2016 -- S 2606 SUBSTITUTE A AS AMENDED

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LC004950/SUB A

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- WASTE RECYCLING

     

     Introduced By: Senators Lombardi, Algiere, Pagliarini, Nesselbush, and Archambault

     Date Introduced: February 25, 2016

     Referred To: Senate Environment & Agriculture

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 23-18.8-2.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-18.8 entitled "Waste

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Recycling" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     23-18.8-2.1. Definitions. -- As used in this chapter:

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      (1) "Corporation" means the Rhode Island resource recovery corporation;

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      (2) "Department" means the department of environmental management;

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      (3) "Director" means the director of the department of environmental management;

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     (4) "Recyclable materials" means those materials separated from solid waste which can

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be further sorted into commodities to be sold or delivered to a manufacturer or processor to be

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transformed into new, usable or marketable materials. The director of Rhode Island resource

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recovery corporation shall specify those materials that are to be included within the definition of

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recyclable materials. The materials to be included may change from time to time depending upon

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new technologies, economic conditions, waste stream characteristics, environmental effects, or

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other factors;

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     (5) "Recycling" means any process in which discarded products lose their original

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identity or form as they are transformed into new, usable or marketable materials;

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      (4)(6) "Post-consumer waste" has the meaning given "post-consumer content" in § 37-2-

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76.1(2).

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      (5)(7) "Telephone directory" means a soft cover listing of telephone numbers and

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addresses by telephone listing territories commonly listed alphabetically or by occupation and

 

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distributed to households and businesses on behalf of telecommunications utilities or private

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advertisers; and

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      (6)(8) "Telephone directory distributor" means any party which distributes telephone

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directories within the state, and shall include the principal of the party if the party is an agent and

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the principal is located or doing business in the state.

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     SECTION 2. Section 23-18.9-7 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-18.9 entitled "Refuse

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Disposal" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     23-18.9-7. Definitions. -- As used in this chapter, the following terms shall, where the

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context permits, be construed as follows:

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      (1) "Beneficial reuse material" means a processed, nonhazardous, solid waste not already

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defined as recyclable material by this chapter and by regulations of the Rhode Island department

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of environmental management that the director has determined can be reused in an

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environmentally beneficial manner without creating potential threats to public health, safety,

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welfare, or the environment or creating potential nuisance conditions.

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      (2) "Beneficial use determination" (BUD) means the case-by-case process by which the

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director evaluates a proposal to use a specific solid waste as a beneficial reuse material for a

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specific purpose at a specific location within the host municipality.

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      (3) "Cocktailing" means the adding, combining, or mixing of hazardous waste as defined

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in § 23-19.1-4 with construction debris and demolition debris.

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      (4) "Construction and demolition (C&D) debris" means non-hazardous solid waste

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resulting from the construction, remodeling, repair, and demolition of utilities and structures and

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uncontaminated solid waste resulting from land clearing. This waste includes, but is not limited

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to, wood (including painted, treated, and coated wood, and wood products); land-clearing debris;

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wall coverings; plaster; drywall; plumbing fixtures; non-asbestos insulation; roofing shingles and

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other roof coverings; glass; plastics that are not sealed in a manner that conceals other wastes,

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empty buckets ten (10) gallons or less in size and having no more than one inch of residue

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remaining on the bottom; electrical wiring and components containing no hazardous liquids; and

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pipe and metals that are incidental to any of the previously described waste. Solid waste that is

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not C&D debris (even if resulting from the construction, remodeling, repair, and demolition of

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utilities, structures and roads; land clearing) includes, but is not limited to, asbestos; waste;

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garbage; corrugated container board; electrical fixtures containing hazardous liquids, such as

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fluorescent light ballasts or transformers; fluorescent lights; carpeting; furniture; appliances; tires;

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drums; containers greater than ten (10) gallons in size; any containers having more than one inch

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of residue remaining on the bottom; and fuel tanks. Specifically excluded from the definition of

 

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construction and demolition debris is solid waste (including what otherwise would be

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construction and demolition debris) resulting from any processing technique, other than that

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employed at a department-approved C&D debris processing facility, that renders individual waste

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components unrecognizable, such as pulverizing or shredding.

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      (5) "Construction and demolition debris processing facility" means a solid waste

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management facility that receives and processes construction and demolition debris. These

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facilities must demonstrate, through records maintained at the facility and provided to the

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department, that seventy-five percent (75%) of all material received by the facility is processed

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and removed from the site within six (6) weeks of receipt on a continuous basis, and that in no

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case stores material on site for over three (3) months; provided, however, these facilities do not

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include municipal compost facilities.

