2007 Minnesota Statutes

115A.15 STATE GOVERNMENT RESOURCE RECOVERY.
    Subdivision 1. Establishment of program. There is established within state government a
resource recovery program to promote the reduction of waste generated by state agencies, the
separation and recovery of recyclable and reusable commodities, the procurement of recyclable
commodities and commodities containing recycled materials, and the uniform disposition of
recovered materials and surplus property. The program shall be administered by the commissioner
of administration.
    Subd. 1a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the
meanings given them.
(a) "Recyclable commodities" means materials, pieces of equipment, and parts which are not
reusable but which contain recoverable resources.
(b) "Reusable commodities" means materials, pieces of equipment, parts, and used supplies
which can be reused for their original purpose in their existing condition.
    Subd. 2. Duties of commissioner of administration. The commissioner of administration
shall develop policies to require state agencies and the state legislature to separate all recyclable
and reusable commodities wherever feasible. The commissioner shall develop and institute
procedures for the separation, collection, and storage of used commodities wherever feasible in
state agencies and shall establish policies for the reuse, sale, or disposition of recovered materials
and surplus property. The commissioner shall promote and publicize the waste reduction and waste
separation and recovery procedures on an ongoing basis to all state employees. The commissioner
shall issue guidelines for the procurement of recyclable commodities and commodities containing
recycled materials that include definitions of recycled materials, the percentage of recycled
materials to be contained in each commodity and performance specifications. To the extent
practicable, the guidelines shall be written so as to give preference to recyclable commodities
and commodities containing recycled materials. The commissioner shall inform state agencies
whenever recycled commodities are available for purchase. The commissioner shall investigate
opportunities for the inclusion of and may include local governments and regional agencies
in administrative state programs to reduce waste, and to separate and recover recyclable and
reusable commodities.
    Subd. 3. Powers of commissioner of administration. The commissioner of administration
shall have such powers as are necessary to implement and operate the program. All state agencies
shall comply with the policies, guidelines, and procedures established by the commissioner
pursuant to this section. The commissioner shall have the power to issue orders to compel
compliance.
    Subd. 4. Staff. The commissioner of administration shall employ an administrator to manage
the resource recovery program and other staff and consultants as are necessary to carry out the
program.
    Subd. 5. Reports. (a) By January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the commissioner of
administration shall submit a report to the governor and to the senate and house committees
having jurisdiction over environment and natural resources and environment and natural
resources finance summarizing past activities and proposed goals of the program for the following
biennium. The report shall include at least:
(1) a summary list of product and commodity purchases that contain recycled materials;
(2) the results of any performance tests conducted on recycled products and agencies'
experience with recycled products used;
(3) a list of all organizations participating in and using the cooperative purchasing program;
and
(4) a list of products and commodities purchased for their recyclability and of recycled
products reviewed for purchase.
(b) By July 1 of each even-numbered year, the commissioner of the Pollution Control
Agency and the commissioner of commerce through the State Energy Office shall submit
recommendations to the commissioner regarding the operation of the program.
    Subd. 6. Use of funds. All funds appropriated by the state for the resource recovery program,
all revenues resulting from the sale of recyclable and reusable commodities made available for
sale as a result of the resource recovery program, and all reimbursements to the commissioner
of expenses incurred by the commissioner in developing and administering resource recovery
systems for state agencies, governmental units, and nonprofit organizations must be deposited in
the general fund. The commissioner shall determine the waste disposal cost savings associated
with recycling and reuse activities.
    Subd. 7. Waste reduction procurement model. To reduce the amount of solid waste
generated by the state and to provide a model for other public and private procurement systems,
the commissioner, in cooperation with the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency, shall
develop waste reduction procurement programs, including an expanded life cycle costing system
for procurement of durable and repairable items by November 1, 1991. On implementation of
the model procurement system, the commissioner, in cooperation with the commissioner of the
Pollution Control Agency, shall develop and distribute informational materials for the purpose of
promoting the procurement model to other public and private entities under section 115A.072,
subdivision 4 .
    Subd. 8. Recycled materials purchasing. The commissioner of administration shall
develop and implement a cooperative purchasing program under section 471.59 to include state
agencies, local governmental units, and, where feasible, other state governments and the federal
government, for the purpose of purchasing materials made from recycled materials. By July 1,
1991, the commissioner shall develop a program to promote the cooperative purchasing program
to those units of government and other persons.
    Subd. 9. Recycling goal. By December 31, 1996, the commissioner shall recycle at least
60 percent by weight of the solid waste generated by state offices and other state operations
located in the metropolitan area. By March 1 of each year, the commissioner shall report to
the Pollution Control Agency the estimated recycling rates by county for state offices and
other state operations in the metropolitan area for the previous calendar year. The Pollution
Control Agency shall incorporate these figures into the reports submitted by the counties under
section 115A.557, subdivision 3, to determine each county's progress toward the goal in section
115A.551, subdivision 2.
Each state agency in the metropolitan area shall work to meet the recycling goal individually.
If the goal is not met by an agency, the commissioner shall notify that agency that the goal has
not been met and the reasons the goal has not been met and shall provide information to the
employees in the agency regarding recycling opportunities and expectations.
    Subd. 10. Materials recovery facility; materials collection; waste audits. (a) The
commissioner of the Department of Administration shall establish a central materials recovery
facility to manage recyclable materials collected from state offices and other state operations in
the metropolitan area. The facility must be located as close as practicable to the State Capitol
complex and must be large enough to accommodate temporary storage of recyclable materials
collected from state offices and other state operations in the metropolitan area and the processing
of those materials for market.
(b) The commissioner shall establish a recyclable materials collection and transportation
system for state offices and other state operations in the metropolitan area that will maximize
the types and amount of materials collected and the number of state offices and other state
operations served, and will minimize barriers to effective and efficient collection, transportation,
and marketing of recyclable materials.
(c) The commissioner shall perform regular audits on the solid waste and recyclable
materials collected to identify materials upon which to focus waste reduction, reuse, and recycling
activities and to measure:
(1) progress made toward the recycling goal in subdivision 9;
(2) progress made to reduce waste generation; and
(3) potential for additional waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.
(d) The commissioner may contract with private entities for the activities required in this
subdivision if the commissioner determines that it would be cost-effective to do so.
History: 1980 c 564 art 2 s 12; 1981 c 356 s 121; 1982 c 569 s 6-8; 1983 c 289 s 115 subd
1; 1985 c 274 s 4; 1986 c 425 s 22; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 186 s 15; 1987 c 312 art 1 s 10 subd 2;
1987 c 348 s 6; 1988 c 613 s 20; 1Sp1989 c 1 art 18 s 5-8; 1990 c 594 art 3 s 5; 1991 c 304 s 1,2;
1991 c 337 s 10,11; 1992 c 514 s 15; 1992 c 593 art 1 s 10; 1995 c 247 art 2 s 6; 1996 c 457 s 9;
1996 c 470 s 27; 1999 c 73 s 1; 1Sp2001 c 4 art 6 s 17; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 2 s 161