Posted on 3/7/2024 by Kyle
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 ;).
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:
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:
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.”