Albany Times Union Letter to the Editor: ‘Circular economy’ is right track for recyclable waste

April 9th, 2025

Embracing innovative recycling solutions should be top of mind as lawmakers in Albany deliberate proposals to reduce waste, including differing iterations of a policy known as Extended Producer Responsibility (“The truth about plastics is that much of it can’t be recycled,” March 9). By ensuring infinite recycling technologies are a key part of the equation, we can turn plastic waste into the materials we need to safely and affordably package necessary products over and over, instead of letting them sit in landfills forever.

Waste from New York City is shipped to locations upstate, where our landfills are running out of space. As these sites reach capacity, the need for sustainable solutions is becoming more urgent.

Bringing innovative recycling facilities to upstate New York wouldn’t just help solve our waste problem, it would help revive struggling economies. A recent study indicates that accelerating the transition to a circular economy — wherein plastics are repurposed rather than disposed — would create over 40,000 jobs by 2040 and reduce waste by 6.5 million metric tons annually. Material-to-material recycling will ensure we can reach ambitious sustainability goals by ensuring enough repurposed material is available.

As the state Legislature considers policies to handle waste from plastics, textiles and electronics, they need to champion innovative solutions. A functioning Extended Producer Responsibility program should be focused on moving toward a circular economy by incorporating the latest innovations.

New York and the United States have always been leaders in technology. Why should recycling be any different?

Justin Wilcox
Rochester

Executive director, Upstate United