February

8, 2017


Honorable Governor Andrew Cuomo


Dear Governor Cuomo:
RE: Opposition to NY State bills A4883 and S4158

We are writing from the Solid Waste Advisory Board to the Manhattan Borough President, Gale
Brewer. Our Board consists of 35 waste and recycling industry professionals, not for profits,
and citizens. We were created in 1989 with Local Law 19, which established recycling and waste
prevention in NYC.

We are writing to voice our strong opposition to NY State bills A4883 and S4158 that would
establish a one-year moratorium on NYCs Plastic Bag law. A moratorium on NYCs Plastic Bag
law is the same as nullification and is an unacceptable, anti-environmental policy and bad
governance. NYC Council, environmental leaders, members of the business community and
public have fought long and hard for our Plastic Bag law which is good for people, good for
business, and good for the environment.

The people of NYC are tired of seeing their streets and waterways constantly littered with
plastic bag pollution. You cannot walk one city block without seeing plastic bags littering trees,
sidewalks, drains, plantings and other areas.

We know because we have spoken with New Yorkers of all socio-economic backgrounds and
some of the greatest supporters of the law are low and middle income New Yorkers whose
neighborhoods are choking with plastic bags and who have received and will continue to
receive reusable bags at community events, in their community centers, and in a variety of
other locations where they are readily available and free to the public. Furthermore, for New
Yorkers who use food stamps, the fee is waived; it will have zero impact on them.

The NYC Plastic Bag law is good for businesses because businesses can keep the proceeds from
the bag fee, helping their bottom line. Single-use carryout bags have always been a cost center
for NYC retailers and restaurants, now bags will become a small source of revenue as the
stores, rightfully so, receive a small fee for each bag they sell. Businesses are also burdened by
having to collect and dispose of single-use carryout bags, both plastic and paper, NYCs Plastic
Bag law will dramatically reduce this burden.


The environment in NY State and around the country is suffocating from plastic pollution.
Ocean Conservancy estimates that the 4th most common type of pollution on our beaches is
plastic bags, finding upwards of 1,020,902 of them during the recent International Coastal
Cleanup. A study completed by NY/NJ Baykeeper found at least 165,840,512 million plastic
particles floating in the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary. The average plastic quantity per square
kilometer in New York waters was approximately twice the average of New Jersey waters. 18%
of the particles found were from plastic film (aka plastic bags.) There is mounting evidence that
fish and other mammals that we eat are ingesting large amounts of plastic particles in our
waterways and are becoming toxic themselves. When we ingest these animals, we expose
ourselves to these toxins. These are not facts we can ignore, but the good news is the NYC
Plastic Bag law can help reverse this troubling situation we have created.

With President Trump and the GOP Congress doing everything they can to roll back
environmental and health protections for people, we are counting on our State and Local
governments to protect us. We urge you to veto NY State bills A4883 and S4158 which would
establish a one-year moratorium on NYCs Plastic Bag law, and allow this important legislation
to move forward.

Please make the right choice and serve the people of New York State, not corporations and
special interests.


Thank you,

Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board

Sarah Currie-Halpern, Chair
Laura Rosenshine, Vice Chair
Jacquelyn Ottman, Secretary
Christine Ciambriello, Assistant Secretary


Cc: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer