Most plastic bags will be verboten in New York after March 1 — but enforcement of the ban will not be immediate amid complaints of a paper bag shortage.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation this week acknowledged that retailers may not have had enough time to vanquish plastic from their stores, including a switchover to paper bags. As a result, they plan to let retailers continue to use synthetic bags without repercussions after the March 1 deadline goes into effect — until further notice.

“Enforcement will follow in the months ahead,” said DEC Chief of Staff Sean Mahar, in a WAMC radio interview on Tuesday.

“Our goal is to make sure that there’s a smooth transition for consumers and affected retailers with this ban,” Mahar said, adding “so we’re going to continue that education effort. But we want to give a period of transition. So everyone can come into compliance here, but as of March 1, single use plastic bags are prohibited.”

As The Post reported last month, the retailers and the bag industry have complained that they can’t replace plastic with paper because paper bags have come into short supply due in part to the growing popularity of plastic bag bans in other states and municipalities.

One of three major bag manufacturers in North America, Novolex, estimates that New York will require 4 billion bags, or 52 percent of all the production capacity in North America, to comply with its new law. That will require new factories to be built, Novolex says.