Imagine diving into the crystal-clear waters offshore of Miami, only to find yourself surrounded by a scene of devastation. A moonscape. The water, once teeming with life, is clouded with sediment, and vibrant coral reefs are now buried beneath a layer of sand. This is the grim reality made manifest by the PortMiami dredging project that occurred from 2013 to 2015. The project resulted in catastrophic damage to adjacent coral reefs, triggering legal action by Miami Waterkeeper and co-plaintiffs. Despite the dredging company’s initial attempts to downplay the environmental impact, subsequent scientific research uncovered extensive coral mortality, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has now released a report that supports our finding that millions of corals were likely killed and at least 278 acres of the Florida Reef Tract were severely impacted.
Add your name to the petition, and we’ll deliver your signature to key New York lawmakers.
Right now, New Yorkers have no control over how much single-use packaging is pumped into the market by retailers and companies. As a result, companies have spent decades creating crushing amounts of plastic pollution and waste, and New Yorkers have been forced to bear the costs.
But a new bill that’s backed by environmental groups across New York could turn the plastics crisis on its head.
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Act (A.1749/S.1464) would require companies to:
Reduce their packaging by 30% in 12 years.
Make the remaining packaging truly reusable or recyclable.
Get certain toxic chemicals out of packaging.
Pay to clean up their packaging waste by reimbursing municipalities and taxpayers for the collection and processing of those materials.
Prohibit incineration and "chemical recycling" from counting as recycling.
