New York debates what really is, or isn't, recyclable
By Rick Karlin | September 28, 2021 | The Times Union
ALBANY — A pair of state lawmakers and environmentalists are pushing back against a little-publicized plan by the Department of Environmental Conservation they say could allow more products to bear the familiar “chasing arrow” logo that signifies a recyclable item - even though many plastic products that have the sign aren’t really able to be recycled.
Rather than periodically updating its list of products that should or shouldn’t be considered recyclable, “the Department proposed to do away with the specific standards and eliminate the program entirely.” Instead, the DEC wants products labeled as recyclable, reusable or recycled to merely conform with the Federal Trade Commission’s recyclable standards known as the Green Guide, according to a letter from New York City Assemblyman Dan Quart and Long Island Assemblyman Steven Englebright to Katie Kidalowski, at DEC’s Division of Materials Management, and DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.
Quart chairs a special panel on regulatory review and Englebright chairs the Assembly Conservation Committee. Both are Democrats.
Their letter also says that the DEC is supposed to every two years look at the state guidelines to see if new technologies or other changes warrant updating the standards. But the agency “seems to have long since abandoned such efforts,” according to the letter from Quart and Englebright.
“Recently, several states have taken steps to overhaul their recycling programs and New York cannot afford to fall behind," Quart said regarding the proposed change. "While the Legislature works to enact a more comprehensive approach to addressing misinformation consumers receive about recycling, I strongly discourage the DEC from scrapping the official emblem program and instead encourage it to work with us to improve the program.”
The Federal Trade Commission does have guidelines for what should be considered recyclable, but there is scant enforcement of those standards, said Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator and founder of Beyond Plastics, which aims to remove plastic from the waste stream.
“Relying on the federal Green Guide is a mistake,” said Enck.