ALBANY, New York — Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s staff recently convened a meeting of opposing forces and key lawmakers to discuss a long-simmering waste reduction proposal.
The meeting earlier this week included industry and environmental groups with very different perspectives on a proposal to charge producers and distributors of consumer goods for the cost of disposing of packaging.
The “extended producer responsibility” concept, which has been linked to requirements to reduce plastic and packaging used by companies, has sparked fierce debate in Albany for the last few years.
It could reduce the amount of waste headed to landfills and the amount of plastic used in packaging consumer goods. The state’s climate plan endorses such a move in order to lower emissions from the waste sector.
