Help NY Save Tax $, Cut Packaging by 50% & More!

New York State is seriously considering passing the most comprehensive packaging reduction legislation in the country—the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act (S4246-b/A5322-b) introduced by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Deborah Glick. Click here to learn more about this bill in our joint memo of support.

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 now by taking the following actions ASAP.

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

2. Email your state legislators to urge them to vote YES on the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act right now. Send your emails now. >>

3. Email Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to urge them to prioritize passage of the Packaging Reduction Act ASAP this session. Click here to email them now. >>

4. Join our Climate Action Now Party on Weds, May 8 via Zoom. Get the details and register now. >>

4. Join us in Albany on May 14! We and our allies are hosting a Rally and Advocacy Day on Tuesday, May 14 at the Capital. We’re offering free bus service from NYC if you need it. Register now - and bring your friends! >>

5. 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. >>

RESOURCES

• One-page flier on the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act in color (PDF) | March 2024

• Memo of Support for the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act | January 2024

• Testimony: Judith Enck, President, Beyond Plastics and Former EPA Regional Administrator
  before the New York State Joint Committee on Environmental Conservation In Support of the
  Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S4246A/Senator Harckham, A5322A/
  Assemblymember Glick) | October 24, 2023

• Testimony (written) : Alexis Goldsmith, Organizing Director, Beyond Plastics before the New York
  State Joint Committee on Environmental Conservation In support of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill
  (Senate bill 237/Senator May, Assembly bill 6353/Assemblymember Glick) | October 23, 2023
  (View video of testimony)

• Fact Sheet: The Worst of the Worst: High-Priority Plastic Materials, Chemical Additives, and Products
  to Phase Out | NRDC | October 2023

NEWS

• Bloomberg Law | New York Lawmakers Renew Effort to Reduce Single-Use Plastics | 4/10/2024

• City Limits | Chemical Industry Amps Up Lobbying to Block New York’s Waste Reduction Bill | 3/7/2024

• ExxonKnews | Why the oil and chemical lobby is taking aim at New York’s plastic waste bill | 3/4/2024

• Gothamist | New York Lawmakers Push Bill to Crack Down on Plastic Packaging | 2/28/24

• ABC7 Eyewitness News | New Bill Aims To Tackle Plastic Packaging and Recycling | 2/28/24

• WNYC FM Radio | NYS Lawmakers Want To Charge Businesses Fees Based on How Much Plastic Packaging They Produce | 2/27/24

• Beyond Plastics | New York Is Not Disposable: 300+ Advocates, Environmental  Leaders, and Lawmakers Rally at New York State Capitol to Fight Plastic Pollution | 2/27/24

• Inside Climate News | Environmental Groups Eye a Potential Win with New York Packaging Bill | 2/20/24

• Beyond Plastics | Legislation to Curb Plastic Pollution Gains Momentum; Passes Environmental Conservation Committee and Secures Majority of Assembly and Senate Support | 2/13/24

• WXXI | Environmentalists Say Cutting the Amount of Plastic Packaging In Products by Half Is a Goal | 1/18/24

• Channel 13 | The Push To Reduce Plastic Packaging Across New York State | 1/18/24

• Packaging Dive | Environmental Advocates Renew Push for New York EPR Bill | 1/18/24

• City & State NY | Quite a few lawmakers are on board to reduce NY plastic packaging by half | 1/18/24

• Politico NY | Five environmental issues to watch this session | 1-8-24

• WXXI News | Supporters of reducing plastic packaging say a hearing on the bill signals progress | 10-27-23