Bodega bag drag

Owners defy plastic ban over cost

Many New York City bodegas continue to dole out plastic bags with purchases — risking hefty fines — because paper bags are too costly and hard to find, a new survey has found.

The Bodega and Small Business Association, which has 5,000 members, conducted an informal survey of Bronx-based bodega owners this week and found that at least 35 of the businesses were still handing out single-use plastic bags at checkout, despite enforcement of the statewide ban beginning on Oct. 19.

“We are taking the chance on giving out plastic bags, risking getting a fine, because paper bags are too expensive,” said association President Francisco Marte, who owns several bodegas.

As The Post has reported, paper bags are also in scarce supply because there aren’t enough factories to meet the rising demand.

Bodega owners have found that a package of 200 paper bags costs up to $50 compared with $11 for a package of 600 single-use plastic bags, the survey said.

Meanwhile, the state won’t let retailers recoup those expenses. Stores can charge a 5-cent fee for each paper bag they hand out, but that money goes to state and municipal coffers.

Some retailers who were able to procure paper bags ahead of the Oct. 19 deadline have begun charging about 20 cents to break even on the costs, Marte said.

Retailers caught breaking the rules risk a $250 fine for the first offense and $500 for each subsequent offense.

So far, none of Marte’s members has been fined, he said, adding that the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, which is in charge of enforcing the ban, has only been handing out warnings,.

“No fines were issued in the first week of enforcement,” the DEC confirmed in a statement, without saying when the fines would start being issued.

Retailers “will receive a warning notice for a first violation,” the department said.