The state Legislature is turning up the heat on use of plastics in New York state.

State Sen. Kevin Parker, D-Brooklyn, has introduced legislation to ban single-use plastics by all agencies and departments that receive state funding.

The Environmentally Conscious Purchasing Act was introduced in the state Senate on Sept. 26. It amends the state Finance Law to ban all agencies and departments that receive state funding to purchase certain single-use plastic products. Among the items that would be banned are plastic bags, cling-film plastic food packaging, non-recyclable plastic straws, plastic plates, non-reusable plastic containers, plastic cups, plastic lids and plastic stirrers, plastic cutlery, plastic rings used in packaging, styrofoam plates, styrofoam takeout containers and styrofoam tray, and any other single-use plastic products the Department of Environmental Conservation decides should be included when developing the state’s formal regulation.

“This legislation is being proposed to ensure that New York state’s taxpayer dollars are not being put towards environmentally irresponsible products,” Parker wrote in his justification. “There are a plethora of negative effects of these single-use plastic products. Almost half of all plastics ever produced have been made in the last 15 years. Moreover, about 8 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean.”

The law would exempt the purchase of plastic straws if the straws are being used for a medical purpose, plastic bags for garbage collection and single-use plastic medical equipment.

Sen. Todd Kaminsky, D-Long Beach, has introduced legislation that would ban hotels and motels from using single-use plastic bottles in hotel rooms. In a news release, Kaminsky noted the Marriott hotel chain has announced it will stop using the small bottles at its properties worldwide.

“Little everyday actions, like eliminating small plastic bottles, will have a positive impact on our environment,” Kaminsky said. “By barring hotels from giving single-use plastic toiletries to customers, we are safeguarding our environment, and mitigating plastic waste and waterway pollution.”

Earlier this year, Assemblyman Pat Burke, D-Buffalo, introduced legislation to establish a commission to study elimination of single use plastics in New York state. The commission would have seven members, all appointed by Democrats, and be given six months to give an initial report on how to eliminate single-use plastics, procedures to replace them and a cost analysis of each. One year after the initial report, the commission would present a final report and then be given a year to make any changes to the plan before it takes effect.

“Every piece of plastic ever produced still exists on this planet in some form and will for hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years,” Burke wrote in his legislative justification.

“More than a third of plastics are “single use plastics,” meaning they are used once and thrown away. This creates serious problems for our environment, particularly in our waterways where many of the plastics breaks down into microplastics full of concentrated toxins that poison marine life, birds, mammals, and even humans through bioaccumulation. Single use plastics are causing irreparable harm to our environment and health, and we must solve this issue using a holistic approach that fundamentally shifts the way we think about and utilize plastic products.”

Burke’s legislation did not advanced out of its committee during the 2019 legislative session.