Current Status Introducing Body:Senate Bill Number:388 Ratification Number:118 Act Number:63 Primary Sponsor:Moore Type of Legislation:GB Subject:Solid Waste Policy and Management Date Bill Passed both Bodies:May 15, 1991 Computer Document Number:388 Governor's Action:S Date of Governor's Action:May 27, 1991 Introduced Date:Jan 08, 1991 Date of Last Amendment:May 15, 1991 Last History Body:------ Last History Date:May 27, 1991 Last History Type:Act No. 63 Scope of Legislation:Statewide All Sponsors:Moore Bryan Hinds Courson Washington Wilson Giese Type of Legislation:General Bill
Bill Body Date Action Description CMN
---- ------ ------------ ------------------------------ ---
388 ------ May 27, 1991 Act No. 63
388 ------ May 27, 1991 Signed by Governor
388 ------ May 21, 1991 Ratified R 118
388 Senate May 15, 1991 Ordered enrolled for
ratification
388 House May 15, 1991 Free Conference Committee 99
Report adopted
388 Senate May 14, 1991 Free Conference Committee 99
Report adopted
388 House May 02, 1991 Free Conference Powers 99
granted, appointed Reps. to
the Committee of Free
Conference
388 Senate May 01, 1991 Free Conference Powers 99
granted, appointed Senators
to Committee of Free
Conference
388 Senate Apr 24, 1991 Conference powers granted, 98
appointed Senators to
Committee of Conference
388 House Apr 24, 1991 Conference powers granted, 98
appointed Reps. to Committee
of Conference
388 House Apr 24, 1991 Insists upon amendment
388 Senate Apr 23, 1991 Non-concurrence in House
amendment
388 House Apr 18, 1991 Read third time, returned
with amendment
388 House Apr 17, 1991 Amended, read second time
388 House Apr 16, 1991 Debate interrupted
388 House Apr 16, 1991 Amended
388 House Apr 10, 1991 Introduced, read first time,
placed on Calendar without
reference
388 Senate Apr 09, 1991 Amended, read third time,
sent to House
388 Senate Apr 04, 1991 Debate adjourned
388 Senate Mar 26, 1991 Read second time, notice of
general amendments
388 Senate Mar 21, 1991 Committee Report: Favorable 13
with amendment
388 Senate Jan 08, 1991 Introduced and read first 13
time, referred to Committee
388 Senate Dec 10, 1990 Prefiled, referred to 13
Committee
View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.
(A63, R118, S388)
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 44, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING CHAPTER 96 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE POLICY OF THIS STATE REGARDING SOLID WASTE AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF SOLID WASTE; TO AMEND SECTION 16-11-700, RELATING TO THE OFFENSE OF LITTERING, SO AS TO INCREASE THE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS; TO PROVIDE FOR EXISTING REGULATIONS; TO PROVIDE THAT ALTERNATIVE FINANCING FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SOLID WASTE POLICY IS INTENDED; AND TO DIRECT THE SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION AND THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY TO REVIEW USE OF SOLID WASTE AS A SOURCE OF FUEL FOR PRODUCING ELECTRICITY.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
South Carolina Solid Waste Policy and Management Act of 1991
SECTION 1. Title 44 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 44-96-10. Short title.
This chapter is known and may be cited as the `South Carolina Solid Waste Policy and Management Act of 1991'.
Section 44-96-20. Findings; purposes.
(A) The General Assembly finds that:
(1) Over three million eight hundred thousand tons of solid waste are generated in South Carolina each year.
(2) On the average, each South Carolinian currently produces approximately four and one-half pounds of solid waste each day.
(3) Unless steps are taken to reduce or recycle the amount of waste produced in this State, over five million tons of solid waste will be generated annually in South Carolina by the year 2000.
(4) Approximately eighty percent of the solid waste generated in South Carolina is landfilled.
(5) There are currently some seventy-nine permitted sanitary landfills in this State.
(6) Most of the permitted landfill capacity will be used within the next ten years. Twenty-three of forty-six counties have ten years or less of landfill space remaining.
(7) Siting of solid waste facilities is becoming increasingly difficult due to the opposition of local residents.
(8) The costs of solid waste management will increase significantly due to decreased landfill capacity and more stringent federal requirements for solid waste management facilities. More stringent federal and state requirements may also force a number of existing solid waste landfills to close.
(9) Insufficient and improper methods of managing solid waste can create hazards to public health, cause pollution of air and water resources, constitute a waste of natural resources, and create public nuisances.
(10) The economic growth and population growth of our State have required increased industrial production which, together with related commercial and agricultural operations to meet our needs, have resulted in increased amounts of discarded materials.
(11) The continuing technological progress and improvements in methods of manufacturing, packaging, and marketing of consumer products have resulted in an increasing amount of material discarded by the purchasers of these products, necessitating a statewide approach to assist local governments in improving solid waste management practices and to promote more efficient methods of solid waste management.
(12) The failure or inability to economically recover material and energy resources from solid waste results in the unnecessary waste and depletion of our natural resources, such that maximum resource recovery from solid waste and maximum recycling and reuse of these resources must be considered goals of the State.
(13) A coordinated statewide solid waste management program is needed to protect public health and safety, protect and preserve the quality of the environment, and conserve and recycle natural resources.
(14) The statewide solid waste management program should be implemented through the preparation of a state solid waste management plan and through the preparation by local governments of solid waste management plans consistent with the state plan and with this chapter.
(B) It is the purpose of this article to:
(1) protect the public health and safety, protect and preserve the environment of this State, and recover resources which have the potential for further usefulness by providing for, in the most environmentally safe, economically feasible and cost-effective manner, the storage, collection, transport, separation, treatment, processing, recycling, and disposal of solid waste;
(2) establish and maintain a cooperative state program for providing planning assistance, technical assistance, and financial assistance to local governments for solid waste management;
(3) require local governments to adequately plan for and provide efficient, environmentally acceptable solid waste management services and programs;
(4) promote the establishment of resource recovery systems that preserve and enhance the quality of air, water, and land resources;
(5) ensure that solid waste is transported, stored, treated, processed, and disposed of in a manner adequate to protect human health, safety, and welfare and the environment;
(6) promote the reduction, recycling, reuse, and treatment of solid waste, and the recycling of materials which would otherwise be disposed of as solid waste;
(7) encourage local governments to utilize all means reasonably available to promote efficient and proper methods of managing solid waste, which may include contracting with private entities to provide management services or operate management facilities on behalf of the local government, when it is cost effective to do so;
(8) promote the education of the general public and the training of solid waste professionals to reduce the generation of solid waste, to ensure proper disposal of solid waste, and to encourage recycling;
(9) encourage the development of waste reduction and recycling programs through planning assistance, technical assistance, grants, and other incentives;
(10) encourage the development of the state's recycling industries by promoting the successful development of markets for recycled items and by promoting the acceleration and advancement of the technology used in manufacturing processes that use recycled items;
(11) establish a leadership role for the State in recycling efforts by requiring the General Assembly, the Governor's Office, the Judiciary, and all state agencies to separate solid waste for recycling and by granting a preference in state procurement policies to products with recycled content;
(12) require counties to develop and implement source separation, resource recovery, or recycling programs, or all of the above, or enhance existing programs so that valuable materials may be returned to productive use, energy and natural resources conserved, and the useful life of solid waste management facilities extended;
(13) require local governments and state agencies to determine the full cost of providing storage, collection, transport, separation, treatment, recycling, and disposal of solid waste in an environmentally safe manner; and
(14) encourage local governments to pursue a regional approach to solid waste management.
Section 44-96-30. Applicability.
This chapter does not apply to hazardous waste regulated under the South Carolina Hazardous Waste Management Act, to infectious waste regulated under the South Carolina Infectious Waste Management Act, to radioactive waste regulated under the South Carolina Atomic Energy and Radiation Control Act, to the Southeast Interstate Radioactive Waste Compact, or to refuse as defined and regulated pursuant to the South Carolina Mining Act, including processed mineral waste, which will not have a significant adverse impact on the environment.
Section 44-96-40. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1) `Beverage' means beer or malt beverages, mineral water, soda water, and similar carbonated soft drinks in liquid form, and all other liquids intended for human consumption, except for liquids marketed for and intended for consumption for medicinal purposes.
(2) `Beverage container' means the individual, separate, and sealed glass, aluminum or other metal, or plastic bottle, can, jar, or carton containing beverage intended for human consumption.
(3) `Collection' means the act of picking up solid waste materials from homes, businesses, governmental agencies, institutions, or industrial sites.
(4) `Compost' means the humus-like product of the process of composting waste.
(5) `Composting facility' means any facility used to provide aerobic, thermophilic decomposition of the solid organic constituents of solid waste to produce a stable, humus-like material.
(6) `Construction and demolition debris' means discarded solid wastes resulting from construction, remodeling, repair and demolition of structures, road building, and land clearing. The wastes include, but are not limited to, bricks, concrete, and other masonry materials, soil, rock, lumber, road spoils, paving material, and tree and brush stumps, but does not include solid waste from agricultural or silvicultural operations.
(7) `County solid waste management plan' means a solid waste management plan prepared, approved, and submitted by a single county pursuant to Section 44-96-80.
(8) `Degradable', with respect to any material, means that the material, after being discarded, is capable of decomposing to components other than heavy metals or other toxic substances after exposure to bacteria, light, or outdoor elements.
(9) `Department' means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
(10) `Discharge' means the accidental or intentional spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, or dumping of solid waste, including leachate, into or on any land or water.
(11) `Disposal' means the discharge, deposition, injection, dumping, spilling, or placing of any solid waste into or on any land or water, so that the substance or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including groundwater.
(12) `Energy recovery' means the beneficial use, reuse, recycling, or reclamation of solid waste through the use of the waste to recover energy therefrom.
(13) `Facility' means all contiguous land, structures, other appurtenances and improvements on the land used for treating, storing, or disposing of solid waste. A facility may consist of several treatment, storage, or disposal operational units, including, but not limited to, one or more landfills, surface impoundments, or combination thereof.
(14) `For hire carrier' means those motor carriers transporting persons or property over any improved public highway under a rate, fare, or charge established and approved by the Public Service Commission for such transportation services available to the public and does not include or apply to businesses and vendors operating their own motor carriers to transport persons or property for their own internal business operations.
(15) `Generation' means the act or process of producing solid waste. (16) `Groundwater' means water beneath the land surface in the saturated zone.
(17) `Hazardous waste' has the meaning provided in Section 44-56-20 of the South Carolina Hazardous Waste Management Act.
(18) `Incineration' means the use of controlled flame combustion to thermally break down solid, liquid, or gaseous combustible wastes, producing residue that contains little or no combustible materials.
