The law covers plastic and paper bags used by retailers, with the fee to be collected by the store, rather than by the city government.
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When signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who supports the measure, it would take effect October 1.
Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) had a decidedly different view in a statement issued by his office.
However, the fee drew nearly universal scorn from southern Brooklyn lawmakers, who said it would disproportionally impact low-income and elderly New Yorkers who can’t afford to shell out a nickel for every grocery bag.
And finally, there’s a cost to reusable bags, which, again, can be a burden for low income people.
Assemblyman Michael Cusick (Staten Island) is an equally strong opponent to the New York City Bag Tax, and has introduced the bill to stop it in the State Assembly. A 2013 study conducted by the city found that 80 percent of residents used fewer bags after the fee was implemented. By incentivizing shoppers to bring their own bags, the new measure’s backers say that it would reduce that number anywhere from 60 to 90 percent.
Jasmine Figueroa was less enthusiastic.
“I know it has been hard for you, and I am grateful”, she said. However, environmentalists have applauded the decision claiming the fee will “help the environment”. Everything’s plastic, everything’s packaged. As we’ve seen elsewhere, by forcing shoppers who can afford it to make the cognizant decision to pay when they do want them – for lining trash cans, cleaning up after Fido or whatever – consumption of plastic bags will go down. “They would charge us for air, if they could”.
Councilman James Vacca, a Democrat from the Bronx who voted against the bill, said “this is another needed expense that we need like a hole in the head”.
But Octavio Medina thinks charging for bags is a good idea. The fee would be kept by the store, not the city. “Think about what the people off camera, watching on TV, in the paper, think about what they think. This kind of approach leads people to bring, you know, a tote bag with them and stop using the plastic bags”.
“Maybe I should like it because I get to keep the money – bags are a cost of doing business”, he said.
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The National Supermarket Association, based in Flushing, declined to comment. The proposal had divided the council evenly for weeks, but Mark-Viverito, who had been undecided, endorsed the bill last week. According to reports from the city council, New Yorkers use more than nine billion single-use plastic bags every single year. However, a charge for plastic and paper bags in the City of NY will not solve this problem; instead it is a misguided attempt that will only squeeze more money from the hardworking families of our City.
