Albany County, NY Single-Use Items: Plastic Straw Rules (2026)

Article III, "Use of Straws and Plastic Cutlery," was adopted December 16, 2020. Section 170-17 finds that littered plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery cause lasting environmental harm because petroleum-based plastics do not biodegrade, even in bioplastic form, in marine environments, and states the County's goal of reducing plastic litter. Section 170-19 first requires that plastic straws (like plastic cutlery) be offered only on request, letting servers ask customers if they need one. Section 170-20 goes further for straws specifically: "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," an outright ban rather than a request-only rule.

The ban does not apply to prepackaged drinks sold at commercial establishments, straws used by medical or dental facilities, or straws used by individuals with a disability or other impairment requiring one. Section 170-21 designates the County Health Department to lead pre-implementation outreach to the restaurant and food-service community, publish rules and signage, and enforce the article; each day a violation continues after written notice is a separate violation. Section 170-22 set the effective date six months after the December 16, 2020 enactment, so the outright straw ban took hold in mid-2021.