Judith Enck is Director of Beyond Plastics , an Environmental Advocacy Group
On January 28, 2025 Yonkersites and advocates from across New York will head upstate to Albany to lobby their elected officials to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (#PRRIA). It’s an issue that hits close to home for Westchester residents, where much of the trash produced in the county is sent to the Peekskill garbage incinerator . This comes at great taxpayer expense and at the expense of residents’ health. But the PRRIA will reduce the amount of plastics pollution sent to the incinerator and bring in desperately needed funds to support waste removal and take some heat off of taxpayers.
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act will reduce plastic packaging by 30% incrementally over 12 years, as well as phase out some of the most toxic chemicals used in packaging, including cancer-causing PFAS and vinyl chloride . Reducing plastic packaging will also reduce the amount of microplastics that make their way into human human placenta , breast milk , stool , blood , lungs , and more.
The legislation will also make packaging more recyclable, since less than 6% of the plastic in the United States actually gets recycled . And it will slash greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic (which are currently on track to outpace the emissions from coal by 2030). It will also make polluters pay by establishing a modest fee on packaging paid by packaging producers, generating new revenue for local taxpayers.
2024 PRRIA Legislation Did not Pass
Last year, 23 Westchester elected officials sent a letter to Albany leadership in support of the legislation. Twenty-three Westchester-based organizations also sent a letter to Albany leadership. They argued, “Since recycling of plastics does not work, the 30% reduction provision is important so that less plastic waste is trucked to the Peekskill incinerator and other incinerators and landfills around the state. Further, less waste means fewer tax dollars being spent to collect and handle waste. This bill will provide financial relief to taxpayers.”…