(19) `Industrial waste' means solid waste that results from industrial processes including, but not limited to, factories and treatment plants.
(20) `Infectious waste' has the meaning given in Section 44-93-20 of the South Carolina Infectious Waste Management Act.
(21) `Land-clearing debris' means solid waste which is generated solely from land-clearing activities, but does not include solid waste from agricultural or silvicultural operations.
(22) `Landfill' means a disposal facility or part of a facility where solid waste is placed in or on land, and which is not a land treatment facility, a surface impoundment, or an injection well.
(23) `Lead-acid battery' means any battery that consists of lead and sulfuric acid, is used as a power source, and has a capacity of six volts or more.
(24) `Lead-acid battery collection facility' means a facility authorized by the Department of Health and Environmental Control to accept lead-acid batteries from the public for temporary storage prior to recycling.
(25) `Local government' means a county, any municipality located wholly or partly within the county, and any other political subdivision located wholly or partly within the county when such political subdivision provides solid waste management services.
(26) `Materials Recovery Facility' means a solid waste management facility that provides for the extraction from solid waste of recoverable materials, materials suitable for use as a fuel or soil amendment, or any combination of such materials.
(27) `Motor oil' and `similar lubricants' means the fraction of crude oil or synthetic oil which is sold for the purposes of reducing friction in an industrial or mechanical device. The terms include re-refined oil but do not include heavy greases.
(28) `Municipal solid waste landfill' means any sanitary landfill or landfill unit, publicly or privately owned, that receives household waste. The landfill may also receive other types of solid waste, such as commercial waste, nonhazardous sludge, and industrial solid waste. (29) `Office' means the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling established within the Department of Health and Environmental Control pursuant to Section 44-96-110.
(30) `Owner/operator' means the person who owns the land on which a solid waste management facility is located or the person who is responsible for the overall operation of the facility, or both.
(31) `Person' means an individual, corporation, company, association, partnership, unit of local government, state agency, federal agency, or other legal entity.
(32) `Plastic bottle' means a plastic container intended for single use, which has a neck that is smaller than the body of the container, accepts a screw-type, snap cap, or other closure, and has a capacity of sixteen fluid ounces or more, but less than five gallons.
(33) `Plastic container' means any container having a wall thickness of not less than one one-hundredth of an inch used to contain beverages, foods, or nonfood products and composed of synthetic polymeric materials.
(34) `Recovered materials' means those materials which have known use, reuse, or recycling potential; can be feasibly used, reused, or recycled; and have been diverted or removed from the solid waste stream for sale, use, reuse, or recycling, whether or not requiring subsequent separation and processing, but does not include materials when recycled or transferred to a different site for recycling in an amount which does not equal at least seventy-five percent by weight of materials received during the previous calendar year.
(35) `Recovered Materials Processing Facility' means a facility engaged solely in the recycling, storage, processing, and resale or reuse of recovered materials. The term does not include a solid waste handling facility; however, any solid waste generated by such facility is subject to all applicable laws and regulations relating to the solid waste.
(36) `Recyclable material' means those materials which are capable of being recycled and which would otherwise be processed or disposed of as solid waste.
(37) `Recycling' means any process by which materials which would otherwise become solid waste are collected, separated, or processed and reused or returned to use in the form of raw materials or products (including composting).
(38) `Region' means a group of counties in South Carolina which is planning to or has prepared, approved, and submitted a regional solid waste management plan to the department pursuant to Section 44-96-80.
(39) `Regional solid waste management plan' means a solid waste management plan prepared, approved, and submitted by a group of counties in South Carolina pursuant to Section 44-96-80.
(40) `Resource recovery' means the process of obtaining material or energy resources from solid waste which no longer has any useful life in its present form and preparing the waste for recycling.
(41) `Resource recovery facility' means a combination of structures, machinery, or devices utilized to separate, process, modify, convert, treat, or prepare collected solid waste so that component materials or substances or recoverable resources may be used as a raw material or energy source.
(42) `Reuse' means the return of a commodity into the economic stream for use in the same kind of application as before without change in its identity.
(43) `Rigid plastic container' means any formed or molded container, other than a bottle, intended for single use, composed predominantly of plastic resin, and having a relatively inflexible finite shape or form with a capacity of eight ounces or more, but less than five gallons.
(44) `Sanitary landfill' means a land disposal site employing an engineered method of disposing of solid waste on land in a manner that minimizes environmental hazards and meets the design and operation requirements of this chapter.
(45) `Secondary lead smelter' means a facility which produces metallic lead from various forms of lead scrap, including used lead-acid batteries.
(46) `Solid waste' means any garbage, refuse, or sludge from a waste treatment facility, water supply plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded material, including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, and agricultural operations and from community activities. This term does not include solid or dissolved material in domestic sewage, recovered materials, or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges which are point sources subject to NPDES permits under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, or the Pollution Control Act of South Carolina, as amended, or source, special nuclear, or by-product material as defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1964, as amended. Also excluded from this definition are application of fertilizer and animal manure during normal agricultural operations or refuse as defined and regulated pursuant to the South Carolina Mining Act, including processed mineral waste, which will not have a significant adverse impact on the environment.
(47) `Solid waste disposal facility' means any solid waste management facility or part of a facility at which solid waste is intentionally placed into or on any land or water and at which waste will remain after closure.
(48) `Solid waste management' means the systematic control of the generation, collection, source separation, storage, transportation, treatment, recovery, and disposal of solid waste.
(49) `Solid waste management facility' means any solid waste disposal area, volume reduction plant, transfer station, or other facility, the purpose of which is the storage, collection, transportation, treatment, utilization, processing, recycling, or disposal, or any combination thereof, of solid waste. The term does not include a recovered materials processing facility or facilities which use or ship recovered materials, except that portion of the facilities which is managing solid waste.
(50) `Solid Waste Management Grant Program' means the grant program established and administered by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling pursuant to Section 44-96-130.
(51) `Solid Waste Management Trust Fund' means the trust fund established within the Department of Health and Environmental Control pursuant to Section 44-96-120.
(52) `Source reduction' means the reduction of solid waste before it enters the solid waste stream by methods such as product redesign or reduced packaging.
(53) `Source separation' means the act or process of removing a particular type of recyclable material from other waste at the point of generation or under control of the generator for the purposes of collection, disposition, and recycling.
(54) `Specific wastes' means solid waste which requires separate management provisions, including plastics, used oil, waste tires, lead-acid batteries, yard trash, compost, and white goods.
(55) `State solid waste management plan' means the plan which the Department of Health and Environmental Control is required to submit to the General Assembly and to the Governor pursuant to Section 44-96-60.
(56) `Storage' means the containment of solid waste, either on a temporary basis or for a period of years, in such manner as not to constitute disposal of such solid waste; provided, however, that storage in containers by persons of solid waste resulting from their own activities on their property, leased or rented property, if the solid waste in such containers is collected at least once a week, shall not constitute `storage' for purposes of this act. The term does not apply to containers provided by or under the authority of a county for the collection and temporary storage of solid waste prior to disposal.
(57) `Surface water' means lakes, bays, sounds, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, rivers, streams, creeks, estuaries, marshes, inlets, canals, the Atlantic Ocean within territorial limits, and all other bodies of surface water, natural or artificial, inland or coastal, fresh or salt, public or private.
(58) `Tire' means the continuous solid or pneumatic rubber covering encircling the wheel of a motor vehicle, trailer, or motorcycle as defined in Section 56-3-20(2), (4), and (13). It does not include an industrial press-on tire, with a metal or solid compound rim, which may be retooled.
(59) `Tire retailing business' means the retail sale of tires in any quantity for any use or purpose by the purchaser other than for resale. (60) `Transport' means the movement of solid waste from the point of generation to any intermediate point and finally to the point of ultimate processing, treatment, storage, or disposal.
(61) `Transporter' means a person engaged in the off-site transportation of solid waste by air, rail, highway, or water.
(62) `Treatment' means any technique designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of any solid waste so as to render it safe for transport, amenable to storage, recovery, or recycling, safe for disposal, or reduced in volume or concentration.
(63) `Used oil' means any oil which has been refined from crude or synthetic oil and, as a result of use, storage, or handling, has become unsuitable for its original purpose due to the presence of impurities or loss of original properties, but which may be suitable for further use and may be economically recyclable.
(64) `Used oil collection center' means a facility which, in the course of business, accepts used oil for subsequent disposal or recycling.
(65) `Used oil energy recovery facility' means a facility that burns more than six thousand gallons of used oil annually for energy recovery.
(66) `Used oil recycling facility' means a facility that recycles more than six thousand gallons of used oil annually.
(67) `Waste tire' means a tire that is no longer suitable for its original intended purpose because of wear, damage, or defect.
(68) `Waste tire collection site' means a permitted site, or a site exempted from the permit requirement, used for the temporary storage of waste tires prior to treatment or recycling.
(69) `Waste tire hauler' means a person engaged in the picking up or transporting of waste tires for the purpose of storage, processing, or disposal.
(70) `Waste tire site' means an establishment, site, or place of business, without a collector or processor permit, that is maintained, operated, used, or allowed to be used for the disposal, storing, or depositing of unprocessed used tires, but does not include a truck service facility which meets the following requirements:
(a) all vehicles serviced are owned or leased by the owner or operator of the service facility;
(b) no more than two hundred waste tires are accumulated for a period of not more than thirty days at a time;
(c) the facility does not accept any tires from sources other than its own; and
(d) all waste tires are stored under a covered structure.
(71) `Waste tire treatment site' means a permitted site used to produce or manufacture usable materials, including fuel, from waste tires.
(72) `Waters of the State' means lakes, bays, sounds, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, wells, rivers, streams, creeks, estuaries, marshes, inlets, canals, the Atlantic Ocean within the territorial limits, and all other bodies of surface or underground water, natural or artificial, public or private, inland or coastal, fresh or salt, which are wholly or partially within or bordering the State or within its jurisdiction.
(73) `White goods' include refrigerators, ranges, water heaters, freezers, dishwashers, trash compactors, washers, dryers, air conditioners, and commercial large appliances.
(74) `Yard trash' means solid waste consisting solely of vegetative matter resulting from landscaping maintenance.
Section 44-96-50. State solid waste management policy and goals.
(A) It is the policy of this State to promote appropriate methods of solid waste management prior to utilizing the options of disposal in landfills, treatment or disposal by incineration or other treatment, storage, or disposal methods, and to assist local government with solid waste management functions. In furtherance of this state policy, it shall be preferable to reduce the production and generation of waste at the source and to promote the reuse and recycling of materials rather than the treatment, storage, or disposal of wastes by landfill disposal, incineration, or other management methods designed to handle waste after it enters the waste stream.
