We turned out for NY is not disposable day in Albany

Columbia County was well represented at New York is Not Disposable advocacy day in Albany on Feb 27th. Thanks to Beyond Plastics for helping organize such a fantastic event.

Even if you couldn't make it up to Albany to advocate for this important legislation, you can still make your voice heard on the plastic waste problem. Get in touch with your state representatives and tell them that you support the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and the Bigger Better Bottle Bill.

Here are a few shots from the day. Thanks to Assembly Member Didi Barrett for meeting with us and for her support of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (of course you could thank her yourself too ;).

More about these bills (courtesy of Beyond Plastics)

The Bigger Better Bottle Bill will modernize New York’s returnable container law. Advocates are calling for the FY2024 final budget to include measures that track Senate bill S.237-B and Assembly bill A.6353, which would:

• Expand the beverage containers covered under the law to include containers for sports drinks, non-carbonated drinks, wine, and spirits;
• Raise the deposit fee to a dime (it has been a nickel since 1983) to motivate more people to redeem their containers, and give a much-deserved raise to more than 10,000 vulnerable workers in NYS who earn their income by collecting and redeeming containers; and
• Raise the handling fee for those who handle redeemed beverage containers (it has been stagnant at $0.035 since 2009).

About the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act

According to polling from Oceana, nearly nine in 10 New Yorkers support policies that reduce single-use plastic. The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S4246B Harckham/A5322AB Glick) will do just that by transforming the way our goods are packaged. It will dramatically reduce waste and ease the burden on taxpayers by making companies, not consumers, cover the cost of managing packaging. The bill will:

• Reduce plastic packaging by 50% incrementally over 12 years;
• After 12 years, all packaging including plastic, glass, cardboard, paper, and metal must meet a recyucling rate of 70% ;
• Prohibit the 15 worst toxic chemicals in packaging, including vinyl chloride, PFAS, and heavy metals;
• Not allow polluting so-called chemical recycling to be considered real recycling;
• Establish a modest fee on packaging paid by product producers, with new revenue going to local taxpayers; and Establish a new Office of Inspector General to ensure proper compliance.

The legislation has serious momentum, with a majority of members of the assembly (76 cosponsors) and the Senate (34 cosponsors) already signed on as co-sponsors of the bill. The City of New York has officially backed the bill (see attached), and more than 200 organizations and businesses — including Beyond Plastics, Environmental Advocates, NYPIRG, Earthjustice, Blueland, and DeliverZero Inc. — issued a memo of support (see attached). They write, “This bill would save tax dollars and position New York as a global leader in reducing plastic pollution.”