L.L. 1989/019
Enactment date: 4/14/1989
Int. No. 952-B
By Council Members Leffler, the Vice Chairman (Council Member Vallone), Messinger, Molinari, Greitzer and Maloney (by request of the Comptroller); also Council Members Friedlander, Gerges, McCaffrey, Katzman, Alter, Eisland, Harrison, Horwitz, Michels, O'Donovan, Spigner, Dryfoos, Lisa, DeMarco, Robles, DiBrienza, Albanese, Crispino, Povman and Pinkett (Passed under a Message of Necessity from the Mayor)
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, to provide for the mandatory recycling of recyclable solid waste materials
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section one. Declaration of legislative intent and findings. The council finds that a significant amount of recyclable material that could be removed from the solid waste stream is needlessly discarded each year. The recovery and reuse of such recyclable material will: (1) minimize environmentally unsound solid waste disposal methods; (2) reduce the consumption of and the demand for scarce landfill capacity; (3) diminish the size and cost of the proposed resource recovery program, thereby reducing the economic and environmental burdens of this program which include the management of potentially toxic residue; (4) reduce the quantity of heavy metal, such as lead and cadmium, in the waste stream; and (5) aid in the conservation of vital natural resources and energy. The enactment by the State legislature of the Solid Waste Management Act of 1988 has created the need for the city to demonstrate its long-term commitment to effective waste management and requires the city to enact appropriate legislation. The council declares that the measures taken by the city must establish the most environmentally sound and economically desirable waste reduction, recycling and reuse programs possible and should be consistent with or surpass the reduction, recycling and reuse goals established by New York State.
Accordingly, the council finds that to achieve these goals, it would be appropriate to establish a mandatory citywide waste recovery and recycling program, to create a recycling program that provides opportunities for everyone in the city to recycle, to ensure a varied and comprehensive citywide recycling program that may include source separation, drop-off centers, buy-back centers, post-collection separation facilities and other recycling centers, to promote and increase the demand for recycled goods by all consumers including the city and its contractors, to encourage and support the use of the resources and skills of local existing and newly established recycling businesses, and local community organizations and members in effectuating a recycling program, and to create a program that provides employment opportunities for unskilled workers and handicapped persons.
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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]
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§ 4. This law shall take effect ninety days after its enactment into law, provided the commissioner may take all actions prior to such date that may be necessary to ensure compliance with the terms of this local law on such date. Such actions may include the promulgation of rules and regulations.