It is the policy of this State that the methods of management of solid waste shall protect public health, safety, and the environment by employing the best available technology which is economically feasible for the control of pollution and the release of hazardous constituents into the environment. Such methods shall be implemented in a manner to maximize the reduction of solid waste through source reduction, reuse, and recycling.
(B) It is the policy of this State to encourage research by private entities, by state agencies, and by state-supported educational institutions into the reduction of solid waste production and generation.
(C) It is the policy of this State to encourage a regional approach to solid waste management.
(D) It is the goal of this State to reduce, on a statewide per capita basis, the amount of solid waste being received at municipal solid waste landfills and any solid waste incinerators permitted after the effective date of this act by thirty percent, calculated by weight, of the fiscal year 1993 solid waste level, not later than six years after the date of enactment of this chapter. In determining whether this waste reduction goal has been achieved, no more than fifty percent of this goal may be met by the removal from the municipal solid waste stream of yard trash, land-clearing debris, white goods, construction and demolition debris, and waste tires.
In a county or municipality where a recycling or reduction program is in place prior to 1993, the base figure for determining a thirty percent reduction goal is the weight of solid waste reduced, recycled, or removed from the municipal solid waste stream during one of the preceding two years in that county or municipality added to the amount of solid waste currently being disposed of by that county or municipality in municipal solid waste landfills together with the weight of solid waste reduced due to incineration. Waste reduction resulting from incineration may not account for more than fifty percent of a solid waste landfill effort toward the thirty percent reduction goal and only if the incineration is performed at a facility permitted prior to the effective date of this act.
(E) It is the goal of this State to continue setting new and revised goals after the initial six-year period referenced in subsection (D) of this section. Such goals should be established in a manner so as to attempt to further reduce the flow of solid waste being disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills and solid waste incinerators after meeting the initial goal of a thirty percent reduction.
(F) It is the goal of this State to recycle, on a statewide basis, at least twenty-five percent, calculated by weight, of the total solid waste stream generated in this State not later than six years after the date of enactment of this chapter.
In determining whether this solid waste recycling goal has been achieved, no more than forty percent of this goal may be met by the removal from the solid waste stream of yard trash, land clearing debris, and construction and demolition debris.
(G) It is the policy of this State that each county or region make every effort to meet, on an individual basis, the state solid waste recycling and reduction goals and that each county or region, and municipalities located therein, which meet this goal be financially rewarded by the State.
Section 44-96-60. State solid waste management plan; revision of plan and annual report; State Solid Waste Advisory Council.
(A) Not later than eighteen months after this chapter is effective, the department shall submit to the Governor and to the General Assembly a state solid waste management plan. All regulations promulgated by the department in accordance with this chapter are subject to the provisions of Chapter 23 of Title 1, the Administrative Procedures Act. The plan shall, at a minimum, include:
(1) an inventory of the amounts and types of solid waste currently being disposed of at solid waste disposal facilities in this State, both in the municipal solid waste stream and in the industrial solid waste stream;
(2) an estimate of solid waste which will require disposal at solid waste disposal facilities in this State projected for the twenty-year period following this chapter's effective date;
(3) an estimate of the current capacity in this State to manage solid waste, including an identification of each solid waste management facility and a projection of its remaining useful life;
(4) an evaluation of current solid waste management practices, including without limitation waste reduction, recycling, incineration, storage, processing, disposal, and export;
(5) an analysis of the types of solid waste facilities which will be needed to manage the state's solid waste during the projected twenty-year period;
(6) a description of procedures by which the State may facilitate the siting, construction, and operation of new facilities needed to manage the state's solid waste over the projected twenty-year period;
(7) an evaluation of existing local government solid waste management programs, including recommendations, if necessary, on ways to improve such programs;
(8) a description of the means by which the State shall achieve its statewide solid waste recycling and reduction goals; including recommendations on which categories of solid waste materials should be recycled;
(9) procedures and requirements for meeting state goals for waste reduction and recycling, including composting, and objectives for waste-to-energy implementation and sanitary landfilling;
(10) a description of existing state programs and recommendations for new programs or activities that will be needed to assist local governments in meeting their responsibilities under this article, whether by financial, technical, or other forms of aid;
(11) procedures by which local governments and regions may request assistance from the department;
(12) procedures for encouraging and ensuring cooperative efforts in solid waste management by the State, local governments, and private industry, including a description of the means by which the State may encourage local governments to pursue a regional approach to solid waste management;
(13) minimum standards and procedures developed after consulting with local government officials which must be met by a county or region in its solid waste management plan, including the procedures which will be used to provide for input from private industry and from private citizens;
(14) a comprehensive analysis of the amounts and types of hazardous waste currently being disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills and recommendations regarding more appropriate means of managing such waste;
(15) a description of the public education programs to be developed in consultation with local governments, other state agencies, and business and industry organizations to inform the public of solid waste management practices in this State and the need for and the benefits of recycling, reduction, and other methods of managing the solid waste generated in this State;
(16) a description of the program for the certification of operators at solid waste management facilities;
(17) recommendations on whether to require that certain solid waste materials be made degradable and, if so, which categories of materials; and
(18) a fiscal impact statement identifying the costs incurred by the department in preparing the state solid waste management plan and which will be incurred in carrying out all of the department's duties and responsibilities under this chapter, including the number of new employees which may be necessary, and an estimate of the revenues which will be raised by the various fees authorized by this chapter.
(B) After submission of the state solid waste management plan, the department shall submit to the Governor and to the General Assembly by the end of each calendar year a comprehensive report on solid waste management in this State. The annual report, shall, at a minimum, include:
(1) any revisions in the state solid waste management plan which the department determines are necessary;
(2) a description and evaluation of the progress made in implementing the state solid waste management plan;
(3) a description and evaluation of the progress made by local governments in implementing their solid waste management plans;
(4) an inventory of the amounts and types of solid waste received, recycled, incinerated, or disposed at solid waste disposal facilities during the previous year and the methods of recycling, incineration, or disposal used, including, but not limited to, paper, polystyrene, and beverage containers;
(5) a determination of the success of the State and of each county or region in achieving the solid waste recycling and reduction goals established in Section 44-96-50;
(6) recommendations to the Governor and to the General Assembly for improving the management of solid waste in this State; and
(7) the number of lead-acid batteries recycled.
(C) Not later than six months after this chapter is effective, there shall be established a State Solid Waste Advisory Council. The council shall consist of the following sixteen members:
(1) thirteen members appointed by the Governor which shall include one member to represent the Governor; one member to represent manufacturing interests; one member to represent the retail industry; two members to represent the solid waste disposal industry; one member to represent existing private recycling industry; two members to represent the general public; three members to represent county governments to be recommended by the South Carolina Association of Counties, one shall represent a county with a population of 50,000 or less, one shall represent a county with a population more than 50,000 and up to 100,000, and the final county representative shall represent a county with a population over 100,000; two members shall represent municipalities to be recommended by the South Carolina Municipal Association;
(2) the Consumer Advocate or his designee;
(3) one member to represent the Department of Health and Environmental Control; and
(4) one member to represent the State Development Board.
The members of the council shall serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority. Members shall promulgate regulations concerning meeting attendance. The council shall advise the department on the preparation of the state solid waste management plan, on methods of implementing the state plan, and on the preparation of the annual reports by the department on solid waste management. The council shall be provided with drafts of the plan and reports and shall be given adequate opportunity to comment. The council also shall be advised on a regular basis by the department regarding the grant applications which have been accepted or denied under the Solid Waste Management Grant Program and on the status of the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund. The council ceases to exist six years after this chapter is effective.
Section 44-96-70. Establishment of the Recycling Market Development Council; initial report; annual report.
(A) There is established within the State Development Board a Recycling Market Development Council to assist in the development of markets for recovered materials and products with recycled content in this State.
(B) The members of the council shall be appointed not later than ninety days after this chapter is effective.
(C) The council shall consist of fourteen members to be appointed by the Governor to include:
(1) one member shall represent the State Development Board;
(2) one member shall represent county governments;
(3) one member shall represent municipalities;
(4) one member shall represent the solid waste collection and disposal industry;
(5) one member shall represent the existing recycling industry;
(6) one member shall represent the glass industry;
(7) one member shall represent the paper industry;
(8) one member shall represent the aluminum industry;
(9) one member shall represent the plastics industry;
(10) one member shall represent the tire industry;
(11) one member shall represent the general public;
(12) one member shall represent the oil industry;
(13) one member shall represent the scrap metal recycling industry; and
(14) one member shall represent higher education research institutions.
(D) Each member of the council shall serve a two-year term beginning on the date of his appointment and shall serve until a successor is appointed and qualified. Members shall serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority and shall receive the usual mileage, per diem, and subsistence provided by law for members of boards, committees, and commissions. Until sufficient funds have accumulated in the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund to cover the council's expenses, the appointing authorities shall provide the mileage, per diem, and subsistence for their respective appointees. Any other expenses of the council shall be shared equally by the appointing authorities until the trust fund has sufficient funds to cover the expenses.
(E) The chairman shall be designated by the State Development Board and the council shall select its own vice-chairman. The council shall adopt operating procedures and shall meet on the call of the chairman or of a majority of the members. Members shall promulgate regulations concerning meeting attendance. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum to do business. The State Development Board shall provide the necessary staff and administrative facilities and services to the council. The Department of Health and Environmental Control shall provide technical assistance to the council at the request of the chairman or of the vice-chairman, or by majority vote of the council.
(F) Not later than fifteen months after this chapter is effective, the council shall provide to the Governor and to the General Assembly an initial report which shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) a description and analysis of this state's existing recycling industry;
(2) an analysis of the projected long-term capacity of existing markets to absorb materials generated by source separation, recovery, or recycling programs;
(3) an analysis of potential markets in this State, in other states, or in foreign countries for recovered materials and products with recycled content from this State;
(4) an analysis of institutional, economic, and technical barriers to the use of recovered materials and products with recycled content;
(5) recommendations for actions which may be taken to increase demand for source separated, recovered, or recycled materials or products;
(6) recommendations for actions which may be taken to increase the incentives for private individuals and for business and industry to consume or export recovered materials and products with recycled content;
(7) an analysis of the compatibility of recycling with solid waste treatment or disposal methods and recommendations on the feasibility of the implementation of mechanisms for cooperative marketing of recyclable materials;
(8) recommendations on categories of materials which should be recovered, given existing and potential markets for such materials;
(9) recommendations for a public education program to be implemented by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling within the department to provide information to the public and to business and industry on the benefits of source separation, recovery, and recycling and on the availability of recovered materials or products with recycled content;
(10) a study of methods of and cost effectiveness of source separation and recycling of recovered materials;
(11) a study of packaging reduction; and
(12) a study of the design of products at the primary stage of development to promote recyclability.
