ALBANY, NY — Production of single-use plastic packaging is increasing rapidly and is projected to triple by 2060, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

On Tuesday, February 27, members of Beyond Plastics, the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), the League of Women Voters NY and dozens of other organizations will hold an advocacy day to help pass New York’s Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and the Bigger Better Bottle Bill.

Carpools will be available from Sullivan County. But if you wish to join, you need to RSVP by Thursday, February 22.

The day will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, and then participants will walk to the capitol building to meet with legislators from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

There will be a break at 3 p.m., when there will be a rally on the Million Dollar Staircase.

Participants should bring signs and visuals.

Those traveling from New York City or New Paltz can get free round-trip transportation, but registration is still required.

Buses will leave from 34th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan at 7:10 a.m. on February 27 and will leave Albany at 4:30 p.m., returning to Manhattan around 7:30 p.m. The pickup location is next to 34th Street-Penn Station.

As one example of a reason to limit plastics, Beyond Plastics cited a recently published study by Columbia University Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University and the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health that counted and identified minute particles of plastic in bottled water—on average, a liter contained hundreds of thousands of detectable plastic fragments.

The New York legislation would:

The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (S4246-a/A5322a) would transform the way goods are packaged and sold in New York. It would require most companies that sell products in New York to:

Reduce their packaging by 50 percent over 12 years—by 10 percent in the first two years, 20 percent during the next two, etc.; Redesign their packaging to be reusable or truly recyclable;

Remove the most toxic chemicals from packaging; and

Pay for the waste management of their packaging, thereby relieving taxpayers and municipalities.

Its companion bill, the Bigger Better Bottle Bill (S237/A6353), would:

Expand New York’s existing container deposit law to include more beverages, such as tea, sports drinks, hard cider, wine, liquor and “nip” bottles;

Raise the deposit to $0.10 to motivate more people to redeem containers—thereby granting a raise to the state’s 10,000-plus informal recyclers who earn income by collecting and redeeming containers;

Increase redemption centers’ handling fee to $0.06;

Create an estimated 4,145 new jobs; and

Increase the redemption rate in New York from 64 percent to 90 percent.

The bills would drastically cut plastic packaging in New York, Beyond Plastics noted, and would significantly reduce the amount of waste going to landfills and incinerators.

It would also hold companies accountable for reducing, reusing and recycling their packaging.

Beyond Plastics, NYPIRG and the League of Women Voters of NY, among others, organized the advocacy day to demonstrate grassroots support for the bill—and prevent it from being weakened, the groups said.

“It makes no sense to use a highly polluting material that doesn’t biodegrade for a single use,” said Rebekah Creshkoff, who is with Beyond Plastics Sullivan County NY. “But the big consumer brands won’t change unless they’re compelled to.”

If you’re interested in joining the Beyond Plastics advocacy day, register at www.bit.ly/2-27-24.