As Governor Hochul Guts Climate Law, 250+ Will Rally with State Lawmakers: End Plastic Pollution Now

As Lawmakers Prepare to Vote on the Worst Environmental Budget in Recent Memory, Lawmakers Must Pass the Packaging Reduction And Recycling Infrastructure Act

ALBANY, NY (05/10/2026) (readMedia)-- On Monday, May 11, more than 250 grassroots advocates will join with state legislators, healthcare professionals, and New Yorkers directly impacted by plastic pollution at a rally and news conference to urge the New York state legislature to pass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA - S1464A Harckham/A1749A Glick). As the legislature prepares to vote on the worst environmental budget in recent memory, advocates will urge lawmakers to act quickly on this legislation, which will reduce carbon emissions, protect the environment and New Yorkers' health, and save taxpayers millions.

The New York state Senate passed this pioneering bill in 2024 and 2025, and the Senate's Environmental Conservation Committee passed the bill on May 5. And after passing through four Assembly committees in 2025, it is now on the Assembly floor, calendar No. 68, with a majority of assemblymembers signed on as co-sponsors.

This event will be livestreamed.

WHO:

-Senator Pete Harckham, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and more state legislators to be announced

-Ulster County executive Jen Metzger

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

-Dr. Charles Moon, New York State American Academy of Pediatrics

-Yvonne Taylor, vice president at Seneca Lake Guardian

-Alexis Goldsmith, national organizing director at Beyond Plastics

-New York Communities for Change

-Jay Buckiewicz, Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions

-Live music from Taina Asili
WHAT:

 As the legislature prepares to vote on the worst environmental budget in recent memory, advocates will urge lawmakers to act quickly on the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, which will reduce carbon emissions, protect the environment and New Yorkers’ health, and save taxpayers millions.
WHEN: Monday May 11, 2026 at 12:00PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
WHERE: Albany’s West Capitol Park (on South Swan Street, between State Street and Washington Avenue, across from the Alfred E. Smith Building)
Rain location: Conference Room 2, Empire State Plaza Concourse
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