(G) Following its initial report, the council shall submit to the Governor and to the General Assembly by the end of each calendar year an annual report on recycling activities in this State which shall, at a minimum, include the following:
(1) any revisions which the council determines are necessary to its initial report;
(2) a description and analysis of the amounts and types of solid waste materials recovered or recycled in this State during the preceding year;
(3) recommendations regarding materials which should be added to or deleted from source separation, recovery, and recycling programs; and
(4) any other recommendations, including tax incentives, to facilitate the development of markets for recovered materials or products in this State.
Section 44-96-80. County or regional solid waste management plans; local government responsibilities.
(A) Not later than fifteen months after the date on which the department submits its state solid waste management plan to the Governor and to the General Assembly, the governing body of each county, if the county intends to submit a single county plan, or the governing bodies of the counties in a region, if two or more counties intend to submit a regional plan, in cooperation with the local governments located in the county or region, shall prepare a solid waste management plan for the area within that county or region. Local governments within the county or region shall participate in the development of the county or regional plan and are required to be a part of the plan. This plan must provide for public participation and include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) an estimate of the amount of solid waste currently disposed of at solid waste disposal facilities within that county or region and a projection of the amount of solid waste which will be disposed of at solid waste disposal facilities during the twenty-year period following this chapter's effective date;
(2) an estimate of the current capacity within that county or region to manage solid waste, including identification of each solid waste management facility and a projection of its useful life;
(3) an analysis of the existing and new solid waste facilities which will be needed to manage the solid waste generated within that county or region during the projected twenty-year period;
(4) an estimate of the cost of implementing the solid waste management plan within that county or region;
(5) an estimate of the revenue which each local government or region needs and intends to make available to fund implementation of the solid waste management plan;
(6) an estimate of the cost of siting, constructing, and bringing into operation any new facilities needed to manage solid waste within that county or region during the projected twenty-year period;
(7) a description and estimate of the sources and amount of revenues which can be made available for the siting, construction, and operation of new solid waste management facilities;
(8) a description of resource recovery, or recycling program, or both, which shall be implemented in each county or region which shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(a) the designation of a recycling coordinator;
(b) an identification of the categories of solid waste materials to be source separated, recovered, recycled, or all of the above;
(c) an identification of the means by which such materials will be collected and marketed;
(d) a description of the incentives or penalties, or both, that will be used to ensure compliance with the recycling program; and
(e) a description of the public education program which will be used to inform the public of the need for and benefits of source separation, recovery, and recycling and of the requirements of the recycling program.
A county or region may be exempted from the requirements of Section 44-96-80(A)(8) if it provides sufficient justification to the department that the implementation of a source separation, resource recovery, recycling program, or all of the above within that county or region is economically infeasible or impracticable or that such program is unnecessary for the county or region to meet the waste recycling and reduction goals established in Section 44-96-50; and
(9) a description of efforts, in addition to the recycling program, which will be undertaken within that county or region to meet the solid waste reduction goal as established on a statewide basis in Section 44-96-50.
(B) Each county or region shall submit its solid waste management plan to the department for review. The department shall have one hundred eighty days from the date on which a plan is submitted to review the plan and provide comments to the submitting entity. At the end of the one hundred eighty-day review period, the county or region shall begin implementation of its solid waste management plan. Such plan must be implemented not later than one year after the end of the one hundred eighty-day review period.
(C) Each solid waste management plan submitted by a county or region shall be designed to achieve within that county or region the same recycling and waste reduction goals established on a statewide basis in Section 44-96-50. Nothing in this chapter, however, prohibits a county or region from setting higher percentage goals for recycling and waste reduction in its solid waste management plan than the goals established in Section 44-96-50. The department may reduce or modify the statewide goals as they apply to a county or region to account for industrial growth or other good cause shown. However, reduction or modification must not result in a failure to meet the recycling and reduction goals on a statewide basis as established in Section 44-96-50.
(D) Each county or region submitting a solid waste management plan containing a source separation, resource recovery, recycling programs, or all of the above to the department shall provide its residents with the opportunity to recycle the categories of solid waste materials designated in the county or regional solid waste management plan. The opportunity to recycle may include one or more of the following:
(1) curbside collection systems;
(2) drop-off centers;
(3) collection centers; or
(4) collection systems for multi-family residences.
(E) Each solid waste management plan submitted pursuant to this section shall be consistent with the state solid waste management plan, with the provisions of this chapter, with all other applicable provisions of state law, and with any regulation promulgated by the department for the protection of public health and safety or for protection of the environment.
(F) Each county or region submitting a solid waste management plan to the department shall thereafter submit an annual progress report to the department by a date to be determined by the department. The annual report shall contain information as may be requested by the department but must contain, at a minimum, the following:
(1) any revisions to the solid waste management plan previously submitted by the county or region;
(2) the amount of waste disposed of at municipal solid waste disposal facilities during the previous year by type of waste;
(3) the percentage reduction each year in solid waste disposed of at municipal solid waste disposal facilities;
(4) the amount, type, and percentage of materials that were recycled, if any, during the previous year;
(5) the percentage of the population participating in various types of source separation, recovery, or recycling activities during the previous year; and
(6) a description of the source separation, recovery, or recycling activities or all of the above activities attempted, if any, their success rates, the reasons for their success or failure, and a description of such activities which are ongoing.
(G) Counties are strongly encouraged to pursue a regional approach to solid waste management. Nothing in this chapter, however, shall be construed to require a county to participate in a regional plan or to prohibit two or more counties within the State which are not contiguous from preparing, approving, and submitting a regional solid waste management plan or one or more counties, including industrial waste generators located therein, from contracting with an in-state solid waste disposal facility located outside of the county or region. Not later than eighteen months after the date of enactment of this chapter, each county shall notify the department in writing whether it intends to submit a single county solid waste management plan or to participate in a regional plan.
(H) Local governments may enter into cooperative agreements with other local governments to provide for the collection, separation, or recycling of solid waste at mutually agreed upon sites. Local governments may expend funds received from any source to establish and maintain such regional facilities and to provide for sharing the costs of establishing and maintaining such facilities in an equitable manner.
(I) Each county or region shall ensure that all their local governments participate in the preparation and implementation of the solid waste management plan, including the source separation, resource recovery, or recycling program, or all of the above.
(J) The governing body of a county has the responsibility and authority to provide for the operation of solid waste management facilities to meet the needs of all incorporated or unincorporated areas of the county. Nothing in this chapter, however, prohibits a local government from continuing to operate or to use an existing management facility, permitted on or before this chapter is effective, in accordance with the provisions of the solid waste management plan submitted by the county or region within which the local government is located. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a county which does not regulate the operation or closure of a solid waste management facility, or which has not obtained a permit for that solid waste management facility, shall not be held liable for the operation, closure, and postclosure of that solid waste management facility if it is owned and operated by a private entity under a permit issued by the department. However, that inclusion in a county or regional plan shall not constitute regulation by a county or region under this section.
(K) The governing body of a county is authorized to enact such ordinances as may be necessary to carry out its responsibilities under this chapter; provided, however, that the governing body of a county may not enact an ordinance inconsistent with the state solid waste management plan, with any provision of this chapter, with any other applicable provision of state law, or with any regulation promulgated by the department providing for the protection of public health and safety or for protection of the environment.
(L) In addition to all other fees provided in this chapter, there is imposed a fee of ten dollars a ton on all solid waste generated out of state and disposed of in this State except that if the other state's tipping fees for in-state or out-of-state solid waste are higher than this state's out-of-state fee, then the higher fee is imposed. The revenue generated from the imposition of the out-of-state fee must be deposited in the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund established in Section 44-96-120.
(M) Not later than eighteen months after this chapter is effective, each operator of a municipal solid waste disposal facility shall install scales conforming to requirements established by the department to weigh and record all solid waste when it is received. The department shall promulgate regulations exempting existing facilities which can demonstrate financial hardship and establishing a volume equivalent for such facilities to use in estimating the weight of the solid waste which they receive. All solid waste disposal facilities permitted on or after this chapter is effective shall install scales.
(N) Not later than one year after this chapter is effective, there shall be established a local Solid Waste Advisory Council for each county or region intending to submit a solid waste management plan. The local council shall advise the county or region on the preparation of the solid waste management plan and on methods of implementing the plan. The local council shall be provided with all drafts of the plan and shall be given sufficient opportunity to comment on the drafts. Each local council shall consist of not more than fifteen members. The membership of each council shall be as follows:
(1) one-third of the membership of the council shall represent the county or member counties of a region and shall be appointed by the governing body or bodies of the county or counties;
(2) one-third of the membership of the council shall represent the municipalities within the county or region and shall be appointed by the governing body or bodies of the municipalities within the county or region; and
(3) one-third of the membership of the council shall include a representative of the private solid waste management industry and a representative of the private recycling or processing industry, if any, operating within the county or region, and at least two members shall represent the general public and have been active in public participation on environmental issues for the past five or more years. These members shall be appointed by the county and municipal representatives serving on the council. Each local council shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its members. Members shall promulgate regulations concerning meeting attendance. Each council shall, at a minimum, remain in existence until the end of the one hundred eighty-day review period for the plans, but may remain in existence for a longer period of time as determined by its appointing entities. The comments of a local council on the final solid waste management plan shall be forwarded to the department when the final plan is submitted.
(O) Any amendments to a county or regional solid waste management plan must be adopted and implemented in the same manner as provided for in the initial plan.
(P) This chapter does not:
(1) authorize a local government to enter into agreements or to enact ordinances or resolutions determining private rights with respect to recovered materials in solid waste separated for recycling use or reuse at any time prior to pickup by or delivery to a local government or persons under contract with the local government; or
(2) prohibit a generator of recovered materials from selling, conveying, or arranging for the transportation of materials to a recycler for recycling nor prevent a recycling company or nonprofit entity from collecting and transporting recovered materials from a buy-back center, drop box, or a generator of recovered materials.
Section 44-96-90. Full cost disclosure.
(A) Not later than one year after this chapter is effective, the department shall promulgate regulations establishing the method for local governments to use in calculating the full cost for solid waste management within the service area of the local government which, at a minimum, shall include the provisions of subsections (C), (D), and (E) of this section. The department shall comply with the requirements of the South Carolina Administrative Procedures Act and notify local government officials of the opportunity to provide input prior to issuing proposed regulations for comment under this article.
(B) Not later than one year after promulgation of the regulations provided in Section 44-96-80(A), and annually thereafter, each local government shall determine its full cost for its solid waste management services within its service area for the previous year. Each local government shall publish annually a notice in a newspaper of general circulation in its service area setting forth the full cost and the cost to residential and nonresidential users, on an average or individual basis of its solid waste management services within its service area for the previous year. In calculating the costs, local governments must include costs charged to them by persons with whom they contract for solid waste management services.
