Bill Text: NJ SR79 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges Governor to make appointments to "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" and "Recycling Market Development Council."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-04 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [SR79 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-SR79-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Governor to make appointments to "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" and "Recycling Market Development Council."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging the Governor to make appointments to the "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" and the "Recycling Market Development Council."
Whereas, The "Solid Waste Management Act," P.L.1970, c.39 (C.13:1E-1 et seq.), became law in 1970 and established a 14-member council known as the "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management;" and
Whereas, Among the statutory duties of the "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" are making recommendations to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection on ways to improve solid waste management in the State, studying regulations related to the disposal of medical waste and making recommendations for improving such regulations, and researching new methods for solid waste management, including recycling; and
Whereas, The "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" is authorized to include ten public members: four representing the solid waste collection, recycling, and solid waste disposal industries, two representing the health care industry, and four representing the general public and is intended to serve as a bridge between regulators and private citizens with practical experience, leading to more effective and efficient regulations; and
Whereas, The "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" is authorized to hold public hearings, giving citizens of the State a platform to suggest improvements related to local solid waste management or bring attention to a local problem that may otherwise go unnoticed; and
Whereas, In particular, the "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" is needed to review and suggest changes to the State Recycling Plan, as new markets are currently necessary to handle recyclable materials; and
Whereas, P.L.2019, c.439, approved on January 21, 2020, established, in the Department of Environmental Protection, a "Recycling Market Development Council" which is to consist of the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the State Treasurer, or their designees, and six citizens of the State appointed by the Governor; and
Whereas, The appointments of the public members, of which three shall be actively engaged in the recycling industry and three shall have expertise in the reuse and processing of recycled materials, were to be appointed by the Governor no later than 60 days after the effective date of P.L.2019, c.439; and
Whereas, The "Recycling Market Development Council" is charged with preparing, within one year after the effective date of P.L.2019, c.439, a report to the Governor and the Legislature on the existing markets that process, reuse, or recycle collected recyclable materials, and providing recommendations on changes needed to State laws, rules, or regulations to stimulate the creation of domestic processing facilities, such as paper mills, and end-use manufacturers of products with recycled content; and
Whereas, The "Recycling Market Development Council" is further charged with developing best management practices to reduce the contamination of collected recyclables, investigating how to stimulate the use of collected recyclables in newly manufactured products; investigating the feasibility of providing preferences for products with recycled content, including how to stimulate the use in public projects of products or materials with recycled content, and investigating methods to improve the competitiveness of the State as an exporter of recyclable materials; and
Whereas, Solid waste management is one of the most basic and effective ways for State and local governments to protect the health of their citizens and the environment, and the State should continue to prioritize solid waste management by improving existing regulations and planning ahead to meet future challenges; and
Whereas, In the past, much of New Jersey's and other states' recyclable materials were sent to China for processing; however, China has largely stopped accepting these materials from foreign recycling businesses, disrupting the recycling stream in the State, leading to a spike in recycling costs for residents, and causing paper, plastics, electronics, and other recyclable materials to pile up in warehouses and landfills as the State's recycling industry is not currently equipped to handle the excess of recyclable materials, and recycling facilities in New Jersey do not make enough profit from the recyclable materials they collect, process, and transport; and
Whereas, The "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" has not been active during the last decade and appointments of public members have not been made as members' terms have expired and the public members have not yet been appointed to the "Recycling Market Development Council"; and
Whereas, The public members should be appointed to both the "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" and the "Recycling Market Development Council" so that each council can carry out its statutory duties; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully requests that the Governor reactivate the "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" by appointing public members to the council and designating a chair and vice-chair, and activate the "Recycling Market Development Council" by appointing public members to the council and designating a chair and vice-chair, in order to improve solid waste management in the State.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Governor, the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, and the Commissioner of Health.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the Governor to (1) reactivate the "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management," and (2) appoint members to the Recycling Market Development Council.
The "Advisory Council on Solid Waste Management" was established by the "Solid Waste Management Act," P.L.1970, c.39 (C.13:1E-1 et seq.), in order to serve as a bridge between regulators and citizens involved in the solid waste management and health care industries, and the general public. The council is intended to review and make recommendations to improve solid waste management policy in the State. However, the council has not been active in recent years and the membership terms of its public members have expired.
