300+ to Rally With State Lawmakers and Environmental Advocates: End Plastic Pollution Now!

As Toxic Plastic Pollution Disproportionately Impacts the Health of Communities of Color Across New York, Advocates Will Release a New Map Showing the Breadth of the Issue and Call On the NYS Assembly to Pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act

ALBANY, NY (02/06/2026) (readMedia)-- On Monday, February 9, during Black History Month, more than 300 grassroots volunteers will join with state legislators and New Yorkers directly impacted by plastic pollution at a news conference to urge the New York state legislature to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA - S1464 Harckham/A1749 Glick). The New York state Senate passed this pioneering bill in 2024 and 2025; and after passing through Assembly committees in 2025, it is now on the Assembly floor, calendar No. 68, with 74 co-sponsors.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was a co-sponsor when he was in the Assembly.

At the news conference, the groups will debut a new map that shows how widespread toxic plastic pollution is across New York state, particularly for communities of color. There are 16,000 chemicals found in plastic, which often leach into groundwater at landfills and ash fills and spew into the air from incinerator smokestacks. These pollutants are often linked to health problems like cancer and developmental disorders, with significantly higher rates of these diseases in communities of color. The Glick/Harckham bill will provide relief for the communities being poisoned by landfills and incinerators by reducing plastic packaging in New York by 30% and phasing out some of the most toxic chemicals used in packaging, including PFAS and mercury. It will also save millions in tax dollars and generate new revenue for communities.

This event will be livestreamed.

WHO:

-Senator Pete Harckham

-Assemblywoman Deborah Glick

-Chris Alexander, executive director of the NAACP New York State Conference

-Monique Fitzgerald, co-founder of the Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group and climate justice organizer for the Long Island Progressive Coalition

-Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator

-State legislators
WHAT:

 On Monday, February 9, during Black History Month, more than 300 grassroots volunteers will join with state legislators and New Yorkers directly impacted by plastic pollution at a news conference to urge the New York state legislature to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA - S1464 Harckham/A1749 Glick).
WHEN: Monday February 09, 2026 at 12:30PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
WHERE: NYS Capitol - 4th Floor, Senate Side
State Street and Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12224
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