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      (6) "Construction and demolition debris separation facility" means a facility that

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receives, separates, and/or screens construction and demolition debris into its components for

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subsequent resale or processing that includes, but is not limited to, grinding, shredding, crushing,

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or landfilling at another location separate and apart from the location on which the separation

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occurs.

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      (7) "Director" means the director of the department of environmental management or any

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subordinate or subordinates to whom the director has delegated the powers and duties vested in

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him or her by this chapter.

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      (8) "Expansion" means any increase in volume, size, or scope, either vertically,

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horizontally, or otherwise; provided, however, that this section does not apply to the vertical

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expansion of the Charlestown municipal landfill until the closure date of July 1, 2000.

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      (9) "Person" includes an individual, firm, partnership, association, and private or

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municipal corporation.

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      (10) "Recyclable materials" means those materials separated from solid waste for reuse.

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The director of the department of environmental management, through regulations, shall specify

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those materials that are to be included within the definition of recyclables. which can be further

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sorted into commodities to be sold or delivered to a manufacturer or processor to be transformed

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into new, usable or marketable materials. The director of Rhode Island resource recovery

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corporation shall specify those materials that are to be included within the definition of recyclable

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materials. The materials to be included may change from time to time depending upon new

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technologies, economic conditions, waste stream characteristics, environmental effects, or other

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factors.

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      (11) "Segregated solid waste" means material separated from other solid waste for reuse.

 

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      (12) "Solid waste" means garbage, refuse, tree waste as defined by subsection 14 of this

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section, and other discarded solid materials generated by residential, institutional, commercial,

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industrial, and agricultural sources, but does not include solids or dissolved material in domestic

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sewage or sewage sludge or dredge material as defined in chapter 6.1 of title 46, nor does it

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include hazardous waste as defined in chapter 19.1 of this title, nor does it include used asphalt,

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concrete, or Portland concrete cement.

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      (13) "Solid waste management facility" means any plant, structure, equipment, real and

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personal property, except mobile equipment or incinerators with a capacity of less than one

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thousand pounds (1,000 lbs.) per hour, operated for the purpose of processing, treating, or

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disposing of solid waste but not segregated solid waste. Any solid waste management facility that

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stores waste materials containing gypsum on site over three (3) months must install and maintain

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an active gas collection system approved by the department of environment management.

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      (14) (a) "Tree Waste" means all parts of a tree, including stumps, branches, and logs that

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shall be considered solid waste for purposes of this chapter unless the tree waste meets the

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following criteria:

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      (1) The tree waste remains on the property where it was generated; or

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      (2) The tree waste remains in the possession of the person who generated it and is stored

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above the ground surface, on property that the same person controls, for purposes of recycling

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and reuse; or

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      (3) The tree waste, whether generated on or off-site, is being actively managed as a

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usable wood product such as landscape mulch, wood chips, firewood, or mulch.

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      (b) The application of the criteria set forth in this section shall not be deemed to

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abrogate, diminish, or impair the enforcement of the requirements established pursuant to chapter

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28.1 of this title or the authority of the state and/or a city or town to protect the public health,

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safety, or welfare from a public nuisance resulting from the storage and handling of tree waste.

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      (15) "Organic waste material" means the organic material portion of the solid waste

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stream, including, but not limited to, food scraps, food processing residue, and soiled or

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unrecyclable paper that has been separated from nonorganic material.

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      (16) "Composting facility" means land, appurtenances, structures, or equipment where

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organic materials originating from another process or location that have been separated at the

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point or source of generation from nonorganic material are recovered using a process of

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accelerated biological decomposition of organic material under controlled aerobic conditions.

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      (17) "Anaerobic digestion facility" means a facility employing a closed vessel to perform

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a closed process of accelerated biodegradation of organic materials and/or organic solid wastes

 

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into biogas and digestate, using microorganisms under controlled conditions in the absence of

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oxygen.

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      (18) "Other authorized recycling method" means:

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      (i) Recycling organic waste material on site or treating organic waste material via on-site

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organic treatment equipment permitted pursuant to the general laws or federal law; or

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      (ii) Diverting organic waste material for agricultural use, including consumption by

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animals.

