challenge in Albany County Supreme Court from a plastic bag
maker and New York City bodega owners, Marie French of Politico reported.
“The Department of Environmental Conservation is pleased
that a temporary restraining order was not issued in this case so New York’s
ban on single-use plastic bags will go into effect as planned on March 1,” the
DEC said in a written statement. “We have consistently said since the beginning
of our outreach campaign that we will focus on education rather than
enforcement and today does not change that.” Read more HERE.
