Your Plastic Bag Survival Guide: How to Make It Through the Ban

This Sunday, technically New York will be plastic bag free (or almost free, anyway). You still lost and confused? You're not alone, here's how you're going to survive the change over!

If you're scared that you're going to end up at a grocery store having to carry your items out one-by-one, don't fear! CBS 6 published a "Plastic Ban Survival Guide" to help us through this trying time.

It's totally understandable that you'd be confused. First, they tell us all plastic bags will be banned. Then, we learn that there are quite a number of plastic bags that we'll still be able to use. Local businesses are turning some of their plastic bags into "Collector's Items," it's crazy!

You're not going to be stuck having to carry out your groceries, as long as you don't mind a small fee. Stores may still have paper carryout bags for you to use, but you'll have to pay a small 5 cent fee to use them (unless you receive SNAP or WIC). Don't completely count on it though because stores are not required to have the paper bag option for you.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation want to help as much as they can with this transition so they've been posting videos and information using the hashtag #BYOBagNY. They have a lot of information about the Bag Waste Reduction Law itself, as well as materials to make sure people remember to BYO Bag next time they're shopping.