Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 103 Part 1.djvu/71

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PUBLIC LAW 101-16—APR. 19, 1989 103 STAT. 43 Public Law 101-16 101st Congress ^ Joint Resolution To designate April 1989 as "National Recycling Month".

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[H.J. Res. 102] Whereas a solid waste disposal crisis exists in the United States; Whereas half of the major cities in the United States will have no space available for disposal of garbage within 4 years; Whereas trash incineration and non-incineration industries should adopt recycling methods; Whereas source separation, mechanical separation, and community- based recycling programs divert a significant portion of waste from landfills; Whereas recycling preserves limited landfill capacity for disposal of nontoxic waste; Whereas recycling saves energy and avoids the pollution created in extracting resources from their natural environment; Whereas the revenues from goods recovered by public sector re- cycling programs help to offset the costs of the programs; Whereas shared savings, which accrue by avoiding the higher cost of landfills or incineration, make recycling an economically efficient disposal policy even where markets for recycled materials are weak or undeveloped; Whereas a well-developed system of recycling scrap metals, paper, and glass already exists and significantly reduces the quantity of solid waste composed of metal, paper, and glass; Whereas substantial increases in the amount of materials recycled will require development of markets that absorb the increase in the amount of materials recycled, known as incremental markets; Whereas many consumer products are designed without sufficient regard for safe and efficient recycling after disposal; Whereas the Federal Government and State and local governments should enact legislative measures that will increase the amount of solid waste that is recycled; Whereas the Federal Government and State and local governments should encourage the growth of incremental markets for mate- rials recovered from recyclable goods; Whereas the Federal Government and State and local governments should promote the design of products that can be recycled safely and efficiently after use; Whereas the Federal Government and State and local governments should establish requirements for in-home separation of waste to enable efficient recycling; and Whereas the people of the United States should be encouraged to participate in educational and legislative endeavors that promote waste separation methods, community-based recycling programs, and expanded utilization of recovered materials: Now, therefore, be it -;-"s*.-'S