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      (19) "Covered entity" means each commercial food wholesaler or distributor, industrial

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food manufacturer or processor, supermarket, resort or conference center, banquet hall,

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restaurant, religious institution, military installation, prison, corporation, hospital or other medical

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care institution, and casino.

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      (20) "Covered educational institution" means a higher educational or research institution.

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      (21) "Covered educational facility" means a building or group of two (2) or more

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interconnected buildings owned or used by a covered educational institution at which organic

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waste materials are generated.

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     SECTION 3. Section 23-18.12-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-18.12 entitled

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"Beverage Container Recyclability" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     23-18.12-2. Definitions. -- (a) "Beverage container" means any sealable bottle, can, jar,

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or carton which contains a beverage.

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      (b) "Beverage retailer" means any person who engages in the sale of a beverage

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container to a consumer within the state, or any operator of a vending machine.

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      (c) "Beverage wholesaler" means any person who engages in the sale of beverage

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containers to beverage retailers in this state, including any brewer, manufacturer, or bottler who

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engages in the sales.

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      (d) "Beverages" include milk, juices, carbonated soft drinks, soda water, mineral water,

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beer, and other malt beverages, wine and wine coolers, and all other packaged liquors and liquid

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mixes.

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      (e) "Corporation" means the Rhode Island resource recovery corporation.

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      (f) "Department" means the department of environmental management.

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      (g) "Distributor establishments" means all sales outlets, stores, and shops located in this

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state that sell beverages to consumers, except merchants who sell prepared food or drink for

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consumption on the premises.

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      (h) "Recyclable" means recovered resources able to be reused in manufacturing,

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agriculture, power production, or other processes. "Recycling" means any process in which

 

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discarded products lose their original identity or form as they are transformed into new, usable or

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marketable materials.

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      (i) "Recycling rate" means the percentage by weight of a particular beverage container

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that is recovered from municipal and/or commercial collection programs for recycling. The

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recycling rate shall apply only to those beverages included in the state mandatory recycling

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program.

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      (j) "Reusable" means able to be refilled after proper processing on an economically

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feasible basis as a beverage container.

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     (k) "Recyclable materials" means those materials separated from solid waste which can

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be further sorted into commodities to be sold or delivered to a manufacturer or processor to be

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transformed into new, usable or marketable materials. The director of Rhode Island resource

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recovery corporation shall specify those materials that are to be included within the definition of

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recyclable materials. The materials to be included may change from time to time depending upon

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new technologies, economic conditions, waste stream characteristics, environmental effects, or

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other factors.

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     SECTION 4. Section 23-19-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-19 entitled "Rhode

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Island Resource Recovery Corporation" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     23-19-5. Definitions. -- The following words and phrases have the meanings ascribed to

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them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

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      (1) "Bonds and notes" means bonds, including without limitation refunding bonds, notes,

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including without limitation renewal notes and bond anticipation notes, and other obligations or

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evidences of indebtedness of the corporation issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and

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the resolutions of the corporation.

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      (2) "Central landfill" means the central landfill located in Johnston.

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      (3) "Corporation" means the Rhode Island resource recovery corporation created and

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established pursuant to this chapter.

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      (4) "Landfill revenues" means the surplus, if any, of all tipping fees and other revenues

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received at the central landfill over the annual costs of the landfill, and a pro-rata share of the

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corporation's administrative expenses.

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      (5) "Municipal solid waste" means that solid waste generated by the residents of a

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municipality in the course of their daily living, the disposal of which the governing body of that

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municipality has undertaken in the discharge of its duties to protect the health of the municipality.

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Municipal solid waste does not include solid waste generated by residents of a municipality in the

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course of their employment or that generated by any manufacturing or commercial enterprise.

 

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      (6) "Municipal solid waste disposal arrangements" means those arrangements entered

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into by a municipality which provide for the final disposal of wastes in a manner approved by the

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department of health, the department of environmental management, and the corporation;

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provided, however, that the disposal of wastes in transfer stations or facilities for interim storage

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shall not constitute final disposal of the wastes.

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      (7) "Municipality" means any town or city within the state.

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      (8) "Person" means any individual, firm, institution, partnership, association or

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corporation, public, or private, organized or existing under the laws of the state or other states

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including federal corporations, but excluding municipalities.

