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A2521Assembly2019-2020 Session

Ban Polystyrene Packing Peanuts

Official title

“Prohibits the sale or use of polystyrene as a packing material”

Sponsor Steven EnglebrightAD-4+4 co-sponsorsAffects Environment & Energy
Status
In Assembly Committee
Environmental Conservation
Impact
6/10
Moderate
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Environmental Conservation

What's happening

This bill bans the sale of expanded polystyrene loosefill packaging in New York unless it meets increasing recycled content requirements through 2025.

Why it matters

  1. Drives significant market change by requiring manufacturers and wholesalers to shift toward recycled polystyrene. , creating new demand for recycled materials and potentially boosting recycling industries in New York.

  2. Phases in stricter standards over time. , compelling businesses to adapt their supply chains and product formulations, which could increase costs or encourage a switch to alternative, more sustainable packaging materials.

  3. Targets waste reduction and environmental impact. , aiming to decrease the amount of single-use, non-recycled polystyrene that ends up in landfills or as litter, by making it illegal to sell polystyrene loosefill that doesn't meet steadily increasing recycled content requirements.

  4. May influence packaging practices beyond New York. , as manufacturers and wholesalers serving multiple states could adopt higher recycled content standards industry-wide to streamline compliance, potentially setting a precedent for other states’ environmental regulations.

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Who cares

  • Expanded polystyrene loosefill manufacturers

    The bill would bar their New York sales unless the packaging meets recycled-content minimums of 60% in 2020–2021, 80% in 2022–2024 and 100% starting in 2025.

  • Packaging wholesalers

    Wholesalers buying expanded polystyrene loosefill for resale in New York would face the same restrictions on sales and offers for sale.

  • Polystyrene recyclers and scrap suppliers

    Material recovered from used products, unusable finished products and manufacturing scrap could count toward the recycled-content requirements.

Headline styles

Ban Polystyrene Packing Peanuts

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Steven Englebright

Assembly Member · Assembly District 4

History

  1. Referred to environmental conservation
  2. Referred to environmental conservation

Full text

2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

2521

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

January 23, 2019

Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, COOK, SIMON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COLTON, CYMBROWITZ, DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation

AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to polystyrene loosefill packaging material

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Article 27 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new title 28 to read as follows:

TITLE 28

POLYSTYRENE LOOSEFILL PACKAGING MATERIAL Section 27-2801. Polystyrene loosefill packaging material. § 27-2801. Polystyrene loosefill packaging material.

1. For the purposes of this title, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) "Manufacturer" means a person who manufactures loosefill packaging material composed of expanded polystyrene.

(b) "Recycled material" means material from any of the following that has been diverted from landfill disposal including:

(i) Material derived from a finished polystyrene product that has completed its intended end use and product life cycle.

(ii) Material derived from a blemished, flawed, or otherwise unusable finished polystyrene product.

(iii) Material derived from manufacturing and fabrication scrap from production of a finished polystyrene product.

(c) "Wholesaler" means a person who purchases expanded polystyrene loosefill packaging for resale in this state.

2. Except as provided in subdivision three of this section, on and after January first, two thousand twenty, a wholesaler or manufacturer shall not sell or offer for sale in this state expanded polystyrene loosefill packaging material.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD05903-01-9

A. 2521 2

3. Subdivision two of this section shall not apply to expanded polystyrene loosefill packaging material composed of expanded polystyrene that complies with the following requirements:

(a) On and after January first, two thousand twenty, until December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-one, inclusive, it is comprised of at least sixty percent recycled material.

(b) On and after January first, two thousand twenty-two, until December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-four, inclusive, it is comprised of at least eighty percent recycled material.

(c) On and after January first, two thousand twenty-five, it is comprised of one hundred percent recycled material.

§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.