BUFFALO, N.Y. — Former Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Judith Enck says customers often end up with lots of extra paper, cardboard and plastic because companies that deliver online orders, like Amazon, have no financial responsibility to deal with waste management.

"You and I have all had the experience of, you order something online, it arrives at your house, just layer after layer of excess packaging and you’re kind of scratching your head thinking, ‘why did it have to be so over-packaged,’" Enck said.

The New York State Legislature is considering a bill that would shift some of those costs from local governments and waste haulers to those companies if they don't reduce the amount of packaging material they use.

"In this economic climate with so much economic uncertainty, this is an opportunity to save money by having less excess packaging," Enck said. 

She is now the president of Beyond Plastics, an advocacy group which released a report this week estimating local governments will save $1.3 billion over the next 10 years if lawmakers pass the packaging reduction and recycling infrastructure act. Roughly $818 million of the savings would be in New York City while other regions across the state could see cost reductions in the tens of millions.

"That may not seem like a lot, but I think it's a lot because it's avoided cost," she said.

Enck said the report is only part of the story about the bill's impact, which could lead to a reduction of waste trucked from downstate to landfills in places like the Finger Lakes. It would also require companies to pay fees depending on their packaging choices, which would go directly to local governments for recycling and waste reduction programs.

That's why she said groups like the NYS Association of Counties endorse the bill, including unanimous support from county executives across the state. 

"I think there's momentum," Enck said. "There's more local government support and we were within inches of getting it across both houses last year, so we want the Assembly to move early so they don't run out of time again."

Beyond Plastics hopes by releasing this report in April, it will motivate legislators to prioritize the bill once they pass the budget.