What's happening
This bill prohibits the disposal and incineration of hardcover books and requires municipalities to establish programs for their recovery, reuse, and recycling.
Why it matters
Reduces landfill waste. by mandating that hardcover books cannot be thrown out or incinerated, thus diverting a significant stream of material from traditional waste disposal and incinerators.
Creates new accountability and data reporting. requirements for municipalities and recycling companies, ensuring transparent tracking of book recovery, redistribution, and recycling efforts—including tonnages and destinations.
Promotes reuse and community access. to books by encouraging redistributive programs, which could support literacy, education, and charitable initiatives by placing unwanted books into new hands rather than destroying them.
Standardizes book recycling efforts statewide. by requiring every municipality to establish a hardcover book recovery program within two years, potentially creating new local partnerships and industry opportunities in recycling and reuse.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Recycle Hardcover Books
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1565
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2017
Introduced by Sen. AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to recovery, reuse and recycling of hardcover books
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Article 27 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new title 30 to read as follows:
TITLE 30
HARDCOVER BOOK RECOVERY, REUSE AND RECYCLING Section 27-3001. Definition.
27-3003. Disposal of hardcover books; prohibited.
27-3005. Department responsibilities.
27-3007. Responsibilities of municipalities.
27-3009. Hardcover book recyclers. § 27-3001. Definition.
As used in this title, "hardcover book" means a book bound in cloth, cardboard or leather. Such term shall not include paperback books. § 27-3003. Disposal of hardcover books; prohibited.
It shall be unlawful to dispose of a hardcover book as solid waste or to incinerate a hardcover book. § 27-3005. Department responsibilities.
The department shall:
1. inventory existing voluntary municipal solid waste management programs that include recovery, reuse and recycling of hardcover books and make the information derived from such inventory available to all municipalities. When municipalities establish their permanent programs, this information shall also be shared with other municipalities;
2. prominently post information about municipal hardcover book recovery, reuse, and recycling programs on its website; and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00679-01-7
S. 1565 2
3. ensure that all municipalities are notified of the hardcover book disposal prohibition and the requirements of this title. § 27-3007. Responsibilities of municipalities.
Municipalities are encouraged to establish programs to collect, redistribute, reuse and recycle unwanted books. Municipalities may contract with third party organizations or businesses for the collection, redistribution and recycling of unwanted hardcover books. Municipalities shall send all information describing the establishment and implementation of their voluntary programs to recover, redistribute, reuse or recycle hardcover books to the department.
Within two years of the effective date of this title, every municipality shall establish a program to recover, redistribute, reuse or recycle hardcover books. Municipalities may establish joint programs with other municipalities, or contract with third party organizations or businesses to recover, redistribute, reuse or recycle hardcover books. Municipalities shall send all information describing the establishment and implementation of their programs to recover, redistribute, reuse or recycle hardcover books to the department.
Municipalities shall keep records of their hardcover book recovery, reuse, redistribution and recycling programs, including tonnages of books collected, books redistributed for reuse, books recycled and the recycling companies utilized. § 27-3009. Hardcover book recyclers.
Every person or entity engaged in the recovery and recycling of hardcover books shall annually provide documentation to the department of the tonnage of hardcover books received from each municipality with which it contracts, and the persons or entities to which the recycled hardcover books are sent.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to recovery, reuse and recycling of hardcover books
Purpose of the bill
The purpose of the bill is to facilitate the recovery, reuse, and recycling of hardcover books and avoid their disposal as solid waste.
Summary of provisions
The bill would ban the disposal of hardcover books as solid waste. The bill would require the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to inventory existing solid waste programs that recover, reuse and recycle hardcover books and share this information with municipalities. DEC would be required to post this information on their website. Within two years of the effective date, municipalities would be required to establish programs to recover, redistribute, reuse or recycle hardcover books. Joint collection programs to accomplish this requirement would be allowed. Records of books collected and their disposition would be required. Recyclers of hardcover books would be required to submit information on hardcover books they receive from municipalities and the disposition of these books.
Justification
There are substantial quantities of hardcover books being deposited into landfills and incinerators, despite the availability of markets for their processing and recycling. Recycling and reprocessing of soft cover books has been occurring for years as mixed paper in residential and commercial recycling programs. Historically, hardcover books have faced obstacles to recycling principally due to their bindings and covers. However, it now appears that recycling of hardcover books is both economically and environmentally viable.
Because hardcover books are often collected with other paper, it is difficult to obtain accurate recycling information, Hardcover books are frequently collected at no cost by recyclers, and the source agencies seldom keep records on these quantities. In general, residential curbside collection programs process hardcover books as mixed paper; therefore, it is difficult to quantify collection costs. Many libraries and schools maintain separate storage, but savings from reduced garbage collection and disposal offset these costs.
The Assembly Legislative Commission on Solid Waste Management recently conducted a survey of the State's larger-cities and their counties. Responses were received from the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority, Broome County, City of Rochester, Erie County and Onondaga County, all of which have recycled hardcover books. All reported significant quantities of hardcover books recovered, including Onondaga County, which reported 660 tons-of-thesebooks-- recovered between 2004 and 2010. Individual counties identified some issues for hardcover book recycling, including lack of consistent reliable markets (Oneida-Herkimer), and adequate shipping containers (Onondaga County). Only Onondaga County identified the cost of recovering and recycling hardcover books as a consideration.
The NYS Office of General Services (OGS) receives approximately 4 tons of hard and soft cover books monthly through their recycling program at the Empire State Plaza. According to OGS, all of their facilities state- wide recycle paper, including hard cover books.
Small- and large-scale companies have begun collecting hardcover books. Both types of companies find that reliable sources of these books are the limiting factor to expanding the collection. These companies note that technological advances in shredding and processing at the paper mills are overcoming the problems of processing and recycling hardcover bindings and covers.
This legislation will facilitate the recycling of hardcover books and prevent their disposal as solid waste in New York.
Prior legislative history
2015-16: 5.926 2013-14: S.4410
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None.
Effective date
This act would take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.