Food service establishments in the five boroughs will no longer provide things like cutlery, ketchup packets, and napkins for take-out.
Bye-Bye Handy To-Go Napkins
The new rules, posted by the Department of Sanitation (DSNY), stem from a local law Mayor Eric Adams signed earlier this year after the City Council passed it in January on partisan lines.
City Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez (D-Bronx), who introduced the bill, said during a City Council hearing that more than 100 million plastic utensils are discarded in the U.S. each day.
She stated that the nation spends $40 billion on plastic utensils each year, according to an official Council transcript.
According to proposed regulations published Tuesday, The rule aims to decrease plastic waste generated by restaurants.
Do It, And You’ll Be Fined
The city on Tuesday recommended fines ranging from $50 to $250 for restaurants, food delivery and third-party courier services.
If they send utensils and other items like soy sauce and ketchup packets to customers who didn’t ask for them, the result of the so-called “Skip the Stuff” bill that was signed into law in February, they may be fined.
Restaurants will only receive warnings until July 1, 2024, when the financial penalties begin to take effect.
Are New York Bans Out of Control?
Some people believe that the state is constantly overstepping its boundaries. At the same time, others feel that the state is looking out for the best interest of residents.
Here’s a list of some things New York has banned or will ban.
- Certain Types Of Cigarettes
- Gas Powered Vehicles Ban – Kind Of
- Polystyrene (Styrofoam) Ban
- Plastic Bag Ban
- Certain Laundry Detergent And Cleaners
- Banks From Restarting Certain Foreclosures
- One Step Closer To Banning Use Of Gas/Fossil Fuels in Buildings
- Tackle Football Be Banned For Certain Kids
- Certain Personal Care Products
- Toxic “forever chemicals” from clothing
Fun fact: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, has familial ties to Heinz ketchup (she is the widow of Heinz heir Sen. H. John Heinz III [R-Pa.]. Back in 2015, Isreal banned Heinz from using the word ‘ketchup’ because it did not contain enough tomato ingredients to meet the Israeli definition of ketchup.
Further Reading:
Wood-Fire Ovens and Pizza Bad For Climate?‘
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