13:1E-99.11. Findings, declarations

The Legislature finds that removing certain materials from the municipal solid waste stream will decrease the flow of solid waste to sanitary landfill facilities, aid in the conservation and recovery of valuable resources, conserve energy in the manufacturing process, and increase the supply of reusable raw materials for the State's industries; and that the recycling of reusable waste materials will reduce substantially the required capacity of proposed resource recovery facilities and contribute to their overall combustion efficiency, thereby resulting in significant cost-savings in the planning, construction, and operation of these resource recovery facilities.

The Legislature further finds that the expeditious identification of local, national and international markets and distribution networks for recyclable materials is a necessary prerequisite to the orderly development of mandatory Statewide county and municipal recycling programs; and that the State must institute and complete studies of market stimulation for recyclable materials.

The Legislature further finds that the State may most appropriately demonstrate its long-term commitment to proper solid waste management by establishing a mandatory Statewide source separation and recycling program, and by increasing the purchase of recycled paper and paper products by the various agencies and instrumentalities of the State Government.

The Legislature therefore declares that it is in the public interest to mandate the source separation of marketable waste materials on a Statewide basis so that reusable materials may be returned to the economic mainstream in the form of raw materials or products rather than be disposed of at the State's overburdened landfills, and further declares that the recycling of marketable materials by every municipality in this State, and the development of public and private sector recycling activities on an orderly and incremental basis, will further demonstrate the State's long-term commitment to an effective and coherent solid waste management strategy.

L. 1987, c. 102, s. 1.