We Stopped a Chemical Recycling Bill in New York

Surfrider Foundation's New York chapters helped stop legislation that would have promoted the burning of plastic waste in New York. Similar bills have passed in multiple other states. They signed onto comment letters, worked an action alert that sent emails to NY State elected officials, and participated in Albany lobby days against chemical recycling.

Bills S3583 and A4744 sought to exempt “chemical” or “advanced” recycling facilities from New York waste management regulations, effectively reducing environmental safeguards for the burning of plastic waste in our state. Most of these facilities are actually plastic-to-fuel operations that heat plastic waste to create low-quality diesel fuels or synthetic gas (“syngas”), which is then burned. 

These facilities are often located in underserved and BIPOC communities, placing additional health and safety risks on those residents.

Most people are now aware of the plastic pollution crisis, where plastic particles have been found in water, air, soil, and even human bodies. However, false solutions such as bills S3583 and A4744 would have simply exchanged landfills for air pollution, incentivize petrochemical expansion, and created more plastic waste. For more information check out this blog post.

Thank you for helping us stop this bad bill!