New York becomes third US state to ban plastic bags

A ban on single-use plastic bags took effect in the US state of New York on Sunday, a move aimed at ending the annual use of 23 billion such bags that often clog landfills and litter streets, rivers and oceans.

New York's waste reduction law forbids most businesses from handing out the bags. Shops are required to sell paper bags for five cents or offer reusable ones, and state authorities are due to impose fines for violations of the ban after a grace period.

New York is the third US state to impose such a ban after California and Oregon.

Residents of New York City, the nation's most populous city, use more than 10 billion single-use bags every year, which local officials say amounts to 91,000 tons of plastic sent to landfills and 12.5 billion dollars in annual disposal costs.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was handing out free, multi-use bags on Friday in Manhattan as part of a public-education campaign to get shoppers to switch to reusable alternatives.

Some plastic bags are exempt from the law, including those used for take-away food, uncooked meat or fish, loose produce and prescription drugs.

State lawmakers passed the legislation last year after being stymied by plastics industry lobbying and concerns about a ban's impact on low-income residents.