A group of New York lawmakers and environmental advocates is calling for a vote on the state’s packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) bill before the legislature adjourns June 10.
State Sen. Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Deborah Glick held a press conference at the Capitol last week alongside representatives from NRDC, Sierra Club, Consumer Reports, Riverkeeper and more than a dozen other organizations, urging passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA).
The bill (SB 1464A / A1749) would require producers to cover the cost of managing post-consumer packaging waste, a cost currently absorbed by local governments and taxpayers. The legislation would establish a statewide EPR program requiring producers with more than $5 million in annual net revenue and responsible for more than 2 tons of annual packaging waste to reduce packaging by 10% within three years and 30% within 12 years.
The bill also targets toxic chemicals in packaging materials, including PFAS, and sets a 75% recycling rate for all packaging by 2052.
New York spent an estimated $788 million on recycling last year, according to the Center for Sustainable Materials Management. Supporters say PRRIA would save the state $1.3 billion over a decade.
Harckham and Glick amended the legislation earlier this year, incorporating more than 30 changes following negotiations with industry, municipalities and advocacy groups. The revisions extended compliance timelines, adjusted post-consumer recycled content standards and refined toxic chemical provisions.
Industry opposition to the legislation has centered on concerns over grocery cost increases.
“The proposed amendments only deepen the bill’s fundamental flaws rather than fixing them and do not meaningfully improve the legislation,” said Heidi Brock, president and CEO of the American Forest and Paper Association, in a statement.
The AF&PA cited a study finding PRRIA could increase the cost of everyday essentials by up to $732 per year for a family of four, and pointed to polling showing 56% of New Yorkers believe an EPR program would drive up costs and 63% worry it could increase grocery prices.
A coalition of more than 80 business associations also issued a memo opposing the amended bill, arguing that there have been no formal conversations or compromises.
“The breadth of continued business opposition makes clear that these recent amendments do not reflect a balanced, consensus-based program, nor does it reflect a ‘compromise’ with business, as there has been no formal negotiation process,” said Ken Pokalsky, the Business Council’s vice president of government affairs, in a statement.
With the legislature set to adjourn in just a few days, the decision lies with the Assembly. The bill has cleared the Senate twice, in 2024 and 2025, only to stall in the Assembly each time.
“PRRIA died in the final hour in last year’s session, and we can’t wait another year to pass it,” said Katherine Nadeau of Environmental Advocates NY.
A 2025 Siena poll found that 73% of registered New York voters support the legislation, with no demographic group, by gender, age or region, falling below 70% in favor.
“We knew that a majority of New Yorkers support legislation to fight our packaging waste crisis, but this new poll confirms and quantifies just how broad that support is,” Harckham said.
