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DEC Reminds New Yorkers of Expanded Waste Reduction
Laws Taking Effect January 1, 2026
Published: January 01, 2026 at 08:30 a.m.
By: Press Release
from NYS DEC
DEC Reminds New Yorkers of Expanded Waste Reduction
Laws Taking Effect January 1, 2026
Includes Expansion of New York State's Polystyrene
Foam Ban and Restrictions on Hotel Hospitality Single-Use Plastic Bottles
The New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is reminding
businesses, organizations, and consumers of upcoming waste reduction law
requirements taking effect on January 1, 2026. The provisions will help
reduce pollution by expanding the State’s ban on the sale or distribution
of polystyrene foam food service containers to
include cold storage containers and further limits
the availability of single-use plastic bottles for personal care products
at hotels.
“New York State’s
efforts to reduce polystyrene foam and single-use plastics continue to be
success stories for preventing plastic pollution and improving
recycling,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “Expansion
of these restrictions will further benefit New York State residents and the
environment and will encourage a switch to container and packaging options
that are reusable, recyclable, and compostable.”
New York State
continues to advance comprehensive waste management efforts to address the
impacts of solid waste on climate change and increase waste reduction,
reuse, and recycling practices among New Yorkers. Through nation-leading
research partnerships and policies that include the plastic bag ban, food
donation and recycling law, post-consumer paint collection, and the State’s
Solid Waste Management Plan, among many other initiatives, DEC’s ongoing
efforts protect water and air quality, improve quality of life for
communities, and prevent emissions that contribute to climate change. For
more information about waste reduction, reuse, and recycling and steps New
Yorkers can take, visit DEC’s website.
Expanding the
State’s Polystyrene Foam Ban
Polystyrene foam
is one of the top contributors of environmental litter, causing negative
impacts to fish and wildlife, waterways, and other natural resources, as
well as littering local communities and natural areas. Polystyrene foam is
lightweight, breaks apart easily, and does not readily biodegrade. When
polystyrene foam ends up as litter in the environment, it can persist for a
long time and may also become microplastic pollution. In addition,
polystyrene foam containers and packing peanuts are not accepted in most
recycling programs in New York State because the foam is difficult to
recycle and has a low value.
Beginning January
1, 2026, no covered food service provider, manufacturer, or store will be
allowed to sell, offer for sale, or distribute expanded polystyrene foam
containers in New York State that are not wholly encapsulated or encased
within a more durable container, and are designed or intended to be used
for cold storage, including, but not limited to, coolers and ice chests.
New York State’s foam ban prohibiting the sale or distribution of
polystyrene foam disposable food service containers—including
cups, bowls, plates, and trays — as well as polystyrene foam
packing peanuts, has been in effect since January 1, 2022. The State’s
polystyrene foam ban does not include New York City, which implements a
separate city-wide ban on these products.
For more
information about the new requirements, including affected businesses and
organizations, container types, and exemptions and how to submit a
complaint, please visit DEC’s Polystyrene Foam Ban Webpage or
e-mail foamban@dec.ny.gov with
questions.
Expanded
Restrictions on Hotel Hospitality Personal Care Products in Plastic
Bottles
The practice of
hospitality properties providing small plastic hospitality bottles of
personal care products in guest rooms and retail shops has proven wasteful
in both natural resources and products. Many small, single-use plastic
hospitality bottles of personal care products like shampoo, conditioner,
moisturizers, and soaps/body wash, are often discarded. Plastic bottles are
resistant to degradation and last many years in a landfill. As plastic
bottles deteriorate, the residual contents of the products are released
into the environment, while the packaging itself can also release micro and
nano plastics that can negatively impact humans, wildlife, and local
eco-systems.
Beginning January
1, 2026, New York State’s existing ban on the use of small plastic bottles
containing personal care products will be expanded to any hotel, apartment
hotel, motel, or boarding house with less than 50 rooms. The new provision
will prohibit these entities from providing any small plastic bottle
containing less than 12 ounces of a hospitality personal care product. A
hospitality personal care product is any product intended to be used on the
human body for cleansing, conditioning, or moisturizing.
For more
information or to file a complaint, please visit DEC’s Small Plastic
Hospitality Bottles Webpage or e-mail recycling@dec.ny.gov.
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