NYC small businesses will be required to play a bigger role in sustainability by recycling reusable bags, if the city passes a new bill that was announced on Thursday.
NYC Council Member Shaun Abreu of Manhattan, who sponsored the bill, wants certain stores to provide designated bins for customers to drop off unwanted reusable shopping bags. Dubbed Intro 1102, the bill is part of the city’s “commitment to reducing waste,” Abreu said in a press release.
“This bill is about creating a circular economy for reusable bags,” Abreu, who chairs the committee on sanitation, said. “We know that New Yorkers care about sustainability, and we know they’re tired of watching their stack of reusable grocery bags get bigger and bigger.”
If the bill passes, customers who have collected countless canvas or plastic totes since New York banned single-use plastic bags in October 2020 will also have an opportunity to support sustainability.
Here is how the process would work: Shops, including retail and grocery stores, would provide a bin where customers can drop off unwanted reusable bags.
Then, if the bags are in good condition, they would be sanitized and reused by the store for future customers.
It is unclear right now who would sanitize the bags and how they would be cleaned. amNew York Metro reached out to Abreu’s office for comment but did not hear back.
How are New Yorkers reacting?
New Yorkers are reacting to the bill with trepidation, as costs for the program remain unknown.
“Another financial burden forced upon businesses that will ultimately be passed on to customers,” Staten Islander Nicola Dicostanzo said.
Andrea Fox, also from Staten Island, called the bill “ridiculous” and said she refuses to clean a reusable bag.
“Years ago paper was bad because it was killing trees hence plastic bags,” she said. “Now plastic is bad again and recyclable are good. I find them gross to use personally. They’re not being cleaned –I am not cleaning a shopping bag–and have various things being put in them like raw chicken and meat. More germs and bacteria if you ask me.”
Another New Yorker from Queens hailed the bill as an “excellent idea.”
Abreu said the bill is a way for stores to become “part of the solution” to reducing waste.
“Our stores can be part of the solution to this problem, help reduce waste and encourage responsible consumption,” he said.
The environmentally focused bill follows the city’s mandatory composting program, which was implemented last month and requires property owners to separate food and other organic waste from regular curbside trash.
NYC property owners must also put household trash into leak-proof bins with secure, tightly fitted lids, per the city’s mandated that went into effect on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, as New Yorkers continue to collect reusable totes, some organizations offer ways to donate the bags to charity.
ChicoBag, a sustainability organization, accepts donations of cotton, canvas and nylon bags that are repurposed for use at local food banks or recycled if they are in poor condition.
New Yorkers can also support the FreshDirect Bag Donation Program. The grocery delivery service partners with community organizations around the city that accept used FreshDirect bags. A list of organizations within the boroughs can be found online.
