Governor Andrew Cuomo has taken action to block a 5-cent plastic bag fee from going into effect in New York City.
Cuomo has signed legislation that delays the implementation for at least one year, calling the city’s plan “deeply flawed.”
“Most objectionable is that the law was drafted so that merchants keep the five cent fee as profit, instead of the money being used to solve the problem of plastic bags' environmental impact – essentially amounting to a $100 million per year windfall to merchants,” Cuomo said in a statement.
He’s establishing a statewide task force to address the problem of plastic bags around the state.
The New York City Department of Sanitation estimates it collects 1,700 plastic bags per week. That results in an annual disposal cost of $12.5 million.
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