(C) For local governments which provide collection, recycling, transfer station services, or all three services, `full cost' shall, at a minimum, include an itemized accounting of:
(1) the cost of equipment, including, but not limited to, trucks, containers, compactors, parts, labor, maintenance, depreciation, insurance, fuel and oil, and lubricants for equipment maintenance;
(2) the cost of overhead, including, but not limited to, supervision, payroll, land, office and building costs, personnel and administrative costs of running the waste management program, and support costs from other departments, government agencies, and outside consultants or firms;
(3) the cost of employee social security, worker's compensation, pension and health insurance payments; and
(4) disposal cost and laboratory and testing costs.
(D) For local governments which provide disposal services, `full cost' shall, at a minimum, include an itemized accounting of:
(1) the cost of land, disposal site preparation, permits and licenses, scales, buildings, site maintenance and improvements;
(2) the cost of equipment, including operation and maintenance costs such as parts, depreciation, insurance, fuel and oil, and lubricants;
(3) the cost of labor and overhead, including, but not limited to, supervision, payroll, office and building costs, personnel and administrative costs of running the waste management program, and support costs from, and studies provided by, other departments, government agencies, and outside consultants or firms;
(4) the cost of employee social security, worker's compensation, pension and health insurance payments; and
(5) disposal costs, leachate collection and treatment costs, site monitoring costs, including, but not limited to, sampling, laboratory and testing costs, environmental compliance inspections, closure and postclosure expenditures, and escrow, if required.
(E) For purposes of this section, `service area' means the area in which the local government provides, directly or by contract, solid waste management services.
(F) A person operating under an agreement to collect or dispose of solid waste within the service area of a local government or region shall assist and cooperate with the local government or region to make the calculations or to establish a system to provide the information required under this section. However, contracts entered into prior to the effective date of this chapter are exempt from the provisions of this section.
Section 44-96-100. Additional powers and duties of the department. In addition to the other powers and duties set forth in this article, the department shall:
(1) establish such programs and promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement the state solid waste management plan;
(2) establish such programs and promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement the provisions of this article;
(3) provide to local governments, upon request, planning and technical assistance in preparing and implementing their solid waste management plans;
(4) provide to state agencies, upon request, planning and technical assistance in carrying out their responsibilities under this article;
(5) cooperate and coordinate with federal agencies in carrying out federal and state solid waste management requirements, including seeking available federal grants and loans for solid waste management plans and activities in this State;
(6) cooperate and coordinate with private organizations and with business and industry in implementing the requirements of this article;
(7) encourage counties to pursue a regional approach to solid waste management within a common geographical area;
(8) contract as needed with private entities or with state-supported educational institutions to carry out the department's responsibilities under this article, and contract with private entities or with state-owned educational institutions to conduct research on solid waste management technologies;
(9) receive appropriated funds and receive and administer grants or other funds or gifts from public or private entities, including the state and the federal government, to carry out the requirements of this article; and
(10) increase public awareness of solid waste management issues through appropriate statewide educational programs on recycling, volume reduction, litter control, proper methods of managing solid waste, and other related issues.
Section 44-96-105. Promulgation of regulations.
All regulations promulgated by the department pursuant to this chapter must be in consultation with officials representing local governments which own or operate municipal solid waste disposal facilities, pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act.
Section 44-96-110. Establishment of the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling.
(A) Ninety days after this chapter is effective there shall be established within the department an Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling which shall promote and assist in the development of source separation, recovery, and recycling programs for local governments and for private entities under a contractual agreement with local governments or state-supported institutions. The Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling shall be separate from, and shall not participate in, any of the regulatory functions of the department with regard to solid waste management.
(B) The Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
(1) receive funds for and disburse funds from the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund established in Section 44-96-120;
(2) manage the Solid Waste Management Grant Program established in Section 44-96-130;
(3) promote and assist in the development of solid waste reduction, source separation, recycling, and resource recovery programs;
(4) maintain a directory of recycling and resource recovery systems in the State and provide assistance in matching recovered materials with markets;
(5) provide for the education of the general public and the training of solid waste management professionals to encourage recycling and solid waste reduction;
(6) develop descriptive literature to educate local governments on solid waste reduction and recycling issues; and
(7) conduct at least one workshop each year in each region served by a council of governments.
(C) Not later than six months after this chapter is effective, the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall develop guidelines for the establishment and implementation of recycling demonstration projects in school districts in this State. The office shall notify the superintendent of each school district of the existence of the demonstration project program and provide information on how to apply for the program. Upon the request of the school board of a district, the office shall provide technical assistance and financial assistance from the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund in establishing a recycling demonstration project, including private funding for the project, and shall coordinate the establishment and implementation of the project with the school district and with private industry. The office shall determine the number of such demonstration projects that may be feasibly initiated in a single calendar year. The office, in consultation with the Department of Education, also shall develop and make available to school districts, upon request, curriculum materials and resource guides for recycling awareness programs for instruction at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Section 44-96-120. Establishment of the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund.
(A) There is established a Solid Waste Management Trust Fund to be administered by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling to fund:
(1) activities of the department to implement the provisions of this act;
(2) research by state-supported educational institutions or by private entities under contract with state-supported educational institutions on solid waste management technologies;
(3) activities of the Recycling Market Development Council;
(4) demonstration projects or pilot programs to be conducted by local governments within their jurisdictions, including local governments which contract with private entities to assist in conducting the demonstration projects or pilot programs;
(5) grants to local governments to carry out their responsibilities under this article, pursuant to the provisions of Section 44-96-130, including local governments which contract with private entities to assist in carrying out their responsibilities under this article; and
(6) start-up administrative costs of the Tax Commission in the amount of one hundred thousand dollars and the State Treasurer in the amount of fifty thousand dollars.
(B) The Solid Waste Management Trust Fund shall consist of:
(1) funds appropriated by the General Assembly;
(2) contributions and grants from public and private sources;
(3) funds generated by the out-of-state disposal fee authorized pursuant to Section 44-96-80;
(4) the balance of the funds generated by the two-dollar fee imposed pursuant to Section 44-96-170(L), which is not remitted back to the counties for the management of waste tires; these funds shall be remitted to a special fund designated as the Waste Tire Grant Trust Fund;
(5) funds generated by the two-dollar fee for each lead-acid battery fee imposed pursuant to Section 44-96-180(F) for the management of lead-acid batteries;
(6) funds generated by the two-dollar fee for each white good fee imposed pursuant to Section 44-96-200(D) for the management of white goods;
(7) funds generated by fees imposed on motor oil and similar lubricants pursuant to Section 44-96-160(V);
(8) interest earnings accrued on the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund; and
(9) three million dollars of oil overcharge refund monies to be awarded to this fund by the Governor, upon enactment of this act; in addition, the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling will advise the Governor on solid waste project criteria contained within oil overcharge fund competitive grant solicitations totalling one million dollars each over the next two years, to be used only for local government grants and local government demonstration projects and pilot programs. The Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling and the Governor's Energy Office shall cooperate to develop the necessary application information and other documentation to implement the requirements of this appropriation.
(C) The department shall report on a quarterly basis to the State Solid Waste Advisory Council, House Ways and Means Committee, Senate Finance Committee, and the Joint Legislative Committee on Energy on the condition of the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund and on the use of all funds allocated from the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund. Quarterly reports shall be made not later than sixty days after the last day of each fiscal quarter beginning with the first full quarter after this chapter is effective. Notwithstanding Chapter 39 of Title 11, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, through the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling, shall make decisions on the allocation of oil overcharge funds transferred to the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund pursuant to Section 44-96-120(B)(9). The department's decisions shall be made upon the approval of the statewide Solid Waste Advisory Council and after consultation with the Governor's Office and the Joint Legislative Committee on Energy to ensure that the funds are administered according to decisions of the federal courts and requirements of the United States Department of Energy. If all oil overcharge funds transferred to the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund are not committed for projects or programs authorized by this chapter five years from the date this chapter is effective, they shall be returned to the Governor's Office.
(D) The electrical output from a resource recovery facility constructed in whole or in part with monies from the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund shall be sold by competitive bids or requests for proposals, wherein the contracts are awarded to the highest responsible and responsive bidder. If the highest bid does not equal or exceed the avoided cost price which could be obtained under the Public Regulatory Policy Act of 1978, said power will be disposed of pursuant to the Federal Act. For the purposes of this subsection `responsible bidder' shall mean a corporation doing business in South Carolina who is an electric supplier as defined in Section 58-27-610, an electric cooperative incorporated under Chapter 49 of Title 33, a South Carolina municipality owning retail distribution facilities on the effective date of this act, or the South Carolina Public Service Authority.
(E) The revenue generated by the sale of electricity from a resource recovery facility funded in whole or in part by a grant under this section which is in whole or in part owned by a municipality, county, or consolidated political subdivision, must be used for reduction of the public cost for collection, separation, and disposal of solid waste or environmental concerns related to disposal of solid waste, including reasonable expenses of operation of the facility, or both. Revenue generated from the sale of electricity by such resource recovery facility may not be commingled with other public funds.
Section 44-96-130. Solid Waste Management Grant Program.
(A) The Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling shall establish a grant program utilizing funds within the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund to assist local governments and regions in carrying out their responsibilities under this chapter. Grant disbursements must be approved by the State Solid Waste Advisory Council until such time as the State Solid Waste Advisory Council ceases to exist, at which point, the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling shall approve any grant disbursements.
(B) The department shall ensure that, for the first five years after this chapter is effective, one hundred percent of the grant funds made available to local governments and regions shall be utilized for activities necessary to carry out their solid waste management responsibilities established by this article. Such grants shall be made available as soon as possible following the promulgation by the department of regulations establishing the Solid Waste Management Grant Program. After the date on which county or regional solid waste management plans are required to be submitted to the department, no local government shall be eligible for a grant from the Solid Waste Management Grant Program unless it has submitted a solid waste management plan meeting the requirements of Section 44-96-80.
(C) Beginning six years after this chapter is effective, the department shall ensure that at least twenty-five percent of the grant funds made available to local governments and regions must be bonus grants to the local governments and regions which have met the solid waste reduction and recycling goals set forth in their solid waste management plans. Bonus grants shall be used to fund activities which are related to solid waste management.
(D) Not later than twelve months after this chapter is effective, the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling shall promulgate regulations establishing the Solid Waste Management Grant Program. Such regulations shall, at a minimum, establish the criteria for counties, regions, and municipalities to qualify for grants, and shall set forth the procedures for applying for grants. The department may require such information of the entity applying for the grant as is necessary to properly evaluate the grant proposal. The department shall comply with the requirements of the South Carolina Administrative Procedures Act and notify local government officials of the opportunity to provide input prior to issuing proposed regulations for comment under this article.
