New York Plastics Law Advances Amid Debate Over ‘Chemical Recycling’
Key takeaways
- If it passes, New York would have one of the strongest controls on plastic packaging in the country and could reduce the amount of non-recyclable packaging in the state by 30 percent over the next 12 years.
- The bill, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, stalled during the previous two legislative sessions.
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May 14, 2026 Share This Article Republish Environmental advocates join state legislators and health care professionals to urge the passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act on Monday in Albany, N.Y. Credit: Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images Related As a Plastic Waste Plant Violates Pollution Rules, Its Owner Makes the Case for a Second Location New York’s Governor Pushes to Delay a Key Portion of the State’s Climate Law Houston’s Plastic Waste, Waiting More Than a Year for ‘Advanced’ Recycling, Piles up at a Business Failed Three Times by Fire Marshal Share This Article Republish Most Popular As El Niño Approaches, Scientists Predict Fierce Heatwaves, Wildfires and Floods Plugging Away at the Millions of Derelict Oil and Gas Wells in the US $370 Million Payout Legislation that would reduce plastic waste in New York is advancing in the state Legislature amid a contentious debate over chemical recycling.
If it passes, New York would have one of the strongest controls on plastic packaging in the country and could reduce the amount of non-recyclable packaging in the state by 30 percent over the next 12 years. It would also require that packaging producers contribute funds to recycling and disposal efforts.
The bill, the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, stalled during the previous two legislative sessions. Among the sticking points for plastics producers is chemical recycling, an umbrella term for a variety of processes that use heat, pressure and chemicals to break down plastics after they’ve been used.