NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1688
SPONSOR: Colton (MS) TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the general city law, in relation to
requiring contractors in certain cities to recycle construction and
demolition site waste
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: The purpose of the bill is to reduce
the solid waste disposal from C&D sites by requiring a contractor to use
or recycle at least 50% of the C&D debris.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: The bill requires that contractors in
New York City to reuse or recycle a) 25% by weight of the C&D debris,
for those project which have been issued a permit with an application
date within one year of the effective date of the bill; and b) 50 % by
weight of C&D debris for those projects issued a permit with an applica-
tion of more than one year after the effective date of the bill. The
bill defines the types of projects that would be subject to the
recycling/reuse requirements. Contractors would be required to document
their C&D debris recycling/reuse. The bill contains penalties for
violations of the requirements of the program.
JUSTIFICATION: According to a study released by the NYC Department of
Sanitation (DOS), 60% of the solid waste stream consists of construction
and debris materials. 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 land-
fills 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,
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2011-12: A.903/Encon/Codes, S.1107 2009-
10: A.1264/Encon/Codes, S.5103/Cities.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: The bill will have minimum administrative impacts
on New York City.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This act would take effect January one after it
becomes law.
