Single-Use Items in Albany County, NY (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Albany County, New York.
Verified from official government sources
Plastic Straw Rules
Albany County Chapter 170, Article III (L.L. No. 1-2020) bans establishments from offering consumers any single-use plastic straw or beverage stirrer, with narrow exceptions for prepackaged drinks, medical or dental use, and disability need, enforced by the County Health Department with penalties running from a written warning to a $250 fine.
Albany County Plastic Straw Ban
Heavy RestrictionsCode of the County of Albany § 170-20
§ 170-20. Distribution of plastic straws prohibited; exceptions. A. Upon six months from the date of enactment, no establishment within the County shall offer to consumers any single-use straw or beverage stirrer made of plastic. B. Exceptions. This prohibition shall not apply to: (1) Prepackaged drinks sold at commercial establishments; (2) Use by medical or dental facilities; (3) Use by indiv...
Utensils-On-Request
Albany County Code § 170-19 requires restaurants, fast-food outlets, drive-throughs and beverage providers to hand out plastic cutlery only when a customer asks for it, though staff may proactively offer to ask; self-service stations stocked with utensils are exempt from the ask requirement. Violations carry the same escalating fines as the county's straw rule.
Albany County Plastic Cutlery On Request
Some RestrictionsCode of the County of Albany § 170-19
§ 170-19. Plastic straws and cutlery upon request only. A. All Albany County restaurants, including fast-food restaurants, drive-through windows of restaurants, beverage providers or vendors, shall only offer plastic cutlery and straws upon request. Nothing in this article shall preclude a drive-through restaurant employee or employee of any restaurant from asking its customers if they need ute...
Takeout Containers
Albany County's Food Service Waste Reduction Act (Ch. 170, Art. II) bars every food service establishment from selling prepared food in polystyrene foam containers and requires compostable or recyclable alternatives instead, enforced by the Department of Health with escalating fines up to a misdemeanor charge for repeat violators.
Albany County Foam Takeout Container Ban
Heavy RestrictionsCode of the County of Albany § 170-11
§ 170-11. Use restrictions. A. No food service establishment shall sell prepared food in any disposable food service ware that contains polystyrene foam. B. All food service establishments using any disposable food service ware shall use a suitable, alternative product that is a compostable product or made of locally recyclable material such as aluminum or hard plastic. C. Food service establis...
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