Bag ban pushback delays enforcement

Customers at a Jamaica supermarket days before the ban went into effect. Eagle photo by David Brand

By Rachel Vick

New York’s plastic bag ban went into effect March 1, but vendors who continue to hand out the familiar single use sacks won’t face fines for another month, state officials announced.

After a coalition of bodega owners and interest groups filed an Article 78 proceeding in state Supreme Court in Albany, it prompted the state to delay enforcement until April 1.

Queens residents will still have to pay the five cent paper bag charge required by the city, but store owners were given a reprieve for the first month.

“They want people to have an opportunity to learn about the law and comply with the law,” State Attorney General’s Office lawyer Loretta Simon said in court, according to Politico. 

The state will commence a graduated enforcement policy, starting with a warning, followed by a $250 fine and a $500 fine for every violation in the same year. 

The opponents of the measure argued that regulations were unclear and pushed for a review of the law. The return date for the challenge is May 1.