The purposes of the Solid Waste Act are to:

A. authorize and direct the establishment of a comprehensive solid waste management program;

B. provide technical, financial and program development assistance to counties and municipalities for solid waste management;

C. enhance the beauty and quality of the environment; conserve, recover and recycle resources; and protect the public health, safety and welfare;

D. plan for and regulate, in the most economically feasible, cost-effective and environmentally safe manner, the reduction, storage, collection, transportation, separation, processing, recycling and disposal of solid waste;

E. provide the opportunity and incentive for counties and municipalities to plan adequately and provide for cost-effective and environmentally safe solid waste management at the local level;

F. require issuance of permits for the construction, operation and, if applicable, closure and postclosure maintenance of solid waste facilities;

G. promote source reduction, recycling, reuse, treatment and transformation of solid waste as viable alternatives to disposal of those wastes by landfill disposal methods; and

H. require the state and its agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions to develop procurement policies that aid and promote the development of recycling recyclable materials.

History: Laws 1990, ch. 99, § 2.

Denial of landfill permit based on public opposition. — The Environmental Improvement Act and the Solid Waste Act do not require the secretary to deny a landfill permit based on public opposition. Colonias Dev. Council v. Rhino Envtl. Svcs., Inc., 2005-NMSC-024, 138 N.M. 133, 117 P.3d 939.