N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 6 §§ 351-1.2

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 45, November 2, 2024

Section 351-1.2 - Definitions

As used in this Part and in Titles 27 and 28 of Article 27 of the Environmental Conservation Law, the following terms have the following meanings. Unless otherwise noted, all words and terms in this Part are defined by their plain meaning.

(a) 'Compostable plastic bag' means aplastic bag made of compostable plastic.

(b) 'Compostable plastic' means plastic that meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard D6400-19, as incorporated by reference in section 351-1.3 of this Part, or other standard acceptable to the department.

(c) 'Department' means the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

(d) 'Distribute' means to give out, provide, supply, or otherwise make available for use in New York State.

(e) 'Environmental Conservation Law' or "ECL" means chapter 43-B of the Consolidated Laws of New York State.

(f) 'Exempt bag' means a bag that is:

(1) used solely to contain or wrap uncooked meat, fish, seafood, poultry, other unwrapped or non-prepackaged food, flower, plant, or other item for the purpose of separating it from other items to avoid contamination, prevent damage from moisture, or for sanitary, public health, or environmental protection purposes;

(2) used solely to package items from bulk containers, including fruits, vegetables, grains, candy, small hardware items (such as nuts, bolts, and screws), live insects, fish, crustaceans, mollusks, or other aquatic items requiring a waterproof bag;

(3) used solely to contain food sliced or prepared to order;

(4) used solely to contain a newspaper for delivery to a subscriber;

(5) sold in bulk quantities to a consumer at the point of sale that were specifically prepackaged in a manner to allow for bulk sale (for example, quantities of bags prepackaged in individual pre-sealed boxes) or prepackaged in individual boxes or containers for sale to a customer;

(6) sold as a trash bag;

(7) sold as a food storage bag, such as those in snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon sizes;

(8) used as a garment bag, such as over-the-hanger bags or those used by a dry cleaner or laundry service;

(9) made of plastic provided by a restaurant, tavern or similar food service establishment, as defined in the New York state sanitary code, to carry out or deliver prepared food;

(10) provided by a pharmacy to carry prescription drugs; or

(11) a reusable bag, as that term is defined in this Part.

(g) 'Film plastic' means a flexible sheet or sheets of petroleum or non-petroleum based plastic resin or other material (not including a paper carryout bag), less than 10 mils in thickness, commonly used in and as packaging products, which include, but are not limited to, plastic carryout bags, newspaper bags, garment bags, shrink-wrap, and other plastic overwrap.

(h) 'Film plastic bag' means any bag made of film plastic.

(i) 'Manufacturer' means:

(1) the producer of a film plastic sold to a store; or

(2) the manufacturer's agent or broker who sold the film plastic to a store.

(j) 'Operator' means a person in control of, or having daily responsibility for, the daily operation of a store, and which may include the owner of the store.

(k) 'Paper carryout bag' means a paper bag, other than an exempt bag, that is provided to a customer by a person required to collect tax, to be used by the customer to carry tangible personal property, regardless of whether such person required to collect tax sells any tangible personal property or service to the customer, and regardless of whether any tangible personal property or service sold is exempt from tax under Article 28 of the New York State Tax Law.

(I) 'Person required to collect tax' means any vendor of tangible personal property required to collect New York State sales tax pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1105 of the New York State Tax Law, "Imposition of sales tax."

(m) 'Plastic carryout bag' means any plastic bag, other than an exempt bag, that is provided to a customer by a person required to collect tax to be used by the customer to carry tangible personal property, regardless of whether such person required to collect tax sells any tangible personal property or service to the customer, and regardless of whether any tangible personal property or service sold is exempt from tax under Article 28 of the New York State Tax Law.

(n) 'Reusable bag' means a bag that:

(1) is either made of:

(i) cloth or other machine washable fabric; or

(ii) other non-film plastic washable material; and

(2) has at least one strap or handle that does not stretch and is fastened to the bag in such a manner that it allows the bag to meet the strength and durability standards in paragraphs 351-1.2 (n)(3) and (4);

(3) has a minimum lifespan of 125 uses, with a use equal to the ability to carry a minimum of 22 pounds over a distance of at least 175 feet; and

(4) has a minimum fabric weight of 80 grams per square meter (GSM) or equivalent for bags made of any non-film plastic of natural, synthetic, petroleum based, or non-petroleum-based origin, including woven or nonwoven polypropylene (PP), polyethylene-terephthalate (PET), cotton, jute, or canvas.

(o) 'Store' means a retail establishment that provided plastic carryout bags to its customers as a result of the sale of a product any time prior to March 1, 2020, and meets one or more of the following criteria:

(1) has over 10,000 square feet of retail space; or

(2) the retail establishment is part of a chain engaged in the same general field of business which operates five or more units of over 5,000 square feet of retail space in New York State under common ownership and management.

(p) 'Washable' means able to be cleaned or disinfected using typical homeowner means.

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 6 §§ 351-1.2

Adopted New York State Register February 26, 2020/Volume XLII, Issue 08, eff. 3/14/2020