A new city law prohibiting city establishments from providing customers with plastic utensils and other items in takeout or delivery orders unless the customer requests them goes into effect Monday.
The “Skip the Stuff” rules, which were passed by the City Council in January and later signed into law by Mayor Eric Adams, prohibit city restaurants, as well as delivery apps operating in the city, from providing customers with utensils, condiment packets, extra containers and napkins in takeout or delivery orders, unless requested by the customer.
According to the release from the Sanitation Department, the bill aims to reduce single-use plastics that often end up in landfills.
Fines will not begin being issued Monday, according to the Department of Sanitation. Any violations before June 30 of next year will receive a warning instead of a monetary penalty. After that date, any businesses that violate the rules are subject to civil penalties ranging from $50 for a first offense to $250 for a third offense within a 12-month period.