Beginning March 1, a state-wide ban on most single-use plastic bags will take effect. Instead of plastic, stores can opt-in to using paper bags with a five-cent fee that will go to the Environmental Protection Agency. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed this legislation on Earth Day in 2019 as part of an effort to reduce New York’s impact on marine life, and the ban is the product of the New York State Plastic Bag Task Force created by Governor Cuomo in March 2017.
According to the New York State governor’s website, the ban’s goal is to provide a “uniform, comprehensive and equitable solution to the plastic bag problem.” Specifically, the website claims that the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will work with stakeholders and community leaders to ensure the ban does not disproportionately affect low- and moderate-income communities.
In signing the ban less than a year ago, Governor Cuomo stated, “12 million barrels of oil are used to make the plastic bags we use every year and by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the oceans than fish. We need to stop using plastic bags, and today we’re putting an end to this blight on our environment.”On the Hill, the Hamilton College bookstore stopped using single-use plastic bags at the beginning of last semester. Instead, students may bring their bags or purchase a small polypropylene reusable tote.
Notably, when it comes to an alternative to single-use plastic bags, it is important to keep in mind that not all options are equal. A 2011 study by the British Environmental Protection Agency titled “Life cycle assessment of supermarket carrier bags” found that a cotton carrier bag would have to be used “131 times before it had a smaller global warming impact than a lightweight plastic bag used only once.”
Though moving away from single-use plastic will decrease litter and pollution in marine environments, the overall impact of single-use plastic on climate change is much lower than cotton. A different substitute is needed.
New York businesses are able to switch to paper bags and charge the tax, making paper a convenient and tempting option. The same study found, however, that a consumer would have to reuse the paper bag three times in order to make its holistic environmental impact equal to a single-use plastic bag. Given the lack of durability of paper bags, this reuse does not seem viable.
Then, what is the answer to ensuring the single-use plastic ban does not increase our battering of the environment? The study found that a durable plastic bag, like the ones you can purchase at the bookstore, has four to eleven times less of an impact than that of a single-use plastic bag.
This means that with frequent use, shoppers can make a net improvement in how their carrier bags impact the environment. Brand-wise, the Green Business Bureau recommends Reuse This Bag, Earthwise Bags, EcoBags, ChicoBag, and bags made by the Green Packaging Group.
Here at Hamilton, you might be able to get away with stuffing purchases in a backpack if you think you would not get much use out of a reusable bag. Whatever you choose, ensuring that all your bags are durable and reusable is key. To uphold the important goals of the new legislation, be sure to bring reusable bags along on all of your shopping trips.
