Environment

Lawmakers aim to cut down on plastic packaging waste

A New York assemblymember said there is ‘a crisis of crap.’
Plastic packaging materials sit atop a plastic mailing envelope in Point Pleasant, N.J., on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

New York and New Jersey lawmakers are considering bills to curtail the growth of plastic packaging waste that would be the strictest in the nation.

Their similar, far-reaching legislation would require manufacturers to pay for recycling plastic packaging and include a mandated cut to plastic packaging. The New Jersey bill requires a 50% cut over 10 years, while the New York bill would mandate a 30% cut in single-use plastics over 12 years.

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