The Packaging and Recycling Infrastructure Act, a late amendment bill aimed at mitigating plastic pollution and enhancing recycling statewide, has drawn strong opposition from state business leaders.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system in New York, compelling packaging producers to bear the cost of consumer waste management and reduction of used toxins.
The Act targets companies earning a net annual income exceeding $1 million, obligating them to register with a Packaging Reduction Organization and comply with new packaging and recycling regulations within six months.
Members of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, predicts an annual taxpayer saving of $250 million.
Despite this, business leaders argue the new measure could inflate consumer costs and paradoxically result in more packaging. The Act requires businesses to cut their packaging weight by 10% within three years, incrementally reaching a 50% reduction in 12 years, and bans 12 types of chemicals and three kinds of plastic used in packaging.
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