New York Ag Connection - DEC to Deliver Reusable 'BYOBAGNY' Bags to Food Bank

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DEC to Deliver Reusable 'BYOBAGNY' Bags to Food Bank
New York Ag Connection - 02/25/2020

In advance of New York's ban on single-use plastic bags, which goes into effect on March 1, State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 1 Director Carrie Meek Gallagher will deliver reusable bags to Long Island Cares, Inc., the Harry Chapin Food Bank, one of the nine member food banks of Feeding New York State."

The reusable BYOBagNY (Bring Your Own Bag New York) delivery supports DEC's ongoing campaign to encourage New Yorkers to use reusable bags wherever and whenever they shop. DEC is currently distributing hundreds of thousands of reusable bags across the state, with a focus on low- and moderate-income New Yorkers with the help of partner state agencies, Feeding New York State, the statewide food bank organization, and other stakeholders.

DEC will continue to focus its outreach and education efforts to ensure a smooth transition for consumers and affected retailers, with enforcement to follow in the months ahead. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation to ban the sale of single-use plastic bags in New York State on Earth Day, April 23, 2019.

The bag deliver will be made Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Long Island Cares Warehouse, 10 Davids Drive, Hauppauge, by Carrie Meek Gallagher, Regional Director, DEC Region 1 who will be joined Long Island Cares CEO Paule T. Pachter.

New Yorkers use an estimated 23 billion plastic bags annually - each for about 12 minutes - and approximately 85 percent of this staggering total ends up in landfills, recycling machines, waterways and streets. For more information about the plastic bag ban, visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/50034.html, email plasticbags@dec.ny.gov, or call (518) 402-8706.

Founded by the late Harry Chapin, Long Island Cares brings together all available resources for the benefit of the hungry and food insecure on Long Island and, to the best of our ability, provides for the humanitarian needs of our community. Our goals are to improve food security for families, sponsor programs that help families achieve self-sufficiency, and educate the general public about the causes and consequences of hunger on Long Island. Our vision is A Hunger Free Long Island.

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