Wegmans will remove disposable plastic bags from its New York stores before the end of the year, just before the state packaging ban takes effect, the supermarket chain said Monday.
Rochester, New York, supermarket chain also said it would work to reduce the use of bags, straws and other disposable plastic items at its stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
We are taking some commendable steps to amend and implement programs that enhance MyWegmansConnect recycling rate, minimize waste and help make a difference in all the communities in which we operate, said Jason Wadsworth, responsible for MyWegmansConnect packaging and sustainable development for the company. it’s responsible. with a statement about the company’s Earth Day.
All supermarkets in New York State will have to remove the ubiquitous plastic bag when the new ban takes effect in March. California and Hawaii already ban items that are a major source of plastic pollution in land and water.
Lawmakers approved the ban in a new state budget earlier this month. Under the new law, municipalities have the option to charge 5 cents for paper bags, 3 cents for the National Environmental Protection Fund and 2 cents for the local government.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, launched the ban, which was issued Monday during a speech on Long Island.
Ironing without plastic bags is a “minor disadvantage” compared to the devastating effects of plastic pollution. The state estimates that New Yorkers now use 23 billion disposable plastic bags every year.
By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans, Cuomo said. You would have to be blind not to see what is happening around us.