After signing, on Feb. 6, a bill that will delay implementation of New York City’s 5-cent fee on plastic and paper bags until at least 2018, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday the formation of a six-member New York State Plastic Bag Task Force.
Cole Rosengren reports for WasteDive:
The group will review information and proposed solutions from municipalities to develop a “uniform and equitable statewide plan to address New York’s plastic bag problem.”
The task force will be led by Basil Seggos, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Senator Thomas O’Mara and Assemblyman Steve Englebright, chairs of their respective environmental conversation committees in the state legislature, will serve as co-chairs on the task force.
Representatives from the New York State Association of Counties, New York League of Conservation Voters and Food Industry Alliance round out the membership.
While a press release announcing the task force cited the $12.5 million that New York’s Department of Sanitation spends on managing bags each year, no mention was made of the city’s efforts to institute a 5-cent fee. Instead, the task force’s membership and mission has a broader focus to help New York “lead the way in developing a comprehensive statewide solution” on a national level.
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