Bill > S2310

This bill mandates that state agencies and courts, including the General Court (the state legislature), must recycle a comprehensive list of materials by January 1, 2018, as outlined by specific regulations. These materials include items like lead batteries, metal and glass containers, plastics, paper, yard waste, tires, appliances known as "white goods," fluorescent lamps, cathode ray tubes (found in older TVs and monitors), and construction and demolition debris. The "leading by example program," managed by the executive office of energy and environmental affairs, will guide these entities in establishing a system to track and report their waste and recycling generation. Agencies and courts with over 50 employees in state-owned buildings, along with the General Court, will be required to submit annual reports detailing their waste and recycling data to state secretaries. Furthermore, any new lease agreements entered into by agencies or courts after the bill's effective date must include provisions for recycling and, where possible, require landlords to report on waste generation and recycling data. The executive office of energy and environmental affairs is empowered to create the necessary rules and regulations to implement these requirements, with the first report due by January 1, 2019.