New York Walmart stores to stop selling paper bags in January 2023

NEW YORK (WETM) - Walmart will officially be going paperless in New York after the New Year, several local stores have announced. This follows two years after the Empire State put a ban on single-use plastic bags. Signs at the Horseheads and Painted Post Walmart locations announced that all New York Stores will stop providing paper bags at checkout on January 18, 2023. Walmart Olean also posted the announcement on its official Facebook page.

The announcement comes months after local stores and Walmart corporate offered conflicting reports of when the stores would lose paper bags. In late September, Walmart Horseheads said it would go bagless in October; however, Walmart corporate denied the reports. Early this year, all stores in Vermont and Maine went completely bagless as part of a pilot program for the company.

This move comes almost two years after New York State put in place a ban on the sale of plastic bags. The law went into effect in October 2020 and included bags sold at places like grocery stores and restaurant takeout meals. Also on January 1, 2022, New York State implemented a ban on polystyrene containers and foam packing peanuts for packaged foods or goods.