New York lawmakers reached a deal this week to force businesses to reduce the amount of plastics they use to wrap products — but the agreement waters down a previous version of the proposal.
The Package Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act mandates companies reduce the amount of packaging — including plastics, paper and glass — they use by 30% over the next 12 years. The bill originally called for a 50% reduction, but lawmakers introduced a new measure with a lower threshold on Monday night.
While the measure targets all packaging materials, environmental advocates targeted their attention on plastics that end up in landfills.
“The bill will significantly reduce plastic pollution and position New York as a national leader on tackling plastic pollution,” said Judith Enck, the former head of the EPA's New York and New Jersey office, and current president of the advocacy group Beyond Plastics.
The mandate would be enforced by levying fees on businesses based on the amount of packaging encasing their products. It also requires companies to develop a recycling plan, and bans the use of toxic chemicals in packaging, such as pigments and food coloring, that make it difficult to recycle some materials.
The bill aims to bolster the state’s Solid Waste Management Act, which passed in 1988 and established mandatory recycling programs in New York. The city’s own recycling programs have the goal of diverting 40% of all the waste produced in the five boroughs away from landfills and incinerators — but the current diversion rate is just 17%, according to the sanitation department.
A big part of the problem is the amount of single-use products or packaging, which accounts for about half of all the plastics thrown away every day. Tuesday’s agreement by lawmakers aims to put the onus of reducing that plastic waste on businesses instead of consumers.
But despite easing the requirements, industry groups were still up in arms over the legislation.
“Not only will this bill raise those costs further, but it'll also strip our shelves of the everyday products New York families rely upon while removing the tools we use to keep food fresh and safe,” said Nelson Eusebio, a spokesperson for the National Supermarket Association.
The law also carves out exemptions that allow some toxic chemicals to continue to be used in packaging, like carbon black, which is used in ink for packaging labels. Globally, about 18 billion pounds of the ink are produced annually. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies it as a possible human carcinogen.
Industry groups also pushed to include chemical recycling as a form of legitimate recycling, but the language never made it into the final law. Chemical recycling burns plastic in order to create more plastic or use the waste for fuel. According to a Beyond Plastics report, this form of recycling can create substantial toxic waste and emissions. Chemical recycling facilities also are at risk of fires and explosions.
The Legislature can vote on the bill as early as Thursday. Lawmakers expect it to pass, after which it will head to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk for final approval.
