The Westchester County Board of Legislators [1] this week passed a law requiring large retailers to start collecting plastic shopping bags for recycling.

County Executive Andy Spano proposed the recycling measure in January.

According to the Journal News [2], the legislation calls for stores measuring 10,000 square feet or more to provide a collection bin for the shopping bags, which the retailers will be responsible for recycling. The penalties for not complying with the law range from a warning to $1,000.

Westchester's legislation is the most recent proposed in the region to deal with plastic bags and their environmental consequences. New York City passed a similar law earlier this year.