The plastic bag ban — pros and cons. Many people applaud the ban that took place on March 1, banning stores from using plastic bags, and adding a 5 cent tax on paper bags. It is one step closer to a greener, sustainable New York. However, small business owners and working-class New Yorkers are still concerned about how quickly the ban got implemented. A post I recently read in a Bay Ridge Facebook group revealed that small businesses might have to pay more than 3 times the amount for paper bags that they paid for plastic bags, which is harder for a smaller brick-and-mortar store to cover, and some businesses are even considering charging more for paper bags. Other New Yorkers, who walk or commute to work (rather than drive), are used to spontaneously popping into a local grocery store after work to grab a few things, and it’s harder for them to adjust when they might not always have a reusable bag on hand. I think it’s worth interviewing both people who are 100% for the ban, and those who might like the idea, but dislike the law’s execution.
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