Five years in, ‘straw law’ fines fall hardest on bodegas and delis, new Chamber report finds
Policy Brief
November 2, 2026
November 2, 2026
Five Years In, NYC’s Plastic Straw Law Needs a Chance to Cure
New Chamber brief, Enforcement Uncovered: Single-Use Plastics, finds the law is enforced mostly as a fine on neighborhood food stores, often over a missing sign.
New York City’s plastic straw law turns five on November 1. To mark the anniversary, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce has released Enforcement Uncovered: Single-Use Plastics, a policy brief that uses the city’s own public records to look at how the law has been enforced, who has paid, and what the city knows about whether it works.
The Chamber supports the law’s goal. Less single-use plastic is good for the city and often good for a business’s bottom line. But the records show that the law is now enforced mostly as a fine on neighborhood food stores, frequently over a missing sign.
7,767
straw-law violations citywide
79%
issued by DCWP
81%
of businesses charged were never charged again
$300K+
paid by businesses, mostly on first-time charges
Key findings (July 2023 to July 2026)
One agency writes most of the tickets. Of 7,767 straw-law violations citywide, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) issued 79%. The Department of Sanitation, which is responsible for the law’s environmental goal, issued 40 summonses and leads with education.
Bodegas and delis carry the load. They received two-thirds of all violations and 85% of DCWP’s charges.
Often it’s just the sign. In nearly three in ten DCWP inspections, the only straw-law charge was a missing “Plastic straws available upon request” sign.
Businesses fix it the first time, but can’t cure it. 81% of businesses DCWP charged were never charged again. Yet almost no straw-law charges are eligible for a cure. A store can fix a missing refund-policy sign without a fine, but not a missing straw sign.
Businesses have paid more than $300,000, most of it on first-time charges.
Manhattan accounts for about 28% of violations, led by Midtown.
No one is measuring results. The Chamber could not locate any city analysis of whether the law has reduced plastic waste.
What the Chamber recommends
1.
Make first-time violations cure-eligible.
2.
End stand-alone fines for a missing sign.
3.
Create an online system to submit proof of correction and answer a summons.
4.
Require annual public reporting on enforcement by agency, borough and business type.
“Five years in, the question isn’t whether New York should use less plastic. It should. The question is whether a deli owner who has never been cited before should pay $100 for a missing sign, with no chance to fix it. A cure period would protect the law’s goal and the businesses that keep our neighborhoods running.”
Jessica Walker, President and CEO, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
Need help with compliance?
Business owners can download a free compliant straw sign, or contact the Business Help Desk at bizhelp.nyc.