415 ILCS 20/3

(415 ILCS 20/3) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 7053)

Sec. 3. State agency materials recycling program.

(a) All State agencies and local governments shall consider whether compost products can be used in the land maintenance activity project when soliciting and reviewing bids for land maintenance activity projects. If compost products can be used in the project, the State agency or local government must use compost products unless the compost products:

(1) are not available within a reasonable period of time;

(2) do not comply with existing purchasing standards; or

(3) do not comply with federal or State health and safety standards.

Beginning January 1, 2024, the Department of Transportation shall report each year to the General Assembly:

(i) the volume of compost used in State highway construction projects;

(ii) the status of compost and compost-based products used in State highway construction projects; and

(iii) recommendations to maximize the use of compost as a recycled material in State highway construction projects.

State agencies and local governments are encouraged to give priority to purchasing compost products from companies that produce compost products locally, are certified by a nationally recognized organization, and produce compost products that are derived from municipal solid waste compost programs.

(a-5) All State agencies responsible for the maintenance of public lands in the State shall review its procurement specifications and policies to determine (1) if incorporating compost materials will help reduce stormwater run-off and increase infiltration of moisture in land maintenance activities and (2) the current recycled content usage and potential for additional recycled content usage by the Agency in land maintenance activities and report to the General Assembly by December 15, 2015.

(b) The Department of Central Management Services, in coordination with the Agency, shall implement waste reduction programs, including source separation and collection, for office wastepaper, corrugated containers, newsprint and mixed paper, in all State buildings as appropriate and feasible. Such waste reduction programs shall be designed to achieve waste reductions of at least 25% of all such waste by December 31, 1995, and at least 50% of all such waste by December 31, 2000. Any source separation and collection program shall include, at a minimum, procedures for collecting and storing recyclable materials, bins or containers for storing materials, and contractual or other arrangements with buyers of recyclable materials. If market conditions so warrant, the Department of Central Management Services, in coordination with the Agency, may modify programs developed pursuant to this Section.

The Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (now Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity) shall conduct waste categorization studies of all State facilities for calendar years 1991, 1995 and 2000. Such studies shall be designed to assist the Department of Central Management Services to achieve the waste reduction goals established in this subsection.

(c) Each State agency shall, upon consultation with the Agency, periodically review its procurement procedures and specifications related to the purchase of products or supplies. Such procedures and specifications shall be modified as necessary to require the procuring agency to seek out products and supplies that contain recycled materials, and to ensure that purchased products or supplies are reusable, durable or made from recycled materials whenever economically and practically feasible. In choosing among products or supplies that contain recycled material, consideration shall be given to products and supplies with the highest recycled material content that is consistent with the effective and efficient use of the product or supply.

(d) Wherever economically and practically feasible, the Department of Central Management Services shall procure recycled paper and paper products as follows:

(1) Beginning July 1, 1989, at least 10% of the total dollar value of paper and paper products purchased by the Department of Central Management Services shall be recycled paper and paper products.

(2) Beginning July 1, 1992, at least 25% of the total dollar value of paper and paper products purchased by the Department of Central Management Services shall be recycled paper and paper products.

(3) Beginning July 1, 1996, at least 40% of the total dollar value of paper and paper products purchased by the Department of Central Management Services shall be recycled paper and paper products.

(4) Beginning July 1, 2000, at least 50% of the total dollar value of paper and paper products purchased by the Department of Central Management Services shall be recycled paper and paper products.

(e) Paper and paper products purchased from private vendors pursuant to printing contracts are not considered paper products for the purposes of subsection (d). However, the Department of Central Management Services shall report to the General Assembly on an annual basis the total dollar value of printing contracts awarded to private sector vendors that included the use of recycled paper.

(f)(1) Wherever economically and practically feasible, the recycled paper and paper products referred to in subsection (d) shall contain postconsumer or recovered paper materials as specified by paper category in this subsection:

(i) Recycled high grade printing and writing paper shall contain at least 50% recovered paper material. Such recovered paper material, until July 1, 1994, shall consist of at least 20% deinked stock or postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1994, shall consist of at least 25% deinked stock or postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1996, shall consist of at least 30% deinked stock or postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1998, shall consist of at least 40% deinked stock or postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 2000, shall consist of at least 50% deinked stock or postconsumer material.

