Two bills, sponsored by New Jersey State Senator Bob Smith (D), address the issue of recycling: one bill would guarantee funding for municipal recycling programs, while the other bill would create a statewide electronics recycling initiative. Both bills were approved by the State Senate this week.
Smith, chair of the New Jersey Senate Environmental Committee, noted that at one time the state was one of the leaders in the recycling movement. "We need to do more to reenergize our State’s recycling profile, and ensure sustainable, effective programs to deal with new trends in recycled waste. These bills would put the Garden State back on the right track, and ensure a greener legacy to impart to future generations of State residents."
Senate Bill 554 would create a statewide electronic waste management program for computers and televisions. Under the compromise legislation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection would collect a registration fee on television manufacturers currently selling new televisions in New Jersey to fund county- and state-based TV recycling efforts. Recycling of computer equipment would be managed by computer manufacturers, under plans approved by the DEP.
The bill was approved by a vote of 22-16. It was approved by the Assembly earlier in the day by a vote of 52-27, and now heads to the Governor to be signed into law.
The other bill, S-557, would impose a recycling tax on solid waste generation in order to provide financial support to municipalities and counties for local recycling programs. The tax would be levied on the owner or operator of every solid waste facility in the state at a rate of $3 per ton on all solid waste accepted for disposal or transfer at the facility. The tax would not be imposed on facilities designated as "sanitary" landfills or facilities associated with the recycling process, and is similar to a $3 per ton recycling tax which was in place from 1987 to 1996.
The new recycling tax is estimated to raise about $23 million a year for recycling efforts in the state. Sixty percent of funds collected, or $13.8 million, would go to municipalities or counties as direct recycling grants. A quarter of the revenue, or $5.75 million, would go to continues to help with preparing and implementing their solid waste plans. Ten percent, or $2.3 million, would go to the State recycling program, and five percent, or $1.2 million, would go to the counties for public information and education programs on recycling.
The bill was approved by the Senate by a vote of 26-11. It was approved by the Assembly earlier in the day by a vote of 49-29 with 2 abstentions, and now heads to the Governor to be signed into law.