New York Needs Every Recycling Tool Available

New York’s Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA) aims to decrease waste and increase recycling. New York already has one of the highest recycling rates in the country. With PRRIA, it has an opportunity to further reduce plastic waste, strengthen recycling systems and keep valuable materials in use rather than sending them to landfills. Unfortunately, the current proposal falls short because it eliminates the advanced, material-to-material recycling technologies needed to recycle many of the plastic materials we use every day, including opaque dairy containers, the clamshells used for fruits, frozen vegetable bags, shipping materials, reusable bottles, cosmetics jars and more. These materials provide convenience, help keep costs affordable for consumers and ensure products are safe.

Importantly, in a time when New Yorkers are feeling their bank accounts squeezed by rapidly rising costs of basic necessities like gas, groceries and utilities, New York state legislators must be committed to ensuring that PRRIA does not add another cost increase to their daily expenses. The goals behind the bill are important and widely shared. New Yorkers want less waste. They want stronger recycling systems and smarter material use. Businesses, manufacturers and consumers all benefit from a system that works better for the environment and the economy.

Without advanced recycling technologies, New York will rely solely on traditional mechanical recycling. While mechanical recycling is effective for materials like clear water and soda bottles, it has practical limitations. Many materials, including food trays, takeout containers, opaque bottles, flexible films and bags, certain healthcare packaging and polyester textiles, are often difficult or impossible to recycle mechanically. Where we can innovate to eliminate or reduce these materials, we should. Where that’s not an option, we need to allow for innovations in recycling. ​

My work focuses on creating a circular economy for plastics. In short, at Eastman, we are developing innovative materials and processes to increase reuse and ensure more materials can be recycled at the end of their life. Material-to-material advanced recycling plays an essential role in creating circularity. These technologies break down plastics into their molecular building blocks and remake them into new materials. I work with top consumer brands like PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Patagonia, Yeti, Nalgene, and Stanley Black & Decker to help reduce their reliance on virgin plastic and deliver more of their products in recycled packaging.

If New York does not allow advanced recycling to count as recycling under this bill, several of the materials we use every day will no longer be considered recyclable, which could force producers to pay higher fees or switch to more expensive materials like glass. This will drive costs up for everyone. For example, a half gallon of milk in a white, opaque plastic container averages $2.50 in New York, while the same half gallon in a clear glass container averages $7.00. The plastic bottle is designed to provide better protection against light, resulting in a longer shelf life. But it’s not just about the bottle alone. It’s also how much heavier it is and, therefore, more expensive to transport. It’s about how much additional packaging is needed between the bottles during shipping to prevent breakage. This example shows the unintended consequences of forcing a material substitution when we already have recycled plastic that can be used if New York state legislators allow for advanced recycling technologies.

Achieving the goals in PRRIA will take more than ambition alone. It will require policies grounded in the realities of how recycling systems function today and what technologies will be needed to improve them tomorrow. That is why New York should ensure its definition of recycling includes material-to-material advanced recycling technologies alongside mechanical recycling, reduction and reuse strategies.

Eastman commissioned SystemIQ to conduct a study on the economic, environmental and social impacts of using advanced recycling technology alongside mechanical recycling. It concludes that, because more plastic can be recycled, advanced recycling enables companies to meet recycled-content requirements, keeping products affordable for consumers. The findings indicate that this technology will enable a significant increase in recycling rates (thereby reducing the amount of new, virgin plastic needed), reduce greenhouse gas emissions and divert up to 70% of PET plastic waste from landfills. The same analysis states that mechanical recycling alone is unlikely to generate sufficient volumes of high-quality recycled material to meet growing recycled-content goals.

Public debate often treats all advanced recycling technologies the same. They are not the same. Converting plastic into fuel is fundamentally different from converting plastic back into a new material that can reenter the manufacturing supply chain. New York’s policy framework should recognize that difference.

Importantly, recognizing material-to-material advanced recycling does not mean abandoning reduction, reuse or mechanical recycling efforts. In fact, the opposite is true. The most credible circular economy models rely on all of these approaches working together.​ If material-to-material advanced recycling technologies are excluded from PRRIA, the consequences could extend beyond waste management systems alone. Many packaging formats exist because they provide important performance benefits. Plastics often help preserve food, reduce contamination, protect medical products, lower transportation emissions through lightweight design and keep everyday goods affordable. In some cases, alternatives may increase costs, reduce shelf life or create unintended environmental tradeoffs.​

New York has long succeeded when it pairs strong policy goals with practical implementation. The state’s recycling framework should reflect the realities of modern materials management and encourage innovation that keeps more materials in productive use. Recognizing material-to-material advanced recycling as part of a broader recycling strategy would not weaken New York’s environmental goals. It would strengthen the state’s ability to achieve them.

A truly circular economy will require reduction and reuse. It will require stronger collection systems and expanded recycling. It will also demand technologies capable of recycling materials that today still fall through the cracks of our existing system. If New York wants to lead on sustainability, it should make room for every legitimate recycling tool that can help get us there.