Assemblyman Buchwald Helps Pass Earth Day Legislation to Protect Environment and Public Health

Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-Westchester) announced that the Assembly passed several measures in recognition of Earth Day in an effort to promote environmentally-conscious decisions and ensure a stable environment is preserved for future generations. The legislative package addresses several major issues to help clean up the environment and protect the health of Westchester families, including chemical exposure to children, pollution control and recycling.

“Earth Day serves to remind us each year of the obligation we face in protecting our beautiful landscape and ecosystem here in Westchester, alongside our planet as a whole,” Assemblyman Buchwald said. “Nearly everything we do – from construction and manufacturing, to how we throw away our trash – has repercussions that affect our surroundings. This legislation will ensure that New York uses the best practices possible to preserve a healthy environment for future generations.”

Creating a greener state government

Assemblyman Buchwald sponsored the New York State Healthy and Green Procurement Act, a measure that would establish a preference for the purchase of commodities, services and technologies by the state to minimize adverse impacts on public health and the environment (A.6046). Greener, less toxic day-to-day products, such as cleaning agents and paper products, alongside energy-efficient technologies, such as computer software and lighting, would become preferred items for purchase.

Building on that sentiment, Assemblyman Buchwald supported legislation to discourage the use of disposable, difficult-to-recycle Styrofoam food service containers, and study the feasibility of a Styrofoam ban in New York State (A.4973-A).

Protecting Westchester families from harmful chemicals

Assemblyman Buchwald also sponsored legislation that would create a drug disposal program to encourage the proper disposal of unwanted prescription medications (A.5465). Additionally, he supported legislation that would specify which materials are required to be separated for recycling by waste haulers and prohibit the dumping of those materials in landfills or incinerators (A.3754).

“By reworking our recycling practices and ensuring green materials are given precedent in the products we buy, New York will once again lead in environmental responsibility,” Assemblyman Buchwald said.

Assemblyman Buchwald supported two additional pieces of legislation as part of the Assembly’s Earth Day package. The first measure would prevent families’ exposure to dangerous chemicals and ensure the use of safer chemical alternatives in children’s products (A.6328). The second measure would ensure that state funds and permits for projects such as water and sewage treatment plants include consideration of the effects that climate change and extreme weather events – including sea level rise – could have on these facilities (A.6558).

“Earth Day can’t be just one day a year,” Assemblyman Buchwald said. “Recycling, cleaning up green space areas, proper disposal of prescription drugs and chemicals and enacting stronger environmental regulations – these are things we need to be doing every single day to preserve the beauty of our communities and state.”

Earlier this week, Assemblyman Buchwald attended the annual Arbor Day celebration in Bedford, as well as the park clean-up in White Plains, to help promote a healthy environment and encourage community participation.