Breaking news: NYC Bag fee killed by the NYS Senate

mugofmead111

Here is a link to the story via Gothamist. 

The bag fee was supposed to go into effect next month. I guess I won't have to think about how to adapt to the new fee. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

whynot_31

Sometimes I want the city to have more home rule, other times I do not.

pragmaticguy

Where I live on the island one of the major supermarkets PAYS 5 cents for every reusable bag brought when you shop so if I use five of my own bags they take 25 cents off the bill. It's not much but I always go in with them. A much more fair and effective way to do things but it would be tough to get stores here to do that.

morralkan

When the City Council first passed this legislation, one of the TV stations interviewed one of the council members (Grace Meng, if I remember correctly) said she voted in favor of the bill. She also said (let slip?) that she would start carrying reusable bags. Of course, if she thought this was so important, why hadn't she been using totes for years already? I know I have  been doing so for about 20 years, but I'm still against the legislation. I use the plastic bags I sometimes get from stores as garbage bags. If the State does not do away with this legislation, should I have to BUY bags in which to throw away my garbage? I'm sure I can't be the only consumer in NYC who uses plastic bags in this way.

BryceTC

There is a bag fee in Cambridge, MA and people don't seem to be complaining. I just always walk with a medium-large bag when I know I'm going shopping in that area. 5 cents for a plastic bag really isn't that much.

mugofmead111

I think the bill should have also required merchants to give discounts to customers who brought in their own bags - a $0.05 rebate or so. I wouldn't be sorry to see this bill in its current form die.