Raised Bill No. 5342 Summary

• Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection must adopt regulations by February 1, 1988 designating items required to be recycled, with authority to designate additional suitable items.

• By October 1, 2011, the commissioner must expand recyclable items to include containers of three gallons or less made of polyethylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene plastic, plus additional paper types including boxboard, magazines, high-grade white paper, and colored ledger.

• By August 1, 2021, the commissioner must establish regulations prescribing how designated recyclable items must be separated from each other and other solid waste to generate marketable recycled materials.

• Municipalities must begin recycling designated items within six months of receiving service from a regional processing center or local processing system.

• Residential property generators must separate designated recyclable items from other solid waste, while non-residential generators must use separate collection containers for recyclable items; knowingly combining segregated recyclable items with other solid waste is prohibited.