NEW YORK — Starting next month remember to bring your own bag. That's because New York State's single-use plastic bag ban goes into effect on March 1.

All grocery stores, convenience stores, or any such retailer will no longer carry plastic bags.

The law was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year as a measure to reduce single-use plastic waste and keep bags from littering roadways and waterways.

There are some exceptions. For instance, bags used to wrap uncooked meat, newspapers, bulk items, and more are allowed, as well as trash bags, dry cleaner bags and food storage bags.

But some environmental groups have noticed a loophole in the regulations of the law set forth by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

It states that 10mil plastic bags are allowed because they are considered reusable. Plastic comes in a wide range of thickness, rated with the term “mil” that equals one-thousandth of an inch. The most common size for plastic sheeting is 6mil.

“Most consumers will not use these thicker plastic bags as reusable bags - the thicker bags will simply end up in all the same problematic places their thinner counterparts currently do - tree tops, gutters, rivers, streams, lakes, oceans, landfills and incinerators,” states a letter from Judith Enck, Founder of Beyond Plastics.

The DEC was taking public comments until February 3, and a public hearing was held on January 27.

They are now reviewing all of the comments before finalizing the regulations, which is anticipated soon, according to a statement from the DEC.

It explained that the purpose of the thickness standard is to reduce the amount of film plastic by ensuring film plastic cannot be considered a reusable bag.

Further, 10mil bags do not currently exist and it would be very expensive to produce them.

To charge or not to charge?

The state law allows counties to opt-in to a five-cent charge on paper bags. Sullivan County did not opt to charge the five-cent fee, leaving the discretion up to vendors. If they do, it must be charged as a taxable item (as opposed to a nontaxable fee, so the state gets revenue).

The fee does not apply to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children -- a nutrition program) recipients, and they are exempt from paying a paper carryout bag reduction fee for paper carryout bags.

The debate on whether paper bags or plastic bags are better for the environment is not as simple as it sounds. But the short answer is that both are not great.

According to the Sierra Club, both kinds of bags are wasteful, but paper is probably better because it is more likely to decompose. Plastic can take years to disappear, and in breaking down, can release toxic materials.

Implications of the ban

In New York State, over 23 billion plastic bags are used each year. Worldwide only 9 percent of plastic is recycled, another 12 percent is incinerated, while the remaining 79 percent simply piles up in landfills or in nature.

Eight other states and many countries have already instituted a plastic bag ban, as well as Dutchess, Suffolk and Ulster counties in New York.

Customers will have to get used to bringing a reusable shopping bag with them, not just to the grocery store but any kind of retail store. A good tip is to leave them in your car or purse, and of course remember to bring them into the store with you.