[Adopted 4-9-2019 by L.L.
No. 17-2019]
This Legislature hereby finds and determines that the County
of Suffolk purchases a wide variety of goods for use by County employees
in discharging their duties, from office supplies to electronics,
tools and construction materials, to name a few. This Legislature
further finds and determines that because the County requires tremendous
variety in the goods it utilizes, it contracts with a number of vendors
to meet its many needs. This Legislature finds that the County also
buys a large quantity of goods throughout the year, which requires
vendors to package and send orders to each County department regularly.
This Legislature determines that many types of packaging materials
are comprised of plastic, styrofoam or other nonbiodegradable substances.
This Legislature also finds that the County of Suffolk has been a
leader in environmental protection for decades, preserving land and
stemming pollution in County waters. This Legislature further finds
that the County should take a leading role in ensuring that additional
nonbiodegradable materials do not clog local landfills. This Legislature
also determines that requiring County vendors in future purchasing
contracts to use biodