BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - The ban on single-use plastic bags starts to get real for Western New York today as Wegman's stops using the bags. But supermarkets aren't the only industry impacted by the plastic bag ban that officially takes effect on March 1.
Any industry that uses single-use plastic bags at checkouts in New York will no longer be able to use them beginning in March after Albany lawmakers and Governor Andrew Cuomo banned their use last year.
That means liquor stores, for example, will have to come up with alternatives at the check-out counter.
Hardware stores are also making adjustments. Ed Young's Hardware in Williamsville is also forced to eliminate their bags for customers.
"On average we're looking at a cost of about ten cents per bag in difference between the plastic bags and paper bags," Ed Young's Hardware Store Manager, Grant Szymanek, said. "We are not charging any additional price to the consumer at all."
Szymanek said they also sell reusable bags at the store.
Both Ed Young's Hardware and Straight Up Wines and Liquors said they are supportive of the law because of its environmental impact but acknowledged it will impact their bottom line.
Wegmans will no longer use single-use plastic bags on Monday, weeks before the state ban takes effect. Their goal is to shift customers to reusable bags. While Wegmans is making the transition ahead of the March 1 deadline, Tops previously told WBEN they will not discontinue their use of plastic bags until the ban takes effect.