Starting March 1, 2020, New York’s ban on single-use plastic bags will take effect. Just this week, the state Department of Environmental Conservation released its final regulations to govern the ban. Mildred Warner is a professor of city and regional planning and an expert on how to promote environmental sustainability at the local level says while New York’s hybrid model for banning plastic bags with a fee on alternatives is key, if there are loopholes – such as thickness requirements – the plastic bag manufacturers and retailers will take advantage.
