Help Put People Over Plastic In New York!

New York State is poised to pass the most comprehensive packaging reduction legislation in the country—the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act (A1749/S1464) introduced by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Deborah Glick.

Your voice can help pass this bill to save taxpayers and municipalities money, force polluting companies to pay to deal with their packaging waste, get 17 of the most toxic chemicals and substances out of packaging (including lead, PFAS, formaldehyde, phthalates, bisphenols, vinyl chloride, cadmium, mercury, benzene, halogenated flame retardants, perchlorate, toluene, and more), and require companies to reduce their packaging by 30% over 12 years.

Please join us and our allies in urging your New York State legislators to support and work to pass the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act by taking the following actions ASAP.

NEWS

VIDEOS

1. Call Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to urge them to prioritize passage of the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act this session. Get the phone numbers and a simple script here. >>

2. Call your State Senator and Assemblymember to urge them to co-sponsor and work to pass the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act this session. Get the numbers and talking points here. >>

3. Email your State Senator and Assemblymember to urge them to co-sponsor and work to pass the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act this spring. Contact them now. >>

4. Join us in Albany on May 7 for the People Over Plastic Rally and Advocacy Day! Meet with your state legislators to tell them why this bill matters to YOU. We’re offering free bus service from NYC if you need it, but space is limited so reserve your seat now. RSVP now. >>

4. Write a letter to the editor. Guess who reads local and regional papers? Your legislators and their staff! That makes your letter to the editor a powerful way to help convince your legislators to pass the Packaging Reduction Act. We’ve prepared detailed guidance and a sample letter you can adapt to help you to write a letter to the editor that will be published and will help move the needle to make packaging reduction law in NY. Get started now. >>

5. Donate to our campaign. Your support will help cover the costs of busing grassroots volunteers to Albany to join our rallies and advocacy days, printing literature to leave with legislators, placing ads, and much more. Make your tax-deductible gift now. >>

6. Pass a memorializing resolution. If you are a town board member, supervisor, mayor, or county legislator, please consider introducing a memorializing resolution in support of the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act—a powerful tool. Learn why this is important. >>

RESOURCES

Nyah Estevez, Beyond Plastics Community Organizer speaks with BronxNet about the impacts of the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act

Testimony in support of the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act

Testimony in support of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill

Learn why we need to pass the NY Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act in 2025