PLASTIC BAG BAN--REMINDER---STARTS MARCH 1ST, THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, LATEST INFO

--NYSDEC FINAL regulations https://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/118810.html

--For the latest information about the 3/1/20 plastic bag ban, visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/50034.html, email plasticbags@dec.ny.gov, or call (518) 402-8706.

--SHOPLIFTING CONCERNS? Yesterday your editor went to two large chain stores where residents are now being encouraged to use reusable bags in advance of the March 1st ban, The cashierless lines to purchase our items were surprisingly quick and easy---but in both stores, we ended up on a new and different line however to LEAVE the store. That was because there were employees checking the contents of the bags and matching them to the customer's receipts--which held everyone up---and another employee checking the contents of reusable bags for people ENTERING the store as well---in both locations. One of the employees said they were going to have to post signs on the door telling people not to put things into their reusable bags WHILE THEY WERE SHOPPING to avoid "misunderstandings"......

--Residents who do not wish to buy the larger plastic bags for their trash--when the smaller now banned bags they reused for free are no longer available in stores---can still buy them in bulk from Amazon or restaurant supply stores. 

--ALSO FYI, ABOUT THAT PLASTIC BAG BAN---NY SAYS WEGMANS, OTHERS MUST ALLOW OLD PLASTIC BAGS IN STORES FOR REUSE https://everythingcroton.blogspot.com/2020/02/about-that-plastic-bag-ban-new-york.html

******* 2/19 UPDATE -- NEW YORK'S PLASTIC BAG BAN WILL HAVE A LENIENT START -- Most plastic bags will be verboten in New York after March 1 — but enforcement of the ban will not be immediate amid complaints of a paper bag shortage. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation this week acknowledged that retailers may not have had enough time to vanquish plastic from their stores, including a switchover to paper bags. As a result, they plan to let retailers continue to use synthetic bags without repercussions after the March 1 deadline goes into effect — until further notice.

“Enforcement will follow in the months ahead,” said DEC Chief of Staff Sean Mahar, in a WAMC radio interview on Tuesday.

READ THE REST AT https://nypost.com/2020/02/18/new-yorks-plastic-bag-ban-will-have-a-lenient-start/