We need you! Please join us in Albany on Tuesday, February 27 to let your state legislators know you want them to pass packaging reduction ASAP this year!
RSVP now for the 2/27 New York is NOT Disposable Advocacy Day hosted by Beyond Plastics, NYPIRG, League of Women Voters, Environmental Advocates, Only One, Surfrider, and dozens of other organizations.
Click here to let us know you can make it.
We know from experience that legislators MUST see and hear from their constituents in order to prioritize passing critical legislation like the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (A.5322-a/S.4246-a) and the Bigger Better Bottle Bill (A6353/S237) before the state budget negotiations begin in earnest.
We also know that it's inspiring and FUN to gather in Albany and participate in democracy together. Check out a few pix below from last spring's day of action in Albany. We had a blast.
We have an ambitious goal of meeting with every majority member of the state legislature on February 27 to urge them to pass these two critical bills ASAP this session and we need your participation to make it possible, Andrew.
We hope you can join us for this exciting day in Albany and we promise to make it easy for you by walking you through every step of the process in advance and providing all the materials you will need! Please RSVP by Wednesday, February 21.
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act is an important NYS environmental bill that will transform the way goods are packaged and sold in our state.
When you buy products at a store or online, they come with wasteful amounts of packaging — much of it single-use plastics. Think detergent bottles, air pillows, and non-recyclable films. While metals, glass, and paper can be readily recycled, 95% of plastics are not recycled (and most can’t be recycled at all). The fact that consumer brands use plastic — a material manufactured from fossil fuels that never biodegrades — for a single-use purpose contributes to climate change and pollutes environmental justice communities where packaging waste that cannot be recycled is landfilled, incinerated, or dumped.
New Yorkers have no control over how much single-use packaging is pumped into the market by companies. However, they are the ones that pay to manage all that packaging waste. New York City alone spends more than $426 million each year to export their waste to incinerators and landfills. Waste that isn’t recycled can become unsightly pollution in New York waterways, where it can choke wildlife, break into tiny microplastics, and leach toxic chemicals. It is estimated that two garbage trucks of plastic enter the ocean each minute.
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA) would hold companies accountable to reduce, reuse, and recycle their packaging by requiring:
50% reduction of plastic packaging in 12 years
All packaging be designed to be reusable or truly recyclable
Get toxic chemicals out of packaging and set a process for expanding the list of banned toxic chemicals; and
Companies must pay for the waste management of their packaging, relieving taxpayers and municipalities.
The Bigger Better Bottle Bill would expand New York’s existing container deposit law to include more containers like tea, wine, liquor, hard cider, and nips bottles. It also raises the deposit to 10 cents, which will motivate more people to redeem their containers, and also will give a much-deserved raise to more than 10,000 vulnerable workers in the state who earn their income by collecting and redeeming containers. Redemption centers will also get much needed support when the handling fee is increased to 6 cents. It is estimated that this bill will create 4,145 new jobs and increase the redemption rate in New York from 64% to 90%.
We won't get this work done without massive grassroots support to counter intense industry opposition. Please sign up to attend the Advocacy Day now.
