TRENTON – The Senate Environment and Energy Committee advanced legislation sponsored by its Vice Chair, Senator Linda Greenstein, which would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop guidelines on recommended recovered material percentages for use by state and local agencies when entering into contract to encourage the purchase of goods made with recycled material.

“New Jersey generates millions of tons of solid waste every year, making it essential for us to do what we can to encourage the use of recycled goods,” said Senator Greenstein (D-Mercer/Middlesex). “By prioritizing the purchase of recycled products by state and local entities, we will reduce waste, conserve our natural resources, and support our state’s environmental goals in pursuit of a more sustainable future.”

Under the bill, S-2751, the Director of the Division of Purchase and Property in the Department of the Treasury, the Director of the Division of Property Management and Construction in the Department of the Treasury, and all state and local agencies having authority to contract for the purchase of goods or services would be required to ensure that all product specifications for new procurements are advertised to reflect the guidelines developed to the extent practical and feasible.

Nothing would apply to product specifications for:

·    Any binding contractual obligations for the purchase of goods and services entered into before the effective date of the bill

·    Bid packages advertised and made available to the public, or to any competitive and sealed bids received by the state, before the effective date of the bill

·    Any amendment, modification, or renewal of a contract that was entered into before the effective date of the bill, where following the guidelines developed would delay the timely completion of a project or increase the cost of the contract by an unreasonable amount

·    A contract entered into by a local contracting unit, if it followed the guidelines developed, would increase the cost of the contract