N.Y. ENV Law § 27-0106

§ 27-0106. State solid waste management policy.\n In the interest of public health, safety and welfare and in order to\nconserve energy and natural resources, the state of New York, in\nenacting this section, establishes as its policy that:\n 1. The following are the solid waste management priorities in this\nstate:\n (a) first, to reduce the amount of solid waste generated;\n (b) second, to reuse material for the purpose for which it was\noriginally intended or to recycle material that cannot be reused;\n (c) third, to recover, in an environmentally acceptable manner, energy\nfrom solid waste that can not be economically and technically reused or\nrecycled; and\n (d) fourth, to dispose of solid waste that is not being reused,\nrecycled or from which energy is not being recovered, by land burial or\nother methods approved by the department.\n 2. State government must make an essential contribution to the\ndevelopment and implementation of environmentally, economically and\ntechnically viable solid waste management programs through fulfilling\nits responsibilities to provide programs which promote waste reduction\nand the expansion of markets for recovered materials, clearly\narticulated, responsive and consistently applied regulatory structures,\nand a full range of technical assistance to local governments. A\nstate-local partnership, in which the basic responsibility for the\nplanning and operation of solid waste management facilities remains with\nlocal governments and the state provides necessary guidance and\nassistance, must be forged.\n 3. This policy, after consideration of economic and technical\nfeasibility, shall guide the solid waste management programs and\ndecisions of the department and other state agencies and authorities.\n