Plastic bag ban goes into effect today at stores across Long Island

After being delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak and a pending lawsuit, enforcement of the ban of single-use plastic bags in NY that was signed into law earlier this year and effective as of Monday, Oct. 19. If you forget to bring a bag with you, many retailers will have reusable bags for sale, or you can pay a $0.05 for a paper bag.

The DEC says it hasn't been enforcing the plastic bag ban because of a lawsuit, as well as concerns around the safety of reusable bags during the pandemic.

If retailers do distribute the single-use plastic bags, they will be fined. Less than 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled in the United States and they are not acceptable at certain recycling centers.

New York's scheduled enforcement of a single-use plastic bag ban begins Monday. A State Supreme Court decision, though, rejected the suit and stores must comply with the ban.

New Yorkers use an estimated 23 billion plastic bags each year and that means plastic waste left in waterways, streets and landfills.