New York, NY – Those plastic bags from the supermarket could soon cost you.
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Lawmakers are trying to pass a bill in Albany that would allow the city to tack a 5-cent surcharge on plastic bags. The goal is to motivate shoppers to use their own bags to cart their groceries home.
“It’s going to be the incentive that New Yorkers need,” said Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty.
State Sen. Jose Serrano and Assemblyman Micah Kellner introduced a bill in Albany yesterday to allow the city to impose the fee. Doherty said the fee is minimal, but he hopes it will eventually make using plastic bags “socially unacceptable.”
“This whole thing is about change,” he said. “We have to change our attitude.”
About 5.2 billion plastic bags are thrown out in New York City each year. The city can’t recycle them because it’s too costly, Doherty said.
Many New Yorkers said they supported the fee, but admitted it’s not always easy to remember to bring a reusable bag to the store.
“People forget,” said Mariya Malyk, a 22-year-old student from Queens. “But maybe instead of doubling up, you could just use one?”
Linda Mietlowski, 51, of Manhattan, said she uses the plastic bags to clean up after her three dogs. But she’d think twice if there was a 5-cent fee.
“It would add up,” she said.
The 5-cent surcharge is expected to bring $100 million in revenue in the first year. That money would be put into recycling efforts around the city, Doherty said.
Similar fees have been implemented in Toronto and Ireland.
“I’m sure that after this is implemented, the Big Apple will soon be known as the Big Green Apple,” said Kellner.
Surprised that they need a law for that. In Montreal some grocery chains institued a 5 cent charge per plastic bag without requiring any federal, provincial or municipal law.
This is a smart policy that will provide needed revenues for the City while doing a bit to help the environment. Yiddin should get on board and NOT use plastic bags for any reason or recycle their bags used at home for storage. Since they don’t absorb anything, a plastic bag can be used for milchig or fleishig items.
“It’s going to be the incentive that New Yorkers need,” said Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty.
It’s going to be an incentive for the goverment to dig deeper into our pockets. It’ll start with 5 cents and than move to 10 and on, that’s the way every tax and toll starts.
GET BLOOMBERG AND CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTED OUT!
Big Green “AND SOUR” apple! Where are our reps? Is that what we need now, more fees?
I try to reuse my plastic bags but many are so cheaply made that using them one time tends to be the limit, they tear far too easily. Half the time the brand new never used plastic bags already have holes in the bottom. That’s why people have to double up, and now they want us to pay 5 cents for each of them? Maybe the supermarkets can do an exchange program: instead of charging 5 cents for a new bag, give them back their old ripped plastic bag and they can give you a new bag in return.
Im all for it.
Don’t be fooled this is a tax.
Discussting so terrible soon they are going to tax us for walking on the street
THis is one rule that hurts the poor and those with large familes. This is something that the left in america can use to raise taxes on the poor with a moral high ground. THis nut that proposed this should be thrown (voted) out of office fast.
“The 5-cent surcharge is expected to bring $100 million in revenue in the first year. That money would be put into recycling efforts around the city, Doherty said. “
Sure, just like our Social Security tax money was put away for us by the gov’t to retire. NYC will use this money for their other pet projects. I would like to see where all the officials imposing this tax shop!
This is a tax in the worst way wait in 10 years the fee will be $20 a bag to help fund either some union benefits or some new entitlement program all in the name of clean air
Why don’t just admit that its a new kind of tax on plastic bagsdo they think we’re that stupid maybe we are for electing them again and again.
Guess what even if the law goes in effect i’m dubbling the ammount of plastic bags I’m using I’m not changing my lifestyle only because a few shmucks think its part of the change we can’t believe in that this socialist want’s to impose on us.
A parent of a large family will have to bring along a large number of shopping bags, I don’t know how this will happen.
Remember to VOTE out our mayor AND council members who voted for this bill. All these small fees add up and they never stay at 5 cents they go up to 7 cents and than to 10 and on and on. Every tax started this way.
Dony buy there excuses, almost every country in the world is managing fine, why do we have to jump the gun on this one. We have so many fees, we’re #1 tax capital in the union.
We’ll be known for the “BIG GREEN AND SOUR APPLE”.
Is this why we voted for our reps. they should ignore us? Please remember this come election day.
Why is it that every bill that is passed by the city, or state, which is supposed to be a “quality of life issue” do we hear the words; ‘it will also generate $ XX for the city/state. Just wait for the oxygen sensors to be placed on our mouths. Its just 10 cents every day, and the money will go to clean up the air! Just like social security money goes to social security, this bag tax will go to recycling!!
Soon we’ll see Mexicans standing in front of the supermarket and selling plastic bags for 3 cents a piece. And maybe a Chinaman selling them for 2 cents. When will this end.
We must throw Bloomberg out. Vote for Weiner and we’ll have free plastic bags.
you are not supposed to reuse plastic bags, rather they are encouraging the use of reusable bags made of canvas/nylon that you buy for a one time fee and can be reused man many times, Plenty of states as well as other coutries are doing this and it works just fine. Spoile, lazy , selfish new yorkers care more about themselves than th eenvironment and will b*tch to no end about this.
does this mean dime bags are going to be pushed next?
stop harassing us with taxes and foolishness to be stewards of the world. how about the city, state and federal government all abolish gasoline cars and replace them with alternative energy sources which will save the earth and also get rid of the arabs….
5.2 billion bags x $0.05 =$26 million only. How do they come out with the figure of 100 million?
Well at least the supermarkets in Cedarhurst will get more business now…
This is not a tax, you have a choice. If you don’t want to pay the 5 cents, bring your own bag, I will. The city expect to receive $100 million in the first year. I’ll bet they will get much less in the 2nd and 3rd years. These plastic bags are a big problem, they don’t break down like the other materials, a hundred from now, that same plastic bag will still be there while most of the other things that we throw out has broken down and disappeared into the earth.
This surcharge will change people’s behavior.
Each and everyone of us need to decrease our ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT.
Start charging the city a surcharge for all the paper they waste on parking tickets. Also fine the city for letting the traffic cops sitting in cars that idle. We also need to fine the city for letting their workers sit in air conditioned buildings.
#28 well said.
this is ridiculous. the person who invented this excuse of GREEN should realize how many stupid laws and fees have been tacked on the public. and we all know the government does not care about us with these laws. they just use this for an excuse to milk us again and again. for their own things they don’t have a problem.
its time for government to have less ans less say in our lives. its getting out of hand. in the early years of this country we all lived for ourselves and we were the most prosperous country with no debt.
vote out bloomberg and company and all the liberal idiots.
5.2 billion equals approximately 2 bags per person per day (a little far fetched).
5.2 billion times 5 cents equals 260 million dollars (not 100 million dollars)..
Somehow the math isn’t adding up.
I re-use the shopping bags for throwing out dirty diapers. Maybe, disposable diapers will be the next thing. After all it fills landfills and makes a carbon foot print. When will this “green” crazyness end? Soon, we’ll be told how many children we can have.
This is rediculas all these tree hugging liberals there pathedic