New York State Senate passes Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act
The New York State Senate has voted 33 to 35 to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, set to be one of the most comprehensive plastic reduction legislation in the US.
Once enacted, the bill will “require companies selling, offering for sale, or distributing packaging materials and products to register with a packaging reduction organization to develop a packaging reduction and recycling plan,” according to the Senate.
Next, the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee will vote on the bill.
“The Senate’s actions showed they listened to the majority of constituents and supporters who want to fight plastic pollution and create a healthier New York. It’s now essential that the assembly moves swiftly to pass this significant bill into law so these benefits can be delivered to the community,” says Zach Head, campaign manager at the environmental non-profit organization Only One.
Vanessa Fajans-Turner, executive director of Environmental Advocates NY, adds: “The Senate’s approval of the Packaging Reduction Act flips the script — putting the cost of packaging waste where it belongs: on the companies that create it, not the communities left to clean it up. This bill doesn’t just cut trash — it cuts toxins, climate pollution, and taxpayer waste. It’s smart, overdue, and deeply popular. Now, the assembly needs to bring it home.”
The NGO Beyond Plastics says it has played a role in supporting the bill. Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and a former US Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator, comments: “The plastics and chemical lobbyists are waging a ferocious fight in Albany to derail this bill, but New York state senators know they were elected to save taxpayers money and protect New Yorkers’ health.”
“Congratulations and thank you to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, bill sponsor Senator Pete Harckham, and the 33 senators who stood up to polluter pressure. Now, the State Assembly must pass this bill before they adjourn in June.”
In a recent interview with Packaging Insights, Enck stressed that the bill sets out to reduce plastic packaging by 30% over 12 years by charging packaging producers. She further told us that, currently, the state has a 19% recycling rate, ten incinerators, and that “many” landfills will be closing soon.
Waste management savings
Next, the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee will vote on the packaging bill.New Yorkers could save US$1.3 billion in a decade if the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act becomes law, according to a report by Beyond Plastics.
The report finds that reducing packaging waste overall would lower the cost of waste management, in addition to the funds brought by charging packaging producers.
Beyond Plastics says that because the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act would save tax dollars, over 30 localities across the state have passed resolutions urging Albany leaders to pass the bill.
The New York City Council passed a resolution in support, and the Mayor’s Office released a memorandum of support in favor of the legislation, Beyond Plastics reports.
More than 300 organizations and businesses issued a memo of support stating, “This bill would save tax dollars and position New York as a global leader in reducing plastic.”
These organizations include Beyond Plastics, Hip Hop Caucus, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, League of Women Voters, Environmental Advocates, NYPIRG, Earthjustice, Blueland, and DeliverZero.
In the EU, environmental organizations are calling for a central EPR body to ensure a greater harmonization of packaging rules across member states. The UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs plans to appoint a Producer Responsibility Organisation to propel its packaging EPR.
