NEW YORK — A thorny question is dividing Democrats in Albany and thwarting legislative efforts to reduce toxic plastic waste: Does chemical recycling actually work?
As New York lawmakers gear up for what is poised to be another heated battle over plastics legislation in 2027, the industry is pushing for such operations to be part of the solution to the plastic waste problem.
But anti-plastics advocates say they are a distraction to the actual solution of reducing plastic waste, and chemical recycling facilities are falling victim to economic and technological challenges.
Chemical recycling “is a farce,” said state Sen. Pete Harckham (D), Senate sponsor of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. “These [facilities] are an environmental hazard. They don’t do what they say.”
