Today’s Solutions: December 18, 2025

State action on plastic bags is picking up pace in the US. After California gave plastic bags the boot, New York is set to impose the second statewide ban on most types of single-use plastic bags from retail sales, changing a way of life for millions of New Yorkers as lawmakers seek to curb pollution. The ban, which is expected to begin next March, would forbid stores from providing customers with single-use plastic bags, which can take hundreds of years to degrade. The bill would also allow counties to opt in a 5-cent fee on paper bags, with the revenue going to the state’s Environmental Protection Fund as well as a separate fund to buy reusable bags for consumers.

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