{"id":8399,"date":"2021-03-30T12:00:22","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T16:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10028\/uncategorized\/new-york-recycling-bill-could-invite-sustainable-changes\/"},"modified":"2024-04-09T13:16:54","modified_gmt":"2024-04-09T17:16:54","slug":"new-york-recycling-bill-could-invite-sustainable-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/article\/new-york-recycling-bill-could-invite-sustainable-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Recycling Bill Could Invite Sustainable Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like the rest of the United States, New York faces a developing environmental crisis as city and state governments try to determine how they can manage waste and recycling more effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

A new bill (<\/span>S.1185A<\/span><\/a>) sponsored by Senator Todd Makinsky plans to tackle the problem by shifting responsibility for recycling costs from local governments to corporate producers. The proposed New York recycling bill could invite sustainable changes across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Scope of America\u2019s Waste Problem<\/span><\/h2>\n

The U.S. produces more waste per capita than any country. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports that while the U.S. only makes up four percent of the world\u2019s population, it generates <\/span>12 percent<\/span><\/a> of the planet\u2019s solid waste. Each American produces more than 1,700 pounds of waste per year, adding up to a staggering 239 million tons (478 billion pounds).<\/span><\/p>\n

That waste then ends up in landfills, which can foster thousands of contaminants and, at times, pose serious environmental and health threats. Landfill leachate<\/a> can contain PFAS, a man-made chemical known as the \u201cforever chemical,\u201d which poses a serious health and environmental hazard to communities due to its toxicity. Analyzing and addressing treatment options requires sampling methodology and analytical testing protocols, and it is extremely difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, as public interest in PFAS continues to rise, with plaintiffs beginning to target landfill owners and companies responsible for manufacturing, using, and disposing of PFAS based on releases from landfill leachate, communities are taking a stand against this public health danger.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recycling also promises to lower the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Unfortunately, recycling comes with its own challenges and roadblocks. For decades, the U.S. has mostly <\/span>relied on other countries<\/span><\/a> to process its recycling cheaply. That option is reaching its end. China has already placed heavy restrictions on how much material it will accept for recycling. Other countries plan to follow suit, which will force America\u2019s municipal governments to handle recycling on their own. That will come at a much higher price.<\/span><\/p>\n

New York\u2019s Waste Problem Reflects the Country\u2019s Issues<\/span><\/h2>\n

New York offers a smaller version of the issues that the overall country faces. Over the last two decades, New York has sent its trash to landfills and recycling centers across the country, including sites in Ohio and South Carolina.<\/span><\/p>\n

Communities have accepted waste from New York to generate income. (Bishopville, SC, a city that takes waste from New York, has a 46 percent poverty rate.) More and more communities are reconsidering that decision, though. To some, no amount of money can compensate for the environmental damage of housing New York\u2019s trash, leaving the state to handle the problem on its own.<\/span><\/p>\n

New York Recycling Bill Shifts Responsibility to Packaging Producers<\/span><\/h2>\n

As fewer recycling centers and landfills agree to take New York\u2019s refuse, the state\u2019s municipalities face growing costs. The Extended Producer Responsibility Act created by S.1185A would shift the financial burden from local governments to the companies that manufacture packaging products made of materials like paper and plastic.<\/span><\/p>\n

If passed, the bill would also create incentives for companies to use more recyclable materials in their packaging. Companies that include more recyclable materials would pay lower rates for end-of-life disposal. Ideally, shifting the responsibility to producers and adding incentives for them to use recyclable materials will lead to reduced waste while diverting costs from local governments.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Successful Recycling Program Could Change the Country<\/span><\/h2>\n

If the New York recycling bill passes into a successful law, it could influence how the rest of the country manages its waste. Suddenly, states would see that they do not have to bear the financial burden of recycling. Instead, they could hold producers responsible and create incentives for using recyclable materials.<\/span><\/p>\n

Environmental Litigation Support From Napoli Shkolnik Attorneys at Law<\/span><\/h2>\n

The incredible amount of waste stored in the landfills and recycling centers throughout New York and other states can cause significant damage to local environments. Pollution can also contribute to health problems for people living in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you believe that a negligent company has contributed to hazards in your community, <\/span>contact Napoli Shkolnik Attorneys at Law<\/span><\/a> to speak with a member of our environmental litigation<\/a> team. You could receive financial compensation for damages that impact your life and community.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like the rest of the United States, New York faces a developing environmental crisis as city and state governments try to determine how they can manage waste and recycling more…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[773],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environmental-litigation"],"acf":[],"page_builder_type":"gutenberg","gutenberg_data":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.napolilaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}