S 3171: Requires the trustees of The State University of New York to develop a SUNY-wide zero waste action plan.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3171 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 24, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN-SIGAL -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the board of trustees of The State University of New York to develop a SUNY-wide zero waste action plan The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 355-f 2 to read as follows: 3 § 355-f. SUNY-wide zero waste action plan. 1. The board of trustees in 4 consultation with faculty, staff, students, the student assembly, any 5 labor organization which has been selected by members of faculty, staff, 6 or students to represent their interests, and any designated sustaina- 7 bility staff member shall issue a report on or before one year after the 8 effective date of this section creating a comprehensive SUNY-wide zero 9 waste action plan including but not limited to the following focus 10 areas: 11 a. source reduction also known as waste minimization, including but 12 not limited to: 13 (i) single use plastics elimination and reduction; and 14 (ii) reforms to procurement resulting in waste minimization; 15 b. materials reuse, including surplus property management and facility 16 deconstruction; 17 c. comprehensive recycling, including construction and demolition 18 materials; 19 d. comprehensive composting or organics recycling; 20 e. student, faculty, and staff engagement; and 21 f. vendor and contractor requirements and engagement. 22 2. The plan shall include metrics for tracking waste reduction and 23 diversion across the system, establishing a baseline, interim targets 24 for goals and actions that will lead to zero waste, and publicly report- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06596-01-5 
 S. 3171 2 1 ing this information. Zero waste goals must include both diversion 2 through recycling and composting and reduction through waste minimiza- 3 tion goals. The zero waste action plan must prioritize durable and reus- 4 able materials over single use materials, even if those materials are 5 recyclable and/or compostable. 6 3. The plan shall set a detailed project timeline for the system to 7 become zero waste by two thousand thirty-three. 8 4. Within one hundred eighty days of the issuance of a system wide 9 plan, each SUNY campus shall be required to create a detailed action 10 plan, in consultation with faculty, staff, students, student government 11 associations, any labor organization which has been selected by members 12 of faculty, staff, or students to represent their interests, and any 13 designated sustainability staff member. 14 5. The board of trustees shall be responsible for monitoring the 15 effectiveness and implementation of such program in consultation with 16 faculty, staff, students, the student assembly, and any labor organiza- 17 tion which has been selected by members of faculty, staff, or students 18 to represent their interests, and shall annually report to the legisla- 19 ture on the progress of the plan and post such report on the university 20 website. Such report shall include a comprehensive audit of all waste 21 and materials diverted and updates on inventory and shall review each 22 campus action plan and include intermediate measures should a campus not 23 be on track to meet the two thousand thirty-three deadline. 24 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.