“Paper or plastic?” That's the type of question you won't be getting at the checkout anymore in New York.

The state plastic bag ban is now officially in effect.

Customers are being urged to bring reusable bags, or otherwise, will have to pay a five-cent fee for a paper one.

Plastic bags are very difficult to recycle and often end up clogging waterways or littering the streets. According to the state DEC, New Yorkers use an estimated 23 billion plastic bags annually and about 85 percent end up in landfills.

"Yes very ready, very excited. We definitely need to be doing stuff about climate change right now,” said one New Yorker.

“I think it's a huge thing to get rid of these plastic bags because they don't biodegrade for a long time. They do all sorts of things for polluting the lakes and anywhere. I mean, this is just very, very important," said another.

• Enforcement Delayed for New York State's Plastic Bag Ban

While the ban goes into effect today, enforcement will be delayed until April 1, so that stores have a chance to distribute the plastic bags they already have in stock.

Once that enforcement begins, the state says stores will receive a warning first before being fined.

There are some exemptions to the ban, like those plastic bags you see in the produce or meat sections of grocery stores. But you will need a reusable bag to pack it all up and take it home.