Local businesses look ahead to plastic bag ban

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and fellow Democrats who control the Legislature have reached a deal to make New York the third state with a ban on single-use plastic grocery bags.
New York's ban won't take effect until next March. The plan also calls for allowing local governments the option to impose a 5-cent fee on paper bags, with 3 cents going to the state's Environmental Protection Fund and 2 cents kept by local governments.
The Town of Warwick last year discussed a 5 cent per-bag surcharge to encourage shoppers in town to bring their own reusable bags. But a plan to have voters decide on the surcharge in November's general election was dropped when the town attorney said the matter should be decided by the town board, which was split on the issue.
The statewide ban will prohibit grocery stores from providing plastic bags for most purchases, something California has been doing since a statewide ban was approved in 2016. Hawaii has an effective statewide ban, with all its counties imposing their own restrictions.
New York’s ban includes some exceptions, including garment bags, bags used for takeout food or to wrap meat or deli products, garbage bags, and bags sold in bulk.
Supporters say they keep plastic bags from entering the environment and causing damage to ecosystems and waterways.
“With this smart, multi-pronged action New York will be leading the way to protect our natural resources now and for future generations of New Yorkers," said Cuomo, who proposed the ban in his $175 billion budget proposal.
Change ahead for local businessesBut some local businesses say the ban is not needed.
Jerry Schlichting, owner of Frazzleberries Country Store in Warwick, says the change will put a dent in his bottom line.
He said the store uses plastic bags only to pack heavy items or to protect them during bad weather. The store uses 5,000 to 10,000 plastic bags a year, he said.
“I understand the environmental concerns, but I don’t know if it’s really necessary,” Schlichting said.
For him, plastic bags are more versatile. But he's ready to make the change.
“We just need to find alternatives and be creative," he said.
Tim Mullally, owner of Style Counsel, a women's clothing store in Warwick, said paper bags cost about 10 times more than plastic bags, which are 7 cents apiece. A 5-cent paper bag fee would not cover the added expense, he said, so his prices may go up. He plans to use garment bags before switching to paper bags.
Steve Spindler, owner of Steve's Deli in Goshen, says, "I'd have to go to paper bags and charge a nickel. From an environmental point of view, I understand not using plastic bags. From a business point of view, it's going to cost money, so I have to pass it on to the customers."
Margo Young, manager of the Goshen Diner, said a lot of people like plastic bags.
"Not using plastic bags would be upsetting," she said. "Customers would be unhappy, especially the elderly. It's easier for them to carry a plastic bag and use canes. We need to think about what makes elderly people comfortable."
Tony Djuravcevic, manager of the Rustic Wheel House in Chester, said the restaurant already doesn't use plastic.
"Plastic bags would be no loss for us," he said. "We package anything to go in paper."
Tony S. of the Bagel Girls Cafe in Chester said the ban would actually make their job easier.
"We package bagels, for example, in a brown bag and then we put the bag in plastic," she said. "It would just mean one less step for us. It would have a bigger effect on the customers."
'Tremendous step' for the environmentEnvironmental conservation advocates had been pushing for a statewide fee for paper bags as a way to encourage wider consumer use of reusable bags.
Nonetheless, Patrick McClellan, state policy director for the New York League of Conservation Voters, said his group was “thrilled" that the bag ban passed.
“Plastic bags pollute our waterways and streets, and both plastic and paper bags contribute to the solid waste crisis and cost taxpayers money," he said. “While the best policy would be a ban on plastic bags coupled with a statewide fee on other disposable bags, this agreement represents a tremendous step forward."
Riverkeeper, an environmental organization that advocates for the Hudson River, cheered the ban. Single-use plastic bags were in the top five most commonly found items among the 38 tons of trash collected along the river in 2018.
Jeremy Cherson, Riverkeeper's legislative advocacy manager, called the ban a “tremendous step” toward protecting the environment.
He said he's seen progress in counties that adopted the 5 cent fee. Suffolk County, for example, saw a 41 percent decrease in plastic bag litter since the local law was adopted in 2018, he said.
Cherson said Riverkeeper's advocacy will go beyond the plastic ban, with a view to eliminating all single-use plastics.

Reporting by Helu Wang and Frances Ruth Harris, and by Chris Carola and David Klepper of the Associated Press.
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