(ii) Recycled tissue products, until July 1, 1994, shall contain at least 25% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1994, shall contain at least 30% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1996, shall contain at least 35% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1998, shall contain at least 40% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 2000, shall contain at least 45% postconsumer material.

(iii) Recycled newsprint, until July 1, 1994, shall contain at least 40% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1994, shall contain at least 50% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1996, shall contain at least 60% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1998, shall contain at least 70% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 2000, shall contain at least 80% postconsumer material.

(iv) Recycled unbleached packaging, until July 1, 1994, shall contain at least 35% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1994, shall contain at least 40% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1996, shall contain at least 45% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1998, shall contain at least 50% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 2000, shall contain at least 55% postconsumer material.

(v) Recycled paperboard, until July 1, 1994, shall contain at least 80% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1994, shall contain at least 85% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1996, shall contain at least 90% postconsumer material; and beginning July 1, 1998, shall contain at least 95% postconsumer material.

(2) For the purposes of this Section, "postconsumer material" includes:

(i) paper, paperboard, and fibrous wastes from retail stores, office buildings, homes, and so forth, after the waste has passed through its end usage as a consumer item, including used corrugated boxes, old newspapers, mixed waste paper, tabulating cards, and used cordage; and

(ii) all paper, paperboard, and fibrous wastes that are diverted or separated from the municipal solid waste stream.

(3) For the purposes of this Section, "recovered paper material" includes:

(i) postconsumer material;

(ii) dry paper and paperboard waste generated after completion of the papermaking process (that is, those manufacturing operations up to and including the cutting and trimming of the paper machine reel into smaller rolls or rough sheets), including envelope cuttings, bindery trimmings, and other paper and paperboard waste resulting from printing, cutting, forming, and other converting operations, or from bag, box and carton manufacturing, and butt rolls, mill wrappers, and rejected unused stock; and

(iii) finished paper and paperboard from obsolete inventories of paper and paperboard manufacturers, merchants, wholesalers, dealers, printers, converters, or others.

(g) The Department of Central Management Services may adopt regulations to carry out the provisions and purposes of this Section.

(h) Every State agency shall, in its procurement documents, specify that, whenever economically and practically feasible, a product to be procured must consist, wholly or in part, of recycled materials, or be recyclable or reusable in whole or in part. When applicable, if state guidelines are not already prescribed, State agencies shall follow USEPA guidelines for federal procurement.

(i) All State agencies shall cooperate with the Department of Central Management Services in carrying out this Section. The Department of Central Management Services may enter into cooperative purchasing agreements with other governmental units in order to obtain volume discounts, or for other reasons in accordance with the Governmental Joint Purchasing Act, or in accordance with the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act if governmental units of other states or the federal government are involved.

(j) The Department of Central Management Services shall submit an annual report to the General Assembly concerning its implementation of the State's collection and recycled paper procurement programs. This report shall include a description of the actions that the Department of Central Management Services has taken in the previous fiscal year to implement this Section. This report shall be submitted on or before November 1 of each year.

(k) The Department of Central Management Services, in cooperation with all other appropriate departments and agencies of the State, shall institute whenever economically and practically feasible the use of re-refined motor oil in all State-owned motor vehicles and the use of remanufactured and retread tires whenever such use is practical, beginning no later than July 1, 1992.

(l) (Blank).

(m) The Department of Central Management Services, in coordination with the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (now Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity), has implemented an aluminum can recycling program in all State buildings within 270 days of the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997. The program provides for (1) the collection and storage of used aluminum cans in bins or other appropriate containers made reasonably available to occupants and visitors of State buildings and (2) the sale of used aluminum cans to buyers of recyclable materials.

Proceeds from the sale of used aluminum cans shall be deposited into I-CYCLE accounts maintained in the Facilities Management Revolving Fund and, subject to appropriation, shall be used by the Department of Central Management Services and any other State agency to offset the costs of implementing the aluminum can recycling program under this Section.

All State agencies having an aluminum can recycling program in place shall continue with their current plan. If a State agency has an existing recycling program in place, proceeds from the aluminum can recycling program may be retained and distributed pursuant to that program, otherwise all revenue resulting from these programs shall be forwarded to Central Management Services, I-CYCLE for placement into the appropriate account within the Facilities Management Revolving Fund, minus any operating costs associated with the program.

(Source: P.A. 102-444, eff. 8-20-21; 103-570, eff. 1-1-24.)