(E) The regulations required to be promulgated by subsection (D) of this section shall include procedures for any party aggrieved by a grant decision of the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling to obtain review of that decision.
Section 44-96-140. Recycling programs of state government; state procurement policy; report of the Department of Highways and Public Transportation.
(A) Not later than twelve months after the date on which the department submits the state solid waste management plan to the Governor and to the General Assembly, the General Assembly, the Governor's Office, the Judiciary, each state agency, and each state-supported institution of higher education shall:
(1) establish a source separation and recycling program in cooperation with the department and the Division of General Services of the State Budget and Control Board for the collection of selected recyclable materials generated in state offices throughout the State, including, but not limited to, high-grade office paper, corrugated paper, aluminum, glass, tires, composting materials, plastics, batteries, and used oil;
(2) provide procedures for collecting and storing recyclable materials, containers for storing materials, and contractual or other arrangements with collectors or buyers of the recyclable materials, or both;
(3) evaluate the amount of waste paper material recycled and make all necessary modifications to the recycling program to ensure that all waste paper materials are recycled to the maximum extent feasible; and
(4) establish and implement, in cooperation with the department and the Division of General Services, a solid waste reduction program for materials used in the course of agency operations. The program shall be designed and implemented to achieve the maximum feasible reduction of solid waste generated as a result of agency operations.
(B) Not later than six months after this chapter is effective, the Division of General Services shall submit a report to the Governor and to the General Assembly reviewing all goods and products purchased by the State and determining what percentage of state purchases contain recycled materials using content specifications established by the Office of Materials Management, Division of General Services. The report also shall review existing procurement regulations for the purchase of products and materials and shall identify any portions of such regulations that discriminate against products and materials with recycled content and products and materials which are recyclable. (C) Not later than one year after this chapter is effective, the Division of General Services shall amend the procurement regulations to eliminate the portions of the regulations identified in its report as discriminating against products and materials with recycled content and products and materials which are recyclable.
(D) Not later than one year after the effective date of the amendments to the procurement regulations, the General Assembly, the Governor's Office, the Judiciary, all state agencies, all political subdivisions using state funds to procure items, and all persons contracting with such agency or political subdivision where such persons procure items with state funds shall procure products and materials with recycled content and products and materials which are recyclable where practicable, as determined by the Office of Materials Management, Division of General Services. The list of recycled content specifications shall be updated annually. It is the goal of the General Assembly for state and local governmental agencies to reflect a twenty-five percent goal in their procurement policies. The decision not to procure such items shall be based on a determination that such procurement items:
(1) are not available within a reasonable period of time;
(2) fail to meet the performance standards set forth in the applicable specifications; or
(3) are only available at a price that exceeds by more than seven and one-half percent the price of alternative items.
(E) Not later than six months after this chapter is effective, and annually thereafter, the Department of Highways and Public Transportation shall submit a report to the Governor and to the General Assembly on the use of:
(1) compost as a substitute for regular soil amendment products in all highway projects;
(2) solid waste including, but not limited to, ground rubber from tires and fly ash or mixtures of them from coal-fired electrical facilities in road surfacing of subbase materials;
(3) solid waste including, but not limited to, glass aggregate, plastic, and fly ash in asphalt or concrete; and
(4) recycled mixed-plastic materials for guard rail posts, right-of-way fence posts, and sign supports.
Section 44-96-150. Packaging; plastics.
(A) Six months after this chapter is effective, no beverage shall be sold or offered for sale within this State in a beverage container designed and constructed so that the container is opened by detaching a metal ring or tab.
(B) On or after January 1, 1994, no person may distribute, sell, or offer for sale in this State any food or drink in packages or containers, including point of sale packaging, made with fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's). Producers or manufacturers of all types of containers, packaging, or packing material made from fully halogenated CFC's are strongly urged to introduce alternative containers, packages, and packing materials which are environmentally acceptable as soon as possible. Not later than three years after this chapter is effective, the department shall report to the Governor and to the General Assembly on the progress made in introducing such alternative containers, packages, and packing materials. Such report may include recommendations for legislative actions to encourage or require the development and use of such alternatives.
(C) One year after this chapter is effective, no plastic bag shall be provided at any retail outlet to any retail customer for use in carrying items purchased by that customer unless the bag is composed of material which is recyclable.
(D) One year after this chapter is effective, no plastic rings or any other device or material used to connect one container to another shall be provided at any retail outlet to any retail customer unless such rings or other device or material are degradable or recyclable. Producers of plastic ring carriers are strongly urged to introduce alternatives as soon as possible. Not later than three years after the date of enactment of this chapter, the department shall report to the Governor and to the General Assembly on the progress made in introducing such alternative packaging or materials. Such report may include recommendations for legislative actions to encourage or require the development and use of such alternatives.
(E) One year after this chapter is effective, no person shall distribute, sell, or offer for sale in this State any polystyrene foam product for use in conjunction with food for human consumption unless such product is composed of material which is recyclable.
(F) Not later than eighteen months after this chapter is effective, no person shall distribute, sell, or offer for sale in this State a plastic bottle or rigid plastic container unless such bottle or container is labeled with a code identifying the appropriate resin type used to produce the structure of the container. The code shall consist of a number placed within three triangulated arrows. The three arrows shall form an equilateral triangle with the common point of each line forming each angle of the triangle at the midpoint of each arrow and rounded with a short radius. The arrowhead of each arrow shall be at the midpoint of each side of the triangle with a short gap separating the arrowhead from the base of the adjacent arrow. The triangle formed by the three arrows curved at their midpoints shall depict a clockwise path around the code number. The label shall appear on or near the bottom of the plastic container product and be clearly visible. The numbers and letters shall be as follows:
(1) for polyethylene terephthalate, the letters `PETE' and the number `1';
(2) for high density polyethylene, the letters `HDPE' and the number `2';
(3) for vinyl, the letter `V' and the number `3';
(4) for low density polyethylene, the letters `LDPE' and the number `4';
(5) for polypropylene, the letters `PP' and the number `5';
(6) for polystyrene, the letters `PS' and the number `6'; and
(7) for any other, the letters `OTHER' and the number `7'.
(G) Not later than five years after this chapter is effective, the department shall make a determination as to the number of beverage containers being sold annually in this State and the percentage of such containers that are being recycled or recovered by individual category of glass, aluminum, and plastic. If the department determines that one or more categories of beverage containers are being recycled at a rate of less than twenty-five percent, the department shall submit a report to the Governor and to the General Assembly making recommendations on incentives, penalties, or both, which may include the imposition of fees to increase the recycling rate of that category to a minimum of twenty-five percent within a reasonable period of time. Seven years after this chapter is effective, the department shall make a determination, by individual category of container, as to the percentage of such containers that are being recycled. If the department determines that one or more categories of beverage containers are being recycled at a rate of less than thirty-five percent, the department shall submit a report to the Governor and to the General Assembly making recommendations, which may include the imposition of appropriate fees, to increase the recycling rate of that category to at least thirty-five percent within a reasonable period of time. The department may, by regulation, establish a program to obtain and verify the information that is necessary to make the determinations and recommendations required by this subsection.
Section 44-96-160. Used oil.
(A) Twelve months after this chapter is effective, no person shall knowingly:
(1) place used oil in municipal solid waste, discard or otherwise dispose of used oil, except by delivery to a used oil collection facility, used oil energy recovery facility, oil recycling facility, or to an authorized agent for delivery to a used oil collection facility, used oil energy recovery facility, or oil recycling facility;
(2) dispose of used oil in a solid waste disposal facility unless such disposal is approved by the department;
(3) collect, transport, store, recycle, use or dispose of used oil in any manner which may endanger public health and welfare or the environment;
(4) discharge used oil into sewers, drainage systems, septic tanks, surface water or groundwater, or any other waters of this State, or onto the ground; or
(5) mix or commingle used oil with hazardous substances that make it unsuitable for recycling or beneficial use.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person who knowingly disposes of any used oil which has not been properly segregated or separated from other solid wastes by the generator is guilty of a violation of this subsection and shall be subject to a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars. This provision may be enforced by a state, county, or municipal law enforcement official, or by the department.
(B) The utilization of used oil for road oiling, dust control, weed abatement, or other similar uses which have the potential to cause harm to the environment is prohibited.
(C) The department shall encourage the voluntary establishment of used oil collection centers and recycling programs and provide technical assistance to persons who organize such programs.
If a hazardous substance is mixed with used oil accepted at a volunteer used oil collection center, any costs for the proper disposal of this contaminated waste will be incurred by the Petroleum Fund, if no more than five gallons of used oil was accepted from any one person at any one time.
(D) All government agencies and private businesses that change motor oil for the public and major retail dealers of motor and lubricating oil are encouraged to serve as used oil collection centers.
The Department of Highways and Public Transportation shall establish or contract for at least one used oil collection center in every county unless it can certify to the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling that a private used oil collection center is in operation in a county and is accepting up to five gallons of used oil from any member of the public.
(E) Any person who maintains a used oil collection facility that receives a volume of used oil annually, which exceeds a limit to be determined by the department, must register with the department.
(F) A used oil collection center shall annually report to the department by a date to be determined by the department and shall indicate if it is accepting used oil from the public, the quantities of used oil collected in the previous year, and the total quantity of used oil handled in the previous year.
(G) No person may recover from the owner or operator of a used oil collection center any costs of response actions resulting from a release of either used oil or a hazardous substance from a used oil collection center if such used oil is:
(1) not mixed with any hazardous substance by the owner or operator of the used oil collection center;
(2) not knowingly accepted with any hazardous substances contained in it;
(3) transported from the used oil collection center by a registered transporter; or
(4) stored in a used oil collection center that is in compliance with this section.
This subsection applies only to that portion of the used oil collection center utilized for the collection of used oil and does not apply if the owner or operator is grossly negligent in the operation of the public used oil collection center. Nothing in this section shall affect or modify in any way the obligations or liability of any person under any other provisions of state or federal law, including common law, for injury or damage resulting from the release of used oil or hazardous substances. For the purpose of this subsection, the owner or operator of a used oil collection center may presume that a quantity of no more than five gallons of used oil accepted from any member of the public is not mixed with a hazardous substance, if the owner or operator acts in good faith and in the belief the oil is generated from the individual's personal activity.
(H) Any motor, lubricating, or other oil offered for sale, at retail or at wholesale for direct retail sale, for use off the premises, must be clearly marked or labeled as containing a recyclable material which shall be disposed of only at a used oil collection center. A statement on a container of lubricating or other oil offered for sale is in compliance with this section if it contains the following statement: `Don't pollute. Conserve resources. Return used oil to collection centers.'
