Bill Text: NY S09040 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires the trustees of The State University of New York to develop a SUNY-wide zero waste action plan.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-05 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S09040 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S09040-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9040

                    IN SENATE

                                       May 5, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the board of
          trustees of The State University of New York to  develop  a  SUNY-wide
          zero waste action plan

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  355-f
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 355-f. SUNY-wide zero waste action plan. 1. The board of trustees in
     4  consultation  with  faculty,  staff, students, the student assembly, any
     5  labor organization which has been selected by members of faculty, staff,
     6  or students to represent their interests, and any  designated  sustaina-
     7  bility staff member shall issue a report on or before one year after the
     8  effective  date  of this section creating a comprehensive SUNY-wide zero
     9  waste action plan including but  not  limited  to  the  following  focus
    10  areas:
    11    a.  source  reduction  also known as waste minimization, including but
    12  not limited to:
    13    (i) single use plastics elimination and reduction; and
    14    (ii) reforms to procurement resulting in waste minimization;
    15    b. materials reuse, including surplus property management and facility
    16  deconstruction;
    17    c. comprehensive  recycling,  including  construction  and  demolition
    18  materials;
    19    d. comprehensive composting or organics recycling;
    20    e. student, faculty, and staff engagement; and
    21    f. vendor and contractor requirements and engagement.
    22    2.  The  plan  shall  include metrics for tracking waste reduction and
    23  diversion across the system, establishing a  baseline,  interim  targets
    24  for goals and actions that will lead to zero waste, and publicly report-
    25  ing  this  information.  Zero  waste  goals  must include both diversion
    26  through recycling and composting and reduction through  waste  minimiza-
    27  tion goals. The zero waste action plan must prioritize durable and reus-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15626-02-2
        S. 9040                             2

     1  able  materials  over  single use materials, even if those materials are
     2  recyclable and/or compostable.
     3    3.  The  plan  shall set a detailed project timeline for the system to
     4  become zero waste by two thousand thirty.
     5    4. Within one hundred eighty days of the issuance  of  a  system  wide
     6  plan,  each  SUNY  campus  shall be required to create a detailed action
     7  plan, in consultation with faculty, staff, students, student  government
     8  associations,  any labor organization which has been selected by members
     9  of faculty, staff, or students to represent  their  interests,  and  any
    10  designated sustainability staff member.
    11    5.  The  board  of  trustees  shall  be responsible for monitoring the
    12  effectiveness and implementation of such program  in  consultation  with
    13  faculty,  staff, students, the student assembly, and any labor organiza-
    14  tion which has been selected by members of faculty, staff,  or  students
    15  to  represent their interests, and shall annually report to the legisla-
    16  ture on the progress of the plan and post such report on the  university
    17  website.  Such  report  shall include a comprehensive audit of all waste
    18  and materials diverted and updates on inventory and  shall  review  each
    19  campus action plan and include intermediate measures should a campus not
    20  be on track to meet the two thousand thirty deadline.
    21    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.