On March 1, New York state will join the growing number of states and local municipalities across the country in the movement to ban the use of plastic bags.
At the Syracuse University Bookstore, Director Roger Hailstork and his staff are prepared for the change and are ready to do their part in the effort to phase out 23 billion-plus plastic bags New York State residents use annually.
The Bookstore will offer customers two alternatives to plastic, if they forget to bring their own reusable bag. The store will have reusable bags in two sizes available for purchase: 99 cents and $1.99. They’ll also offer paper bags, which will carry a small charge if the customer chooses to use one.
Both Hailstork and Melissa Cadwell, Syracuse University’s sustainability coordinator, say that students have been at the forefront of the bag-free movement on campus. Hailstork has already noticed that students try not to take plastic bags, preferring to use their backpacks or personal bags to store their purchases.
Cadwell says that in the past, students have worked with her office to conduct surveys regarding the use of plastic bags on campus and found that most students preferred that the University go bag-free.
The New York State Department of Conservation has posted information for consumers about the bag ban on their website. Shoppers are reminded that it’s not just grocery stores that are phasing out the use of grocery bags—they should bring their reusable bags to bookstores, department stores, home improvement stores—anywhere where they’ve become accustomed to receiving a plastic bag in the past.
The DEC also has tips for remembering to pack a reusable bag: They suggest keeping the bags in your car, your office or your commuting bag or purse so that you always have one with you.
More information about the law can be found on the New York State Department of Conservation’s website.
