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- Local governments should be encouraged to develop contingency plans
- Establish trigger levels and mechanisms to direct recycled materials to other uses once the value of materials falls below established standards.
- The focus of contingency planning should evolve from short-term protection of recycling programs and minimization of a city‘s financial risk to development of new markets and new products for recyclables. -
- Recycling operations and facilities should be regulated to the extent necessary to protect public health and the environment but not subjected to unnecessary regulations and permitting requirements governing solid waste.
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- Appropriate fiscal policies and funding mechanisms must be developed so that they provide waste reduction and recycling with financial opportunities consistent with those available to other waste management options.
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- Avoided collection and disposal costs should be established in a way that provides incentives for waste generators collectors and landfill operators to expand recycling and encourage the reduction of amounts of waste generated, and that takes into account future increasing waste disposal costs.
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- Clearly authorize expenditures for source reduction recycling and composting collection, processing and market development activities to be eligible for participation in public investment tools.
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- Local governments should be authorized by state governments to enact a broad range of local fees and taxes to support all aspects of an integrated waste management program and to set rates for waste collection and disposal.
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- Recycling programs should not be required to be shown separately on bills unless all other components of the solid waste system are itemized.
- Franchise fees for the privilege of doing business in an area should be able to be adjusted during the life of collection contracts to provide an additional source of revenue for local governments to implement programs. -
- Policies should also be adopted at local, state and federal levels of government to pursue an integrated waste management hierarchy of priorities for solving solid waste problems.
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- In order to reduce waste, the NRC recommends to reduce and reuse products to the maximum extent technically feasible.
- Other recommendations include quantitatively summarizing current purchasing patterns for reusable and recycled materials and products, as well as require in City grants, contracts, consultant agreements and other agreements that printed materials be on recycled paper. -
- Local buildings codes should require new buildings and major renovations to explicitly provide for recycling systems as an integral component of the buildings‘ waste management systems.
- Building codes should be developed jointly by the appropriate agencies administering local recycling programs and by all other pertinent local agencies to ensure that specific requirements of building codes are consistent with local recycling programs and maintain the highest standards of health and safety of building residents in their implementation.
