The House on Tuesday gave approval to a bill designed to prepare for the implementation of a universal recycling overhaul set to phase in this summer under Act 148.
The House passed S.208 by a voice vote on a second reading. The House will hold a final vote before it goes to the Senate for approval.
The Agency of Natural Resources will set up a working group this summer and report to lawmakers next year on the state’s solid waste infrastructure needs, costs of the programs and a plan on how to dispose of architectural waste – drywall, metal, asphalt shingles, clean wood and treated or painted wood, as defined under the bill.
The House amended the bill to allow residents to send money to Green Up Vermont, a nonprofit that coordinates the litter cleanup Green Up Day.
Mandatory composting for some large food producers begins July 1, and next year all recyclables will be banned from the landfill. When the program is fully implemented, it is expected to increase the state’s solid waste diversion rate from 30 percent to 50 percent, according to the Act 148 report.
The Senate’s version of the bill aimed to raise money for the program, but the House later stripped the provision and chose to study the costs of the current system instead.
