SUNY campuses begin phasing out plastic bottles, bags, utensils, even balloons

Thomas C. Zambito, New York State Team
·2 min read
1

SUNY campuses will phase out the use of plastic utensils, bags, bottles and other items in the coming years as part of a statewide push to keep hard-to-recycle waste out of landfills.

The new policy phasing out so-called single-use plastics came out of recommendations made by a task force that began studying the issue two years ago.

Grocery bags, water and beverage bottles, plastic wrap, stirrers, straws, utensils — even balloons — will be phased out in stages as more plastic-free alternatives are developed.

Plastic bags and Styrofoam cups will be banned at Piermont businesses starting Jan. 1, 2019.
Plastic bags and Styrofoam cups will be banned at Piermont businesses starting Jan. 1, 2019.

"SUNY’s direct action to make our operations more sustainable complements our research and education to create a better future for all,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said.

Upstate: How an upstate town famous for a Christmas classic film became NY's dumping ground

SUNY ESF and SUNY New Paltz have already eliminated the use of plastic water and beverage bottles on their campuses.

But in the coming months, all campuses will be required to eliminate the use and purchase of single-use plastics based on a SUNY-developed timetable.

Bye, Bye balloons

For instance, celebratory balloons are immediately banned while plastic water and beverage bottles will need to be phased out entirely by August 2027. Water bottles would be allowed during medical emergencies.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation to get SUNY and CUNY campuses to eliminate single-use plastics.

Advocates for the measure cited, among other things, the low recycling rate of plastic water bottles.

“Over one million plastic water bottles are purchased every minute in the United States, for example, yet just 30% of discarded, single-use plastic bottles are ever properly recycled,” said Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, who heads the Higher Education Committee.

Recyling rates are down

Last year, state lawmakers conducted a series of hearings to identify measures that would improve New York's recycling rates that have been stuck around 20% — below the national average of 32% — for more than a decade.

Landfills: NY's recycling programs down in the dumps while more trash heads to landfills

As a result, millions of tons of paper, plastic and food end up in upstate landfills.

At the same time, local governments complain that it’s becoming more costly to operate recycling centers, leading them to consider eliminating them altogether.

Tractor trailers can be scene coming and going, driving along the ridge of Seneca Meadows Inc. landfill that borders NY 414.
Tractor trailers can be scene coming and going, driving along the ridge of Seneca Meadows Inc. landfill that borders NY 414.

And bottle redemption companies, which recycle containers of beer, soda and water, say they may have to close if the state doesn’t increase the 3.5-cents-per-container rate they’re currently allowed.

Canners: They gather up cans and bottles on NY streets for recycling. And they could use a raise

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Single-use plastics begin phasing out at SUNY college campuses