A new kind of store opens in New York

A store like no other is opening in the coming days in New York. His particuliarity ? Use single-use plastic bags to represent classic grocery items and raise environmental awareness.

The Plastic Bag Store, which opens on October 20 in New York City, is a fleeting, heart-shaped Times Square work of art that aims to raise awareness about the environment. It was inaugurated just as New York State introduced the ban on plastic bags.

« There are opportunities to use humor and satire to represent everyday products, and that highlight the amount of waste we use and the associated environmental issues. Said Robin Frohardt, artist from Brooklyn and creator of the Plastic Bag Store.

« Because the Plastic Bag Store looks like a regular grocery store, I think the next time you go to a grocery store it … might get you thinking a little bit about what’s happening to the planet and the packaging situation. »

Beginning October 19, all plastic bags will be banned statewide, where, according to the state’s Environmental Protection Department, more than 23 billion plastic bags are used each year.

The ban, which is to prevent single-use plastic bags from plugging landfills and covering parks and waterways, was supposed to start on March 1 but has been postponed due to the pandemic.

The boutique will be open for three weeks and visitors will be able to browse the artistic installation which represents classic food items, made from plastic bags.

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