NYC City Council Introduces Plastic Bag Recycling Legislation

Greater attention is being paid toward reducing the amount of plastic bags in the waste stream.

New York City’s City Council has introduced legislation requiring the recycling of plastic bags at retail stores throughout the city. The bill was introduced by Council Speaker Christine Quinn, as well as several council members.

The bill would apply to any store in New York City that occupies 5,000 or more square feet and provides plastic carryout bags to consumers.

"If we want to get serious about improving our environment, we need to look at major sources of non bio-degradable waste," said Quinn. "This legislation will remove a significant number of bags from our waste stream, before they end up polluting our soil and water. It will also reduce the number of new bags produced from scratch, cutting down on the unnecessary use of oil that pollutes our air and creates greenhouse gases." The legislation would require store operators to do the following

Establish an in-store recycling program in which they provide a collection bin for plastic carryout bags in a visible location near the entrance;

Stock only plastic bags that have the words "PLEASE RETURN THIS BAG TO A PARTICIPATING STORE FOR RECYCLING" printed on them in letters at least three inches in height;

Make available for purchase reusable bags that can be used instead of plastic or paper bags;

Submit annual reports to the Department of Sanitation on the amount of plastic bags that are collected, transported and recycled, the costs of these efforts, and any other information required by the Commissioner.

"This is legislation that makes environmental and economic sense for New York," said NRDC Urban Program co-director Eric A. Goldstein. "Plastic bags, which are made from nonrenewable petroleum resources, are used for a matter of hours before they are discarded. But they create environmental burdens that last for hundreds of years."

Plastic bag legislation in other states and municipalities has generally been more limited in scope. For example, the recent ban on plastic bags in San Francisco only affects approximately 50 businesses throughout the city; the Council’s legislation is estimated to affect over 700 food stores alone, as well as many other retailers in New York City.