The New York State Legislature is considering a bill to reduce plastic packaging and increase recycling.
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act calls for manufacturers to reduce plastic packaging by 30% over 12 years, with the first 10% reduction required by 2027.
Monique Fitzgerald, climate justice and campaigns director for the Long Island Progressive Coalition, said plastic toxins have significant health effects on communities like North Bellport.
“People have higher incidences of asthma and respiratory illnesses,” Fitzgerald reported. “We have the first highest ER visits for asthma in Suffolk County, in North Bellport. We also have the lowest life expectancy as of 2018.”
The health effects stem from emissions from Brookhaven Landfill, according to Fitzgerald. The bill has received wide support and polls show the idea is popular among New Yorkers. However, it faces opposition and misinformation from the plastic industry, with some leaders arguing that passing the bill will cost taxpayers more money. Other reports countered it would save the state more than $1 billion in its first decade.
Another element of the bill includes a moderate fee on packaging, paid by product producers. The money would go to local taxpayers, with Fitzgerald noting it can fund waste reduction infrastructure. Beyond the plastic industry’s opposition, another challenge to passing the bill has been the State Assembly. The bill passed the state Senate twice, but Fitzgerald is uncertain if state lawmakers in the Assembly will give their approval.
“I wish I knew what politicians will … where they get their will from, because it really doesn’t seem to be based on community needs,” Fitzgerald contended. “It really just depends on who’s either funding or has the most access to them.”
Fitzgerald remains confident the bill will pass, noting New Yorkers must resist efforts by the plastic industry to export or burn waste. She argued that the practices are what create health and environmental harms in communities statewide.
