BILL NUMBER: S5202
SPONSOR: SANDERS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general city law, in relation to requiring contrac-
tors 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 effec-
tive date of the bill; and b) 50 % by weight of C&D debris for those
projects issued a permit with an application 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 mate-
rials. 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 landfills 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:
2021-22 REFERRED TO SENATE CITIES 1
2022 referred to ways and means
2021 reported from environmental assembly ways and means
2019-20 REFERRED TO SENATE CITIES
2020 referred to ways and means conservation and codes referred to
2019 reported from environmental assembly ways and means conservation
and codes referred to
 
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: