Representative DebraLee Hovey cast her vote today in favor of a unanimously-approved bill in the House of Representatives which expands municipal reports concerning recycling, and expands the list of designated recyclable items.
It also prohibits zoning laws that prevent the use of recycling receptacles, expands curbside recycling, requires recycling at certain gathering venues and requires solid waste collection contracts to provide for recycling.
“I feel that it is particularly fitting that on Earth Day this year we have passed a significant measure which will improve the process of recycling across the state,” said Rep. Hovey. “In our region which has terrific open space and riverside land a clean environment is especially essential for our quality of life. This bill will go a long way toward that goal.”
The bill
• requires solid waste collectors and most municipalities to offer curbside or backyard recycling to those to whom they offer curbside or backyard waste removal;
• requires recycling receptacles at common gathering venues that already have solid waste collection and that generate designated recyclable items;
• prohibits zoning regulations from barring recycling receptacles, requiring receptacles conform to most bulk or lot area regulations, or unreasonably restricting size or access to recycling receptacles;
• requires contracts between solid waste contractors and their commercial customers to address how the customers’ recycling will be handled;
• modifies and adds to the contents of the annual recycling reports municipalities submit to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP);
• requires the DEP to report on composting facilities and, in consultation with the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE), submit a study on the beneficial uses of ash residue; and
• creates new reporting requirements for solid waste and recycling collectors.
