SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
SENATE, Nos. 3939 and 3944
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: NOVEMBER 18, 2019
The Senate Environment and Energy Committee favorably reports a committee substitute for Senate Bill Nos. 3939 and 3944.
This committee substitute would establish in the Department of Environmental Protection a Recycling Market Development Council, which would consist of eight members. Members of the council would include the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the State Treasurer, or their designees, who would serve ex officio; and six citizens of the State appointed by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection. Three of the appointed members would be actively engaged in the recycling industry, one of which would be a representative of the Association of New Jersey Recyclers, and three would have expertise in the reuse and processing of recycled materials. The commissioner would appoint the chairperson and vice-chairperson of the council from the appointed members.
Within six months after the effective date of the substitute, the Recycling Market Development Council would be required to prepare a report on the existing markets that process, reuse, or recycle collected recyclable materials. Additionally, the council would develop best management practices to reduce the contamination of collected recyclables; investigate how to stimulate the use of collected recyclables in newly manufactured products; investigate the feasibility of providing preferences for products with recycled content, including how to stimulate the use in public projects of products or materials with recycled content; and investigate methods to improve the competitiveness of the State as an exporter of recyclable materials. The council would provide recommendations on changes needed to State laws, rules, or regulations to stimulate the creation of domestic processing facilities such as paper mills, and end-use manufacturers of products with recycled content.