N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law § 27-0405: New York state local resource reuse and development program

§ 27-0405. New York state local resource reuse and development program.

1. The department shall design and actively implement a local resource

reuse and development program which shall promote the collection,

intermediate processing and marketing of waste materials that are now

being disposed of as municipal solid waste in New York state. The

program shall:

(a) promote the development and implementation of resource reuse

programs by municipalities;

(b) serve as a clearinghouse for information regarding existing

municipal resource reuse programs;

(c) identify special needs and problems facing municipalities in

developing and implementing resource reuse programs, and recommend

approaches and solutions to address such identified needs and problems;

and

(d) provide other technical assistance to municipalities seeking to

develop and implement resource reuse programs.

2. The program shall provide funding for up to seventy-five percent of

the cost of municipal resource reuse programs, including the cost of

planning, designing, coordinating and implementing collection,

processing, marketing, public participation, promotional and other

activities essential to carrying out the program. Funds shall be made

available for one or more of the following purposes:

(a) an analysis of the municipal waste stream;

(b) a preliminary market survey to identify:

(1) firms in the region that currently process, broker, market or

otherwise engage in resource reuse activities, and

(2) the quantity of additional waste materials that current markets

could absorb;

(c) development and distribution of information based on the operation

of the program and the related materials and market considerations;

(d) support of a local resource reuse coordinator who will be

responsible for overseeing development and implementation of the

municipal resource reuse program. Duties shall include coordinating

municipal collection, intermediate processing and marketing efforts with

existing local, regional and state resource reuse and market development

efforts; and

(e) development of a comprehensive resource reuse public education and

promotion campaign to inform residents regarding the need for and

operation of local resource reuse efforts and to increase public

awareness of the benefits to be accrued from utilizing reused and

recycled products. The promotional campaign shall include, but need not

be limited to:

(1) public education and outreach activities such as: magazine,

newspaper, television, radio and public transportation advertisements

and public informational meetings and seminars; and

(2) dissemination of public information materials providing the

details of the municipal program including, but not limited to items to

be collected, collection locations and schedules.

3. The department shall receive applications for assistance from a

municipality, acting alone or in conjunction with one or more other

municipalities. Applications shall be evaluated based on the following

criteria:

(a) energy savings of the proposal;

(b) technical feasibility of the proposal;

(c) municipal government commitment to the program;

(d) whether the applicant has pursued other sources of funding,

including, but not limited to funding available under title nine of

article fifty-one of this chapter; and

(e) demonstrated ability of the applicant to carry out the proposed

program.

4. In evaluating proposals, the department shall consider the

potential for coordination and consolidation of solid waste practices

among municipalities within specified areas or regions, and shall

encourage such cooperation and consolidation where it is practicable and

would result in enhanced energy savings, environmental protection and

cost effectiveness.