On March 1st, 2020, New York State’s law banning single-use plastic carryout bags took effect. In New York City, businesses are required to collect a 5-cent fee on paper carryout bags from customers, with some exceptions. The ban and fee are efforts to reduce the use of wasteful single-use bags and their negative impact on the environment. Enforcement of this law is delayed until June 15th, 2020. However, this does not affect the local law in New York City requiring businesses to collect the 5-cent paper bag fee. You can avoid paying the fee by bringing your own reusable bags to stores. Some stores may choose not to switch to paper and may only have reusable bags for purchase. The City does not set prices for reusable bags.