New York (AFP)

New York, one of the world capitals of consumerism, is preparing to ban single-use plastic bags on Sunday in most stores, a measure still rare in the United States, the fruit of four years of effort.

The 8.5 million inhabitants of the American financial capital and all of New York, who say they are at the forefront of environmental protection, have struggled to take the step, as they are used to seeing cashiers pack their groceries or meals delivered to their homes in bags often lined for more solidity.

In 2016, the first city in the United States passed a law imposing a tax of 5 cents per bag, but it was canceled statewide.

In April 2019, the state parliament finally gave the green light to a new law, with exceptions, coming into force this Sunday.

This time, several New Yorkers interviewed by AFP at the exit of supermarkets said they were ready.

- "Learn to adapt"

Janice Vrana, 66, who says she has been shopping with reusable bags for 10 years, is anxious to get rid of "invasive" plastic bags.

"We could drive it on a truck 500 times in a row, we probably wouldn't be able to destroy them. If I can contribute even a little bit, I contribute," she said.

"It's great that people are becoming more aware of how their daily purchases affect the environment, I'm for," said Janine Franciosa, 38, who works in advertising. Plastic bags are sometimes very practical, she nevertheless stresses, but "we will have to learn to adapt".

Others are less enthusiastic.

"Lots of people are mad, they want plastic," often because they use it as trash bags, says Terri Maldonado, a cashier at a supermarket on the Lower East Side. "They've never bought trash bags in their lives."

New York State consumes some 23 billion plastic bags a year, according to official figures. Some 85% of them end up being thrown away, polluting the streets, the beaches or landing in landfills.

According to Kate Kurera, deputy director of the environmental organization Environmental Advocates of New York, the measure should "significantly reduce" plastic pollution, despite multiple exemptions.

In particular, all take-out food, which New Yorkers love, can continue to be wrapped in plastic.

Plastic also tolerated for packaging medicines or newspapers delivered to your home, often left on the doorstep, or fresh non-prepackaged products such as meat and fish.

- Small businesses penalized -

Although fines - up to $ 500 per bag in the event of a repeat offense - are planned for stores that continue to donate plastic bags, the state of New York first intends to favor education and encourage residents to have always have a reusable bag with them.

As for paper bags, their cost could vary depending on the county of New York State in which we are.

Each county must choose whether or not to levy a tax of 5 cents per paper bag, which will contribute to an environmental fund.

Three counties, including that which includes New York City, out of 62, have already opted for this tax.

According to Greg Biryla, director for New York State of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, paper bags and other alternatives cost up to seven times more than plastic bags. These alternatives "are proportionally more disadvantageous for small businesses, which cannot order large quantities," he said.

The United States has still made little legislation to reduce its consumption of plastic products, despite its polluting effects which have received much media attention in recent years, particularly on the oceans.

Apart from New York, only California, Oregon, and in fact Hawaii have already banned them. Four other states have adopted laws to this effect, which will come into force soon.

But other states like Texas have banned their cities from banning plastic bags.

Even if the measure should not be applied until 2021, the Parliament of the European Union ratified in March 2019 the ban on many consumer plastic products, including straws, cotton swabs, plastic cutlery, which are still omnipresent. in the USA.

© 2020 AFP