Bill > H671

This bill requires the commissioner of environmental protection to establish performance standards for reducing municipal solid waste, which is trash generated by households and businesses within a city or town, by July 1, 2015, to align with the state's solid waste master plan and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Specifically, the department of environmental protection must set these standards based on the amount of solid waste disposed of per person, aiming to reduce it to no more than 600 pounds per capita by July 1, 2016, and further to 450 pounds per capita by July 1, 2021. To help municipalities meet these targets, the secretary of energy and environmental affairs, in consultation with relevant departments, must develop an action plan by October 1, 2015, which will review existing recycling programs and suggest potential changes to state plans and policies. Cities and towns will be required to report their solid waste disposal data annually, and those failing to meet the initial 2016 reduction standard must submit a plan to achieve the 2021 standard, with the department of environmental protection then publishing a report on per capita disposal statistics for all municipalities.