Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Sunday a bottle bill expansion and a plastic bag ban will be included in the 2019 Executive Budget. To combat litter, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment for future generations, the Governor is advancing legislation to expand New York’s Bottle Bill to make most non-alcoholic drink containers eligible for 5 cent redemption. Additionally, Governor Cuomo will advance legislation to ban all single-use plastic bags.
Bottle Bill Expansion
Governor Cuomo will expand the Bottle Bill to make most non-alcoholic beverage containers eligible for 5 cent redemption, including those for sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit and vegetable beverages and ready-to-drink teas and coffee. The Bottle Bill expansion will include some exceptions for bottles containing dairy milk, milk substitutes, infant formula, syrups and flavorings, medical prescriptions and dietary supplements. This proposal will also help reduce sorting and financial burdens on local government recycling programs.
Plastic Bag Bag
New Yorkers use billions of plastic bags annually, which do not biodegrade, creating massive amounts of litter in neighborhoods and waterways and posing a threat to the health of New Yorkers and the environment.
In March 2017, Governor Cuomo created the New York State Plastic Bag Task Force to develop a comprehensive statewide solution to address pollution caused by plastic bags. Following the Task Force recommendations, the Governor introduced a Program Bill last year to prohibit businesses from providing plastic carryout bags to customers.
Governor Cuomo proposes a statewide plastic bag prohibition. This ban will help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic bag production and disposal, from petroleum used to produce the bags to emissions from the transportation of bags to landfills.
