Follow the Money: New Report Reveals David vs. Goliath Battle Over New York’s Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act
Packaging Reduction Was Most Lobbied Bill in Albany, With Industry Giants Using 4-to-1 Lobbying Advantage to Block It
For Immediate Release: October 7, 2025
Contacts:
Melissa Valliant, Beyond Plastics — melissavalliant@bennington.edu, (410) 829-0726
Judith Enck, Beyond Plastics — judithenck@bennington.edu, (518) 605-1770
Blair Horner, NYPIRG — bhorner@nypirg.org, (518) 727-4506
A new report from Beyond Plastics reveals that in 2025, over 100 businesses — including Amazon, McDonald’s, ExxonMobil, and Coca-Cola — lobbied to block the New York Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S1464 / A1749), outnumbering supporters’ lobbyists by a margin of 4 to 1. Titled “Follow the Money: The David vs. Goliath Battle to Pass the New York Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act," the report found that 106 registered businesses lobbied to defeat the packaging-reduction bill, and only 24 registered organizations lobbied to pass it.
The state bill, introduced by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, would transform the way goods are packaged, dramatically reduce waste and toxic chemicals used in consumer packaging, and ease the burden on New Yorkers by making companies — not taxpayers and consumers — cover the cost of managing packaging waste.
Despite overwhelming bipartisan public support for the bill and endorsements from local governments, faith leaders, and 313 organizations and businesses, corporate opposition has stalled progress in the Assembly for two years in a row. Beyond Plastics’ new report documents the outsized influence of industry money in Albany and highlights what’s at stake as lawmakers prepare to revisit the bill in 2026.
"It's clear the only thing stopping state lawmakers from passing the packaging-reduction bill and protecting New Yorkers is industry's deep pockets, but legislators have an opportunity to pass this legislation when they reconvene in January," said Judith Enck, Beyond Plastics president and former EPA regional administrator. "Given it's an election year, New Yorkers — the majority of whom support packaging reduction — will be watching. This bill has 78 co-sponsors in the state Assembly and 32 co-sponsors in the state Senate, and it only needs 76 Assembly votes and 32 Senate votes to pass on both floors. New York's legislators need to put people over polluters and pass this widely supported legislation once and for all."
"This analysis shows the power of big money to block the public's best interests. The massive lobbying spending helped deploy dozens of lobbyists against PRRIA. That success means another year of the worsening of New York's solid waste crisis, another year of taxpayers paying for the disposal of unnecessary trash, and another year of Albany's lobbying corp getting richer. By documenting the massive investment industry is making in maintaining the status quo, this report should galvanize public support for PRRIA and push this necessary legislation through the thicket of opposition in the Assembly," said Blair Horner, NYPIRG’s senior policy advisor.
Key findings of the report include:
According to the New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG), the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act was the first and second most lobbied bill (S1464 / A1749) during the final two months of the state legislative session.
When it came to lobbying the New York state legislature in 2025, supporters of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act were outnumbered by 4 to 1.
106 registered companies/organizations lobbied to defeat the bill.
In comparison, 24 registered organizations lobbied to pass the bill.
On September 29, 2025, City & State New York published an article ranking the top 50 lobbying firms in New York state based on 2024 lobbying compensation.
Twenty-one of the 50 lobbyists identified in the article were retained to lobby on the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act by organizations and companies we identified as opponents of the bill. Only one of the lobbying firms was hired to lobby in support of the bill.
For clarity, the classifications of organizations as “Support” or “Oppose” is based on Beyond Plastics’ analysis, since COELIG does not require lobbyists to disclose their positions on legislation. Organizations were identified through Beyond Plastics’ review of beneficial and contractual clients reporting on packaging-related legislation in January-June 2025 bimonthly filings.
Beyond Plastics held a virtual news conference today featuring president Judith Enck and NYPIRG senior policy advisor Blair Horner. A recording of the news conference can be found on Beyond Plastics’ YouTube channel.
To view the report, please visit https://bit.ly/prria-lobbying
Correction: The initial version of this report incorrectly listed One Home Brands Inc. (OBA Blueland) as opposed to the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. The report and its data have been revised to correctly include One Home Brands (OBA Blueland) as lobbying in support of PRRIA.
###