Yonkers could see $3.5 million in annual financial benefits if New York passes the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, according to a new analysis released by environmental advocacy group Beyond Plastics.
The projected savings break down to $1 million in avoided waste management costs and $2.4 million in new revenue from fees that packaging producers would pay to municipalities under the proposed law.
Yonkers is one of nine communities examined in the analysis. Across all nine—including New York City, Buffalo, Syracuse, and several Long Island towns—the total projected benefit reaches $411 million annually.
The bill, known as PRRIA (A1749 Glick/S1464 Harckham), has passed the state Senate in both 2024 and 2025. It currently sits on the Assembly floor with 75 sponsors after clearing four Assembly committees last year.
The legislation would require a 30 percent reduction in single-use packaging over 12 years and establish fees on packaging paid by product manufacturers. That revenue would flow to local governments to offset waste management costs.
“The Assembly must act now, or this crisis will continue to get worse,” said Blair Horner, senior policy advisor at NYPIRG, citing a 2023 Department of Environmental Conservation report warning that landfills are filling to capacity statewide.
The bill has drawn opposition from major corporations including ExxonMobil, Amazon, and Coca-Cola. According to state lobbying records, 106 businesses and organizations registered against the legislation last year, compared to 23 in favor.
A previous Beyond Plastics report projected $1.3 billion in statewide savings over the first decade after implementation.
Publisher Ruth Walter has worked with Beyond Plastics in the past.
