Section 27-0717. Bureau of waste reduction and recycling

1. The commissioner, with the approval of the director of the division
  of  the  budget, shall establish within the department a bureau of waste
  reduction and recycling. Such bureau  shall  be  a  separate  entity  to
  assist in the development and promotion of local waste reduction, source
  separation  and  recycling  programs.  Such  programs  shall promote the
  source separation, collection, intermediate processing and marketing  of
  waste  materials that are now being disposed of as municipal solid waste
  in New York state. The bureau shall:
    (a)  promote  the  development  and  implementation  of  programs   by
  municipalities;
    (b) serve as a clearinghouse for information regarding existing source
  separation and recycling programs;
    (c) identify special needs and problems in developing and implementing
  source  separation  and recycling programs, and recommend approaches and
  solutions to address such identified needs and problems; and
    (d) coordinate  its  activities  with  other  solid  waste  assistance
  programs of the department.
    2.  Pursuant  to  regulations promulgated in accordance with the state
  administrative procedure act, the bureau  shall  establish  an  official
  state  recycling  emblem  and  conduct a consumer awareness program with
  respect thereto. Such emblem shall be of a design to  include  terms  or
  symbols  for "New York State", and "recyclable" and/or "recycled" and/or
  "reuseable". Standards for such terms  or  symbols  shall  be  developed
  pursuant  to  regulations  which  with respect to (a) "recyclable" shall
  address material for which  technologies  or  systems  for  reuse  as  a
  secondary  material  exist;  and  (b)  "recycled" shall address material
  containing  a  specified  minimum  percentage  by  weight  of  secondary
  materials  content;  and  (c)  "reusable"  shall  address  ability to be
  repeatedly returned for refilling or reuse with  the  original  product.
  Further, such regulations may stipulate prohibitions on the unauthorized
  use of the state recycling emblem.
    3.  The  bureau  shall  implement  and  conduct  a  program  of public
  education and information to inform the public and  private  sectors  of
  the  state  as  to  the merits of the use of secondary materials and for
  consumers to actively seek consumer  products  which  contain  secondary
  materials  or  which  are  easily recycled or reused. Such program shall
  communicate the importance of minimizing the need for  new  solid  waste
  disposal  capacity and of conserving natural resources, avoiding harm to
  the environment or public health, and promoting  resource  conservation,
  recovery  and  reuse  by  industry,  the  state  of New York, public and
  quasi-public agencies and authorities, local governments and the general
  public of the state.
    4. The bureau shall be responsible for the administration of  the  New
  York  state  local  resource  reuse  and development program established
  pursuant to sections 27-0403 and 27-0405 of this article.