(I) Motor oil retailers shall post and maintain, at or near the point of sale, a durable and legible sign, not less than eleven inches by fifteen inches in size, informing the public of the importance of the proper collection and disposal of used oil and how and where used oil may be properly disposed.
(J) The department may inspect any place, building, or premises subject to subsections (H) and (I) and issue warnings and citations to any person who fails to comply with the requirements of those subsections. Failure to comply following a warning shall constitute a violation punishable by a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars per day. Each day on which an establishment fails to comply shall constitute a separate violation. The proceeds of any fine imposed pursuant to this subsection shall be remitted to the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund.
(K) The following persons shall register annually with the department pursuant to department regulations on forms prescribed in such regulations:
(1) any person who transports over public highways more than five hundred gallons of used oil weekly;
(2) any person who maintains a collection facility that receives more than six thousand gallons of used oil annually; and
(3) any facility that recycles more than six hundred gallons of used oil annually.
(L) The department shall require each registered person to submit by a date to be determined by the department an annual report which specifies the type and quantity of used oil transported, collected, and recycled during the preceding year. The department also shall require each registered person who transports or recycles used oil to maintain records which identify:
(1) the source of the materials transported or recycled;
(2) the quantity of materials received;
(3) the date of receipt; and
(4) the destination or the end use of the materials.
(M) The department shall require sample analyses of used oil at facilities of representative used oil transporters and at representative recycling facilities to determine the incidence of contamination of used oil with hazardous, toxic, or other harmful substances.
(N) The following entities are exempted from the requirements of subsection (K):
(1) an on-site burner which only burns a specification used oil generated by the burner, if the burning is done in compliance with any air permits issued by the department; or
(2) an electric utility which generates during its operation used oil that is then reclaimed, recycled, or refined by the electric utility for use in its operations.
(O) Any person who fails to register with the department as required by subsection (K), or to file the annual report required by subsection (L), is subject to a fine not to exceed three hundred dollars per day. Each day on which the person fails to comply shall constitute a separate violation. The proceeds of any fine imposed pursuant to this subsection shall be remitted to the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund.
(P) After the effective date of regulations promulgated by the department pursuant to this section, any person who transports over public highways more than five hundred gallons of used oil weekly must be a registered transporter.
(Q) The department shall promulgate regulations establishing a registration program for transporters of used oil, and shall issue, deny, or revoke registrations authorizing the holder to transport used oil. Registration requirements shall ensure that a used oil transporter is familiar with applicable regulations and used oil management procedures. The department shall promulgate regulations governing registration which shall include requirements for the following:
(1) registration and annual reporting;
(2) evidence of familiarity with laws and regulations governing used oil transportation; and
(3) proof of liability insurance or other means of financial responsibility for any liability which may be incurred in the transport of used oil.
(R) Each person who intends to operate, modify, or close a used oil recycling facility shall obtain an operation or closure permit from the department prior to operating, modifying, or closing the facility.
(S) Not later than eighteen months after this chapter is effective, the department shall develop a permitting system for used oil recycling facilities.
(T) Permits shall not be required under subsection (R) for the burning of used oil as a fuel, provided:
(1) a valid air permit, if required, issued by the department is in effect for the facility;
(2) the facility burns used oil in accordance with applicable state and local government regulations, and the requirements and conditions of its air permit; and
(3) the on specification used oil is burned in industrial furnaces and boilers and nonindustrial furnaces and boilers.
(U) No permit is required under this section for the use of used oil for the benefication or flotation of phosphate rock.
(V)(1) For sales made on or after November 1, 1991, every person making wholesale sales of motor oil or similar lubricants, and every person importing into this State ex-tax motor oil or similar lubricants, shall pay a fee on a monthly basis of eight cents for every gallon of motor oil or similar lubricants sold at wholesale or ex-tax motor oil or similar lubricants imported. As used herein, `ex-tax motor oil or similar lubricants' means motor oil or similar lubricants upon which the fee imposed herein has not been levied and which is not sold at wholesale in this State. The fee imposed herein shall be imposed only once with respect to each gallon of motor oil or similar lubricants. The South Carolina State Tax Commission shall administer, collect, and enforce this fee in the same manner the sales and use taxes are collected pursuant to Chapter 36 of Title 12. However, taxpayers are not required to make payments pursuant to Section 12-36-2600. In lieu of the discount allowed pursuant to Section 12-36-2610, the taxpayer may retain three percent of the total fees collected as an administrative collection allowance. This allowance applies whether or not the return is timely filed.
A for hire motor carrier, as defined under this act, which purchases lubricating oils not for resale used in its fleet shall be exempt from the fee. The for hire motor carrier must:
(a) have a maintenance facility to service its own fleet and properly store waste oil for recycling collections;
(b) have reported to the Environmental Protection Agency, via Report No. EXP 17, the existence of storage tanks for waste oil storage;
(c) maintain records of the dispensing and servicing of lubrication oil in the fleet vehicles; and
(d) have a written contractual agreement with an approved waste oil hauler.
(2) The Tax Commission shall remit fees collected pursuant to this section to the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund. The fees must be reserved in a separate account designated as the Petroleum Fund. The Petroleum Fund shall be under the administration of the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling.
The funds generated by the fees authorized by this section and set aside for the Petroleum Fund shall be used by the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling as follows:
(a) Two-fifths of the funds shall be used to establish incentive programs to encourage:
(1) individuals who change their own oil to return their used oil to used oil collection centers;
(2) the establishment and continued operation of collection centers which accept used oil; and
(3) the establishment and continued operation of recycling facilities which prepare used oil for reuses or which utilize used oil in a manner that substitutes for a petroleum product made from new oil.
(b) Two-fifths of the funds shall be used to provide grants for local government projects that the office determines will encourage the collection, reuse, and proper disposal of used oil and similar lubricants. Local government projects may include one or more of the following programs or activities:
(1) curbside pickup of used oil containers by a local government or its designee;
(2) retrofitting of solid waste equipment to promote curbside pickup or disposal of used oil at used oil collection centers designated by the local government;
(3) establishment of publicly operated used oil collection centers at landfills or other public places; or
(4) providing of containers and other materials and supplies that the public can utilize in an environmentally sound manner to store used oil for pickup or return to a used oil collection center.
(c) One-fifth of the funds shall be used for public education and research, including, but not limited to, reuses, disposal, and development of markets for used oil and similar lubricants.
The office may use funds set aside under subitem (a) of item (2) to contract for the development and implementation of incentive programs, and the office may use funds set aside under subitem (c) of item (2) to contract for the development and implementation of research and education programs.
After the fee is imposed upon a distributor, the fee may not be imposed again upon any person who subsequently receives motor oil or similar lubricants from a distributor upon whom the fee already has been imposed.
Motor oil or similar lubricants exported from this State in its original package or container shall be exempt from the fee imposed in this section. Any person purchasing motor oil or similar lubricants at wholesale in its original package or container and who exports such motor oil or similar lubricants from this State may certify in writing to the seller that the motor oil or similar lubricants will be exported, and such certification, if taken by the seller in good faith, will relieve the seller of the fee otherwise imposed. If the purchaser subsequently uses the motor oil or similar lubricants in this State, the purchaser shall be liable for the fee imposed and the purchaser's certification to the seller shall include an acknowledgment to that effect.
(W) The fee imposed under item (V) of this section shall be imposed until the unobligated principal balance of the Petroleum Fund equals or exceeds three million dollars. Based upon the amount of revenue received and the time frame in which the amount is collected, the Tax Commission is required to adjust the rate of the fee to reflect a full year's collection to produce the amount of revenue required in the fund. The increase or decrease in the fee made by the Tax Commission shall take effect for sales beginning on or after the first day of the third month following determination by the commission.
(X) The department shall promulgate regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this section. Such regulations may include the imposition of reasonable registration and permitting fees to assist in defraying the costs of the regulatory activities of the department required by this section.
(Y) All state agencies, all political subdivisions using state funds to procure items, and all persons contracting with such agency or political subdivision where such persons procure items with state funds shall procure used oil materials and products where practicable, subject to the provisions of Section 44-96-140(D).
Section 44-96-170. Waste tires.
(A) Not later than ninety days after this chapter is effective, the owner or operator of a waste tire site shall notify the department of the site's location and size and the approximate number of waste tires that are accumulated at the site. However, this section does not apply to a manufacturer who disposes only of tires generated in the course of its scientific research and development activities, so long as the waste tires are buried on the facility's own land or that of its affiliates or subsidiaries and the disposal facility is in compliance with all applicable regulations.
(B) Not later than six months after this chapter is effective, the department shall submit to the Governor and to the General Assembly a report on waste tire management and disposal in this State. The report shall, at a minimum, include the following:
(1) the number of waste tires generated in this State and the geographical distribution of the waste tires;
(2) the number and location of existing waste tire sites;
(3) the location of existing waste tire collection sites;
(4) the necessary financial responsibility requirements for sites, haulers, processors, collectors, and disposers of waste tires;
(5) alternative methods of collecting waste tires;
(6) current and future options for waste tire recycling;
(7) methods to establish reliable sources of waste tires for waste tire users; and
(8) types and location of facilities in this State that can utilize waste tires as a fuel source.
(C) State and county solid waste management plans shall include a section on waste tires. The section on waste tires shall provide for public participation in its preparation and shall, as a minimum, include:
(1) an estimate of the number of waste tires currently generated annually within that county or region and a projection of the number of waste tires to be generated during the twenty-year period following the date this chapter is effective;
(2) an estimate of the current capacity in the county to manage waste tire disposal;
(3) an estimate of the annual cost of implementing the approved waste tire disposal plan;
(4) an estimate of the cost of siting, construction, and bringing into operation any new facilities needed to provide waste tire disposal;
(5) the number of waste tires generated in each county and the geographical distribution of such waste tires;
(6) the number and location of existing waste tire sites;
(7) the location of existing waste tire collection sites;
(8) alternative methods of collecting waste tires;
(9) current and future options for waste tire recycling;
(10) methods to establish reliable sources of waste tires for waste tire users; and
(11) types and location of facilities in this county that can utilize waste tires as a fuel source.
(D) Each county will be required by the department to participate in ongoing waste tire clean-up enforcement efforts, and no later than twelve months after promulgation of regulations by the department, establish approved waste tire accumulation sites, designate waste tire disposal methods to be used, and begin disposal operations in compliance with the applicable regulations. Counties may contract with other counties and with private firms to implement the provisions of this chapter. The department shall administer waste tire disposal plans for those counties which do not submit proposals.
