Plastic Bag Ban and Paper Bag Fee

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Plastic Bag Recycling

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) began enforcement of the plastic bag ban on October 19, 2020. New York State’s law banning plastic carryout bags took effect on March 1, 2020.

In New York City, businesses are required to collect a non-taxable 5-cent fee from customers on paper carryout bags, with some exceptions. You can avoid paying the paper bag fee by bringing your own reusable bags to stores. Stores are required to allow the use of reusable shopping bags.

The plastic bag ban and paper bag fee are efforts to reduce the use of wasteful single-use bags and their negative impact on the environment.

Stores may choose not to switch to paper and may only have reusable bags for purchase. The City and State does not set prices for reusable bags.

You can get more information about the plastic bag ban from NYSDEC.

Online

Learn more about the plastic carryout bag ban for consumers and businesses.

You can also send an email to plasticbags@dec.ny.gov.

By Phone

Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Division: Bureau of Waste Reduction and Recycling
Phone Number: (518) 402-8706
Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

All businesses that are required to collect New York State sales tax are subject to the plastic carryout bag ban.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

Clothing stores
Convenience stores
Drug stores
Green carts
Grocery stores
Hardware stores
Liquor stores
Office supply stores
Pharmacies

The plastic carryout bag ban does not apply to businesses or other establishments that are not required to collect NYS sales tax.

The following types of bags are exempt from both the plastic bag ban and the paper carryout bag fee.

"Exempt bag" means a bag that is:

Used only to contain or wrap uncooked meat, fish, seafood, poultry, other unwrapped or non-prepackaged food, flower, plant, or other item for the purpose of separating it from other items to avoid contamination, prevent damage from moisture, or for sanitary, public health, or environmental protection purposes
Used only to package items from bulk containers, including:
- fruits
- vegetables
- grains
- candy
- small hardware items (such as nuts, bolts, and screws)
- live insects
- fish, crustaceans, mollusks, or other aquatic items requiring a waterproof bag
Used only to contain food sliced or prepared to order
Used only to contain a newspaper for delivery to a subscriber
Sold in bulk quantities to a consumer at the point of sale that were specifically prepackaged in a manner to allow for bulk sale (for example, quantities of bags prepackaged in individual pre-sealed boxes) or prepackaged in individual boxes or containers for sale to a customer
Sold as a trash bag
Sold as a food storage bag, such as those in snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon sizes
Used as a garment bag, such as over-the-hanger bags or those used by a dry cleaner or laundry service
Made of plastic provided by a restaurant, tavern or similar food service establishment, as defined in the New York state sanitary code, to carry out or deliver prepared food
Provided by a pharmacy to carry prescription drugs

The New York State Bag Waste Reduction Act authorizes counties and cities to impose a 5-cent paper carryout bag reduction fee on paper carryout bags.

In addition to this 5-cent fee, stores may charge for their cost of a paper bag as a taxable retail sale.

Only SNAP and WIC customers are exempt from the 5-cent paper carryout bag reduction fee. However, if a store is charging more than 5 cents for a paper bag, SNAP and WIC customers must still pay the remaining taxable charge for the bag.

You can get more information or make a complaint about this fee.

You can also get information online about exemptions related to the 5-cent paper carryout bag reduction fee and other information for businesses, such as collecting, reporting, and remitting the fee.

Online

Learn more about the paper carryout bag reduction fee.

By Phone