What: In advance of New York’s ban on single-use plastic bags, which goes into effect on March 1, State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region3 Director Kelly Turturro will deliver reusable bags to Feeding Westchester, one of the nine member food banks of Feeding New York State.
The reusable BYOBagNY (Bring Your Own Bag New York) delivery supports DEC’s ongoing campaign to encourage New Yorkers to use reusable bags wherever and whenever they shop. DEC is currently distributing hundreds of thousands of reusable bags across the state, with a focus on low- and moderate-income New Yorkers with the help of partner state agencies, Feeding New York State, the statewide food bank organization, and other stakeholders.
DEC will continue to focus its outreach and education efforts to ensure a smooth transition for consumers and affected retailers, with enforcement to follow in the months ahead. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation to ban the sale of single-use plastic bags in New York State on Earth Day, April 22, 2019.
When: Friday, Feb. 28, at 11:30 a.m.
Where: Feeding Westchester Warehouse, 200 Clearbrook Road, Elmsford, NY 10523
Who: Kelly Turturro, Regional Director, DEC Region 3, will join Feeding Westchester President & CEO Leslie Gordon.
WHY: New Yorkers use an estimated 23 billion plastic bags annually - each for about 12 minutes - and approximately 85 percent of this staggering total ends up in landfills, recycling machines, waterways and streets. For more information about the plastic bag ban, visit https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/50034.html, email plasticbags@dec.ny.gov, or call (518) 402-8706.
ABOUT FEEDING WESTCHESTER: Feeding Westchester is the county’s leading nonprofit hunger-relief organization at the heart of a network of more than 300 partners and programs. One in five people in Westchester are hungry. We source and distribute good, nutritious food and other resources to every community in Westchester – from Mount Vernon to Mount Kisco. Last year, we delivered more than 10.1 million pounds of food or 8.5 million meals to our neighbors through soup kitchens, food pantries, schools, shelters and residential programs. Together, we can end hunger right where we live. We feed Westchester.
