A pop-up store in NYC is stocking products made entirely of single-use plastic as retailers grapple with changing laws

• A popup art installation in Times Square is meant to raise awareness of plastic waste.
• The Plastic Bag Store looks like a regular grocery store, but everything is made of plastic.
• The popup coincides with New York state's reinstated plastic bag ban.

A grocery store art installation in New York City is only stocking products made of single-use plastic. The Plastic Bag Store is a popup art exhibit and detailed replica of a grocery store open to the public for free in Times Square.

The exhibit opens as New York state's plastic bag ban is reinstated, which says that all retailers that collect sales tax may not use plastic bags. Some companies, like Walmart and CVS, have taken advantage of laws like New York's to market themselves as environmentally friendly, partnering on the Beyond the Bag Initiative that aims to "reinvent the single-use plastic retail bag." Target similarly invites consumers to see how it will "leave the planet better for future families to enjoy."

Retailers like Starbucks have dealt with regulations on plastic in other areas of their business. Plastic straws in particular have been the target of criticisms and bans for possible danger to sea life, and the long times that they take to decompose. Starbucks eliminated plastic straws in favor of recycleable lids for cold drinks, with non-plastic straws available on request. McDonald's switched to paper straws in the UK and some US locations, although customers weren't happy with the replacements.

The Plastic Bag Store will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays, October 22 through November 7. Guests must register online before attending. Take a look inside the exhibit here.

The Plastic Bag Store opens on October 22, after being postponed from the original March date.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

The art installation is set up exactly like a grocery store, but all the items are made of plastic.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

The thousands of items on display are all made from single use plastic, which would be used once before ending up in a landfill or even the ocean.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

"Water bottles, yogurt cups, coffee lids – these will be the pottery shards of our era" the show's description reads.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

All products look like typical grocery store offerings at first, but with names like "Bagorade" and "Yucky Shards," upon closer inspection.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

"There are humorous and satirical takes on everyday products that highlight the amount of waste that we're using, and the environmental problems related," artist Robin Frohardt told Reuters.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

Source: Reuters

The project especially focuses on the proliferation of plastic bags.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

New York state's plastic bag ban went into effect on March 1, but was suspended until October 19 because of the pandemic.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

Source: DEC

The displays in the popup are organized like a meat or cheese counter in a grocery store.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

Before the ban, New York residents used about 23 billion bags annually.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters

"And so because The Plastic Bag Store feels like a regular grocery store, I think the next time you go to a grocery store, it... might make you think a little bit about what's happening to the planet and the packaging situation" Frohardt told Reuters.

The Plastic Bag Store.      Reuters