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      (9) "Project" means the design, acquisition, ownership, operation, construction,

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rehabilitation, improvement, development, sale, lease, or other disposition of, or the provision of

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financing for, any solid waste management facility or the industrial and/or business parks in the

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town of Johnston authorized by § 23-19-9(a)(7) and the highway access authorized by § 23-19-

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10.3.

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      (10) "Recyclable materials" means those materials separated from solid waste for reuse.

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The director of the department of environmental management through regulations shall specify

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those materials that are to be included within the definition of recyclables. which can be further

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sorted into commodities to be sold or delivered to a manufacturer or processor to be transformed

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into new, usable or marketable materials. The director of Rhode Island resource recovery

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corporation shall specify those materials that are to be included within the definition of recyclable

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materials. The materials to be included may change from time to time depending upon new

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technologies, economic conditions, characteristics of the waste stream, environmental effects, or

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other factors.

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      (11) "Recycling" means the reuse of recovered resources in manufacturing, agriculture,

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power production, or other processes any process in which discarded products lose their original

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identity or form as they are transformed into new, usable or marketable materials.

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      (12) "Resource recovery" means the processing of solid wastes in such a way as to

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produce materials or energy that may be used in manufacturing, agriculture, and other processes.

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      (13) "Resource recovery system" means the corporation's integrated system of resource

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recovery consisting of a series of waste processing facilities designed to process a minimum of

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seventy percent (70%) of the municipal and commercial solid waste streams by employing an on-

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site waste separation technology for the purpose of recycling and/or reusing a minimum of

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seventy percent (70%) of the solid waste stream, and minimal use of landfills for the purpose of

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providing temporary backup or bypass landfill capacity and residue disposal from waste

 

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processing facilities and any other related facilities and services.

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      (14) "Resource recovery system costs" means all operating costs of the system; debt

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service and other financing costs related to the resource recovery system; the costs of recycling

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grants-in-aid and similar obligations of the corporation; allocations for extraordinary and

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unexpected costs; and a pro-rata share of the corporation's administrative expenses.

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      (15) "Resource recovery system revenues" means all amounts received by the

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corporation as municipal tipping fees, non-municipal tipping fees, energy revenues, revenues

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from the sale of recyclable materials, and all other revenues received with respect to the resource

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recovery system, but shall not include any landfill revenues and any amounts received as a state

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subsidy.

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      (16) "Revenues" means monies or income received by the corporation in whatever form,

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including but not limited to fees, charges, lease payments, interest payments on investments,

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payments due and owing on account of an instrument, contract, or agreement between the

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corporation, any municipality, or person, gifts, grants, or any other monies or payments to which

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the corporation is entitled under the provisions of this chapter or any other law, or of any

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agreement, contract, or indenture.

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      (17) "Segregated solid waste" means material which has been separated from the waste

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stream at the generation source for the purpose of recovering and recycling the materials.

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      (18) "Solid waste" means garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water

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supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded materials, including

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solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous material generated by residential, institutional,

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commercial, industrial, and agricultural sources but does not include solids or dissolved materials

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in domestic sewage.

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      (19) "Solid waste management facility" means any plant, structure, equipment, and other

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property, real, personal, or mixed, or the modification or replacement of any of the foregoing, for

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the receipt, storage, treatment, utilization, processing, transporting, or final disposition of or

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recovery of resources from solid waste other than segregated solid waste, or any facility which

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disposes of solid waste by reconstituting, converting, or otherwise recycling it into material which

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is not waste; or any property or system to be used in whole or in part for any of the previously

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mentioned purposes, whether or not another purpose is also served by it; or any other property or

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system incidental to, or which has to do with, or the end purpose of which, is any of the

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foregoing; or any combination of two (2) or more of the foregoing.

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      (20) "Statewide resource recovery system development plan" means that plan which will

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specify the location, size, and type of solid waste management facilities that may be required to

 

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develop an integrated statewide resource recovery system for the effective management of solid

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waste in Rhode Island. It will also specify a proposed schedule by which the component facilities

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will be phased into the statewide system, and it will provide for the administrative and financial

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requirements for implementing the plan.

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      (21) "Waste management" means actions taken to effectuate the receipt, storage,

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transportation, and processing for resource recovery and recycling, or for the ultimate disposal, of

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solid waste.

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      (22) "Waste processing facility" means a solid waste facility employing recycling based

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technology employing an on-site waste separation technology designed to process both nonsource

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separated and source separated solid waste for the purpose of recycling, and/or composting,

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and/or reusing a minimum of seventy percent (70%) of the municipal and commercial solid waste

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streams.

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     SECTION 5. Section 37-15-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 37-15 entitled "Litter

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Control and Recycling" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     37-15-3. Definitions. -- As used in this chapter the following terms shall, where the

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context permits, be construed as follows:

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      (1) "Community recycling center" means a central collection point in a community for

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recyclable materials, or a point where the materials are taken after being collected to be

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processed.

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      (2) "Department" means the department of environmental management.

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      (3) "Director" means the director of the department of environmental management.

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      (4) "Litter" means garbage, trash, waste, rubbish, ashes, cans, bottles, wire, paper,

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cartons, boxes, automobile parts, furniture, glass, or anything else of an unsightly or unsanitary

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nature thrown, dropped, discarded, placed, or deposited by a person on public property, on private

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property not owned by the person, or in or on waters of the state, unless the person has:

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      (i) Been directed to do so by a public official as part of a litter collection drive;

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      (ii) Discarded, thrown, dropped, placed, or discarded the material in a litter receptacle in

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a manner that prevented the material from being carried away by the elements; or

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      (iii) Been issued a license or permit covering the material pursuant to chapters 18.9 and

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19.1 of title 23.

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      (5) "Litter bag" means a bag, sack, or other container made of any material which is

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large enough to serve as a receptacle for litter inside a vehicle or watercraft.

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      (6) "Litter receptacle" means those containers adopted by the department of

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environmental management and which may be standardized as to size, shape, capacity, and color

 

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and which shall bear the state anti litter symbol, as well as any other receptacles suitable for the

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depositing of litter.

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      (7) "Person" means any natural person, political subdivision, government agency, public

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or private corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, firm, individual proprietorship, or

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other entity whatsoever.

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      (8) "Program" means those activities of the department to encourage, manage, and fund

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litter control and recycling pursuant to this chapter.

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      (9) "Public place" means any area that is used or held out for use by the public whether

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owned or operated by public or private interests.

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      (10) "Recycling" means the reuse of recovered resources in manufacturing, agriculture,

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power production, or other processes any process in which discarded products lose their original

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identity or form as they are transformed into new, usable or marketable materials.

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     SECTION 6. Section 37-15.1-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 37-15.1 entitled "Hard-

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to-Dispose Material-Control and Recycling" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     37-15.1-3. Definitions. -- As used in this chapter the following terms shall, where the

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context permits, be construed as follows:

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      (1) "Community recycling center" means a central collection point in a community for

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hard-to-dispose material, or a point where those materials are taken after being collected to be

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processed.

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      (2) "Department" means the department of environmental management.

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      (3) "Director" means the director of the department of environmental management.

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      (4) "Hard-to-dispose of material" means and encompasses the following materials:

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petroleum-based or synthetic lubricating oils, including, but not limited to, lubricants in internal

24

combustion engines; tires used on motorized vehicles and trailers, including cars, trucks, buses,

25

and heavy construction equipment; glycol-based antifreeze and organic solvents. A petroleum-

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based or synthetic lubricating oil which is recycled and/or re-refined is not, nor shall it be

27

considered, a hard-to-dispose material.

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      (5) "Organic solvents" means any compounds of carbon which are liquids at standard

29

conditions, and which are used as dissolvers, viscosity reducers, dilutents, thinners, reagents, or

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cleaning agents, (excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides,

31

metallic carbonates, and ammonium carbonate) and which are listed as hazardous waste pursuant

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to the state hazardous waste program pursuant to chapter 19.1, title 23.

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      (6) "Person" means any natural person, political subdivision, government agency, public

34

or private corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, firm, individual proprietorship, or

 

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other entity whatsoever.

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      (7) "Program" means those activities of the department to encourage, manage, and fund

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hard-to-dispose material control and recycling, and to aid in the monitoring and tracking,

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reduction, recycling, and reuse of hard-to-dispose material control and recycling pursuant to this

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chapter.

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      (8) "Public place" means any area that is used or held out for use by the public whether

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owned or operated by public or private interests.

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      (9) "Recycling" means the reuse of recovered resources in manufacturing, agriculture,

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power production, or other processes any process in which discarded products lose their original

10

identity or form as they are transformed into new, usable or marketable materials.

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     SECTION 7. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- WASTE RECYCLING

***

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     This act would amend the definition of "recycling" and "recyclable materials" in several

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chapters of the general laws.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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