We had a great advocacy day in Albany on January 28! We were joined by 200 environmental advocates and our coalition partners: Beyond Plastics, NYPIRG, Sure We Can, and many more organizations.
During our Advocacy Day in Albany, we met with legislators to advocate for the Packaging Reduction & Recycling Infrastructure Act and the Bigger Better Bottle Bill to make sure these bills get passed this year. Both bills address the major plastic pollution crisis we are facing and help us reduce waste at the source.
The Bigger Better Bottle Bill would update the current bottle bill. The current law is over 40 years old and needs some important updates. Here are the 3 key components of the bill: (1) increasing the deposit fee from 5 cents to 10 cents. Other states have increased their deposit fee and have seen significant increase in recycling redemption rates. (2) expanding the types of beverages included in the bottle bill so that litter doesn't end up in our communities and oceans. (3) increasing the handling fee to support redemption centers that are a crucial part of making the bottle bill successful. Overall this bill has important environmental benefits, as well as raises hundreds of millions of dollars as part of state revenue.
The Packaging Reduction Act targets plastic packaging and toxic chemicals found in plastics. It asks for a 30% reduction in plastic packaging gradually over the next 12 years; It requires 70% of the remaining packaging to be reused and/or recycled over 10 years; It prohibits 14 toxic chemicals and materials from packaging that are known to be harmful to human health and the environment. Very importantly, it also prohibits the false solution of "chemical recycling".
If you weren't able to make it to Albany but still want to take direct action and help with passing these bills this year, you can sign our action alerts. Let's make sure 2025 is the year both bills pass!
