US: New York City fee on disposable carryout bags approved

On 5 May 2016, after 2 years of debate and hearings, the New York City Council approved an ordinance requiring affected retailers to charge a minimum fee of 5 cents for each single-use plastic and recycled paper carryout bag they distribute to customers. The fee will take effect on 1 October 2016.
The ordinance requires the Consumer Affairs Commissioner to implement a multi-lingual outreach and education program that also encourages residents to use reusable bags. The commissioner must also report to the mayor and certain city department heads on the effectiveness of the bag fee in reducing single-use bag consumption and increasing reusable bag use (Recycling Laws Update, 23 May 2016).
Click here for more information.
Click here for the ordinance.
Click here for more information about the NVC Inspiration meeting on the effectiveness of the Dutch policy on packaging and the environment (7 September 2016).

If you have any questions about this subject, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411. This item is also included in our monthly overview, the NVC Members-only Update.