Plastic Ban Bag Still Under Discussion For Upcoming NYS Budget

In January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a ban on plastic bags to be included in the 2019-20 budget. He proposed a bill in 2018 to that effect but it never came to fruition.

This time may be the charm.

Sponsors of a plastic bag ban bill have said they are cautiously optimistic that it will be included in the budget which is set to take effect April 1, the beginning of the state's fiscal year.

And there could be a fee for paper bags included as well, something that the governor did not initially want in the budget, WAER.com said.

Assemblyman Steve Englebright, D-District 4, which covers parts of Suffolk County on Long Island, said the fee on paper bags is being discussed, but it hasn't been agreed to yet.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-District 35, which covers much of Westchester County, said progress has been made on the ban, auburnpub.com reported.

Stewart-Cousins said the two sides are close on a paper bag fee.

There are already villages, towns and counties in the state that have instituted some form of restriction on the use of plastic bags.

Suffolk County saw a law go into effect Jan. 1, 2018, requiring retailers to charge at least 5 cents for either paper or plastic carryout bags.

The Town of New Castle's reusable bag law went into effect Jan. 1, 2017, and the Village of Larchmont has had a ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags since 2013.