Advocates say the New York State plastic bag ban isn’t as effective as it needs to be. They worry the ban will just cause people to use more paper bags.
Paper bags require trees to be cut down. They’re also bulkier, so they require more energy to ship.
New York City and Suffolk County have instituted a 5-cent fee on paper bags, but Nassau County has not.
Adrienne Esposito, executive director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, says banning just plastic bags isn’t enough if you don’t limit paper bags.
“We do not want to substitute one problem, and unfortunately and unwittingly, gain another problem.”
The statewide plastic bag ban will go into effect next year.
