Requires contractors in certain large cities to recycle 50% of the waste generated on construction and demolition sites

• Democratic20
• Republican2

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why James Sanders Jr. says this is needed

According to a study released by the NYC Department of Sanitation (DOS), 60% of the solid waste stream consists of construction and debris mate- rials. The purpose of the legislation is to significantly reduce the amount of waste produced by construction and demolition activities. There are many opportunities to reduce or recycle materials, including metals, cardboard, drywall, glass, wood, glass and asphalt, from C&D sites. Although New York City has a voluntary C&D reuse and recycling program and has produced a manual for contractors on how to manage these wastes, there is no requirement to do so. Furthermore, NYC has failed to include C&D waste reuse and recycling in its Solid Waste Management Plan update. Given continuing problems with managing garbage, this bill could significantly reduce materials going into landfills by requiring their reuse and recycling. The DOS estimates that 60% of fill materials and 40% of non-fill materi- als are currently being recycled. This legislation requires a 50% rate after one year of enactment, and poses no significant financial burden to contractors. In fact, a study released by The Boston Society of Architects states that recycling construction and debris materials is considerably less-expensive than the cost attributed to hauling the waste to a landfill and paying tonnage fees. These savings are realized even after all costs for planning, training, recordkeeping, and report- ing are factored in.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.