One-Size-Fits-All Extended Producer Responsibility Not the Right Call
Print this Article | Send to Colleague
The Times Union Editorial Board expressed support (“A budget with heart,” March 29) for a one-size-fits-all Extended Producer Responsibility program in the governor’s budget. Instead of rushing complex EPR policy through the budgeting process, lawmakers should pursue a more deliberate, thoughtful approach.
We encourage lawmakers to show vision and heart when it comes to sustainability, which is something the paper industry has been doing for years. We are an example of a U.S. manufacturing sector voluntarily setting — and achieving — quantifiable sustainability goals.
Thanks in part to our voluntary investments, most New Yorkers have access to curbside recycling. In 2021, Americans recycled enough fiber to fill New York’s Empire State Building 120 times. And, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, more paper by weight is recovered for recycling from municipal solid waste streams than plastic, glass, steel, and aluminum combined.
Paper cannot be equated with difficult-to-recycle materials. The current EPR proposal would reduce voluntary investments in New York’s recycling system, and potentially set back paper recycling’s success.
EPR programs are complex. We hope lawmakers in Albany will take a more considered, data-driven approach to evaluate the state’s recycling infrastructure, capabilities, and needs. This will help inform legislation that will boost rates for difficult-to-recycle materials while ensuring continued achievement for highly recycled materials like paper.