(E) Counties are prohibited from imposing an additional disposal fee on waste tires generated within the county. However, a county may impose an additional disposal fee on waste tires, heavy equipment tires, and oversized tires that have a greater diameter than the largest tire with a Department of Transportation number. A disposal fee may be charged on waste tires generated outside of South Carolina. Counties may require fleets to provide documentation for proof of purchase on in-state tires. For tires not included in documentation, an additional tipping fee may be charged. Counties may charge a tipping fee of up to one dollar and fifty cents for each waste tire manufactured in this State for which no fee has been paid otherwise.
(F) Not later than six months after the department promulgates regulations, no person, except as provided, shall knowingly deposit whole waste tires in a landfill as a method of ultimate disposal.
(G) Eighteen months after this chapter is effective, no person shall:
(1) maintain a waste tire collection site unless such site is an integral part of the person's permitted waste tire treatment facility or that person has entered into a contract with a permitted waste tire treatment facility for the disposal of waste tires;
(2) knowingly dispose of waste tires in this State, unless the waste tires are disposed of at a:
(a) permitted solid waste disposal facility for treatment;
(b) waste tire collection site which is an integral part of a permitted waste tire treatment facility;
(c) permitted waste tire treatment facility; or
(d) permitted waste tire collection center; or
(3) knowingly dispose of or discard waste tires on the property of another, in a manner not prescribed by this act.
For an interim period to be determined by the department, waste tires may be disposed of at a solid waste disposal facility, a waste tire treatment facility, or a waste tire collection center seeking a permit from the department pursuant to this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person violating this subsection shall be subject to a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars. This provision may be enforced by a state, county, or municipal law enforcement official, or by the department. Each tire improperly disposed of shall constitute a separate violation.
(H) Not later than twelve months after this chapter is effective, the department shall promulgate regulations requiring all collectors, processors, haulers, and disposers of waste tires to obtain a permit or registration issued by the department. The regulations shall set forth the requirements for the issuance of such permits or registrations. After the effective date of the regulations, no person shall collect, haul, or process waste tires unless that person has obtained a permit or registration from the department for that activity or, for an interim period to be determined by the department, is seeking a permit or registration from the department for that activity.
(I) Subsection (H) does not apply to items (1) through (5) if these designated waste tire sites are maintained so as to prevent and control mosquitos or other public health nuisances as determined by the department:
(1) a tire retailing business where less than one thousand waste tires are kept on the business premises;
(2) a tire retreading business where less than two thousand five hundred waste tires are kept on the business premises or a tire retreading facility that is owned or operated by a company that manufactures tires in this State or the tire manufacturer's parent company or its subsidiaries;
(3) a business that, in the ordinary course of business, removes tires from motor vehicles if less than one thousand of these tires are kept on the business premises;
(4) a permitted solid waste facility with less than two thousand five hundred waste tires temporarily stored on the business premises; or
(5) a person using waste tires for agricultural purposes.
(J) The department shall encourage the voluntary establishment of waste tire collection centers, waste tire treatment facilities, and solid waste disposal facilities to be open to the public for the deposit of waste tires.
(K) The department is authorized to establish incentive programs to encourage individuals to return their used tires to waste tire disposal facilities.
(L) For sales made on or after November 1, 1991, there is imposed a fee of two dollars per new tire sold to the ultimate consumer, whether the tire is mounted by the seller or not. The wholesaler or retailer receiving new tires from unlicensed wholesalers shall be responsible for the fee imposed by this section. The Tax Commission shall administer, collect, and enforce the tire disposal fee in the same manner that the sales and use taxes are collected pursuant to Chapter 36 of Title 12. The fee imposed by this section must be remitted on a monthly basis. However, taxpayers are not required to make payments under Section 12-36-2600. In lieu of the discount allowed pursuant to Section 12-36-2610, the taxpayer may retain three percent of the total fees collected as an administrative collection allowance. This allowance applies whether or not the return is timely filed. The commission shall deposit all fees collected to the credit of the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer shall establish a separate and distinct account from the State General Fund. The State Treasurer shall distribute one and one-half dollars of each tire sold to each county based upon the population in each county according to the most recent United States Census. The county shall use these funds for collection and disposal of waste tires generated within that county. The remaining portion of the tire disposal fee is to be credited to the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund by the State Treasurer for the Waste Tire Grant Trust Fund, which is established under the administration of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The General Assembly shall review the waste tire disposal fee every five years.
(M) A wholesaler or retailer required to submit a fee under subsection (L) who delivers or arranges delivery of waste tires to a permitted waste tire disposal facility may apply for a refund of one dollar per tire delivered. In no case may a refund be approved for a number of tires delivered in excess of the number of new tires sold by the individual wholesaler or retailer. Verification must be provided as required by the South Carolina State Tax Commission. Any refund made pursuant to this subsection must be charged against the appropriate county's distributions under subsection (L).
(N) The Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling of DHEC may provide grants from the Waste Tire Grant Trust Fund to local governments to assist in the following:
(1) constructing or operating a Tire Derived Fuel (TDF) burning facility for processing or building heat, electricity, or other energy recovery;
(2) constructing or operating, or contracting for the construction or operation of a waste tire treatment facility and equipment for disposal;
(3) contracting for waste tire treatment facility services;
(4) removing or contracting for the removal of waste tires; or
(5) performing or contracting for the performance of research designed to facilitate waste tire recycling or disposal.
Priority is to be given to TDF facilities that utilize existing combustion equipment and provide large volume uses.
For three years from this chapter's effective date, the funds in the Waste Tire Grant Trust Fund must be used exclusively to fund grants to a county or region to pay for the cost of disposal of the accumulated waste tires.
(O) Waste tire grants must be awarded on the basis of written grant request proposals submitted to and approved, not less than annually, by the committee consisting of ten members appointed by the commissioner representing the following:
(1) the South Carolina Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association;
(2) the South Carolina Association of Counties;
(3) the South Carolina Association of Regional Councils;
(4) the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control;
(5) tire manufacturers;
(6) the general public;
(7) a public interest and environmental organization;
(8) the South Carolina Department of Wildlife and Marine Resources;
(9) the Division of Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources in the Office of the Governor; and
(10) the South Carolina Municipal Association.
Members of the committee shall serve for terms of three years and until their successors are appointed and qualify except that of those first appointed, three shall serve for terms of two years, and three shall serve for terms of one year, as designated by the commissioner.
Vacancies must be filled in the manner of original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term. The representative of the department shall serve as chairman. The committee shall review grant requests and proposals and make recommendations on grant awards to the State Solid Waste Advisory Council. Grants must be awarded by the State Solid Waste Advisory Council. Upon the cessation of the existence of the State Solid Waste Advisory Council, the Office of Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling shall receive recommendations from the committee.
(P) A county failing to comply with the requirements of this section and regulations promulgated under it are not eligible for monies from the Waste Tire Grant Trust Fund.
Section 44-96-180. Lead-acid batteries.
(A) Twelve months after this chapter is effective, no person shall knowingly place a used lead-acid battery in mixed municipal solid waste, discard or otherwise dispose of a lead-acid battery, except by delivery to:
(1) a lead-acid battery retailer or wholesaler;
(2) a collection, recycling, or recovered material processing facility that is registered by the department to accept lead-acid batteries; or
(3) a permitted secondary lead smelter.
(B) Twelve months after this chapter is effective, no battery retailer shall knowingly dispose of a used lead-acid battery except by delivery to:
(1) the agent of a lead-acid battery wholesaler or the agent of a permitted secondary lead smelter;
(2) a vehicle battery manufacturer for delivery to a permitted secondary lead smelter;
(3) a collection, recycling, or recovered material processing facility that is registered by the department to accept lead-acid batteries; or
(4) a permitted secondary lead smelter.
(C) Any person violating the provisions of subsections (A) or (B) shall be subject to a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars. This provision may be enforced by a state, county, or municipal law enforcement official or by the department. Each lead-acid battery improperly disposed of shall constitute a separate violation.
(D) A person selling lead-acid batteries or offering lead-acid batteries for retail sale in this State shall:
(1) accept, at the point of transfer, lead-acid batteries from customers; and
(2) post written notice at his place of business which must be at least eight and one-half inches by eleven inches in size and must contain the state recycling symbol and the following language:
(a) `It is illegal to put a motor vehicle battery in the garbage.'
(b) `Recycle your used batteries.'
(c) `State law requires us to accept motor vehicle batteries for recycling.'
(E) No person may recover from the owner or operator of a lead-acid battery collection center any costs of response actions resulting from a release of either a hazardous substance from lead-acid batteries, unless the owner or operator is grossly negligent in the operation of the public lead-acid battery collection center, or recovered materials processing facility. Nothing in this section shall affect or modify in any way the obligations or liability of any person under any other provisions of state or federal law, including common law, for injury or damage resulting from the release of hazardous substances.
(F) For sales made on or after November 1, 1991, there is imposed a fee of two dollars for each lead-acid battery delivered by wholesalers to licensed retail merchants, jobbers, dealers, or other wholesalers for resale in this State. Retail merchants, jobbers, dealers, or other wholesalers receiving new lead-acid batteries from unlicensed wholesalers shall be responsible for the fee imposed by this section. The wholesaler or retailer is to remit the fee to the Tax Commission on a monthly basis. The Tax Commission shall administer, collect, and enforce the lead-acid battery disposal fee in the same manner that the sales and use taxes are collected pursuant to Chapter 36 of Title 12. However, taxpayers are not required to make payments under Section 12-36-2600. In lieu of the discount allowed pursuant to Section 12-36-2610, the taxpayer may retain three percent of the total fees collected as an administrative collection allowance. This allowance applies whether or not the return is timely filed. The commission shall deposit all fees collected to the credit of the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer is required to establish a separate and distinct account from the State General Fund. The lead-acid battery disposal fee must be credited to the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund by the State Treasurer.
(G) The lead-acid battery retailer must charge a five dollar refundable deposit for each battery sold for which a core is not returned to the retailer. The deposit must be returned to the consumer if a core is returned to the same retailer within thirty days.
(H) The department shall produce, print, and distribute the notices required by subsection (D) to all lead-acid battery retailers.
(I) Any person selling lead-acid batteries at wholesale or offering lead-acid batteries for sale at wholesale must accept, at the point of transfer, lead-acid batteries from customers.
(J) Not later than eighteen months after this chapter is effective, the department shall promulgate regulations necessary to carry out the requirements of this section. Such regulations may include the imposition of reasonable fees to assist in defraying the costs of the regulatory activities of the department required by this section.
(K) All state agencies, all political subdivisions using state funds to procure items, and all persons contracting with such agency or political subdivision where such persons procure items with state funds shall procure recycled lead-acid batteries where practicable, subject to the provisions of Section 44-96-140(D).
Section 44-96-190. Yard Trash; compost.
(A) Not later than twelve months after this chapter is effective, the department shall:
(1) promulgate regulations governing the proper management or disposal, or both, of yard trash and land-clearing debris;
(2) promulgate regula