New York City billionaire may want to build paper bag factory in Syracuse area (report) - syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. — A New York City billionaire and major opponent of the state’s plastic bag ban wants to build a paper bag factory somewhere in Upstate New York and he’s reached out to a local group for help.

John Catsimatidis sent a letter about the potential factory to Rob Simpson, head of CenterState CEO, a big economic development and business group based in Syracuse, according to the New York Post. CenterState focuses on a 12-county region around Syracuse and that’s apparently the area Catsimatidis is targeting for his factory, although he mangled the name a bit, calling it the “CenterStreet” region, the Post said.

CenterState told the Post it received the letter and reached out to Catsimatidis to explore how the group could help with the project.

Catsimatidis is founder, chairman and CEO of the Red Apple Group, which owns several businesses in the energy sector, Gristedes supermarkets in New York City and the Kwik Fill Red Apple chain of gas stations and convenience stores.

New York’s plastic bag ban took effect March 1. Any entity in the state required to collect state sales taxes is now barred from handing out single-use plastic bags to customers at checkout, although the state delayed enforcement until April.

Retailers and grocery stores like Gristedes and Kwik Fill are among the businesses most affected by the ban and Catsimatidis has been criticizing the new law loudly, according to the Post.

He even took out a full page ad in the newspaper to oppose it.

Some industry experts have said the state’s plastic bag ban could actually spark a shortage of paper bags, in part because current factories can’t produce enough bags to meet new demand. Catsimatidis told the Post paper bags now cost retailers about 10 cents each, compared with a penny or two for plastic.

He said the new factory isn’t about making money.

"I am trying to bring the costs down to a reasonable number and not let people rip off the consumer and the store owners of New York," he said, according to the Post. "I don't care about profits at this point."

The Post didn't say exactly where Catsimatidis might build his factory. But he estimated the plant could be finished within a year and lead to hundreds of jobs.

In addition to his business empire, Catsimatidis has run as a Republican for New York City mayor in the past and has been a major donor to various political campaigns. He also hosts a talk radio show.

The New York Times recently made him a big part of a story on the use of facial recognition software by the wealthy. The paper said he has used it for surveillance in his stores and even to identify a man he saw on a date with his daughter.

More on New York’s plastic bag ban

Dog poop, tiny trash cans, more: Questions answered on NY’s plastic bag ban

New York plastic bag ban start date, who’s affected, bags you can still get

How to clean your reusable bags so they don’t get gross

You’ll pay for paper bags at Tops, Wegmans, more

NY says Wegmans, others must allow old plastic bags in stores for reuse

Are compostable bags a good option?

Farmers markets, nonprofits, fines: More questions answered on NY plastic bag ban

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598

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New York City billionaire may want to build paper bag factory in Syracuse area (report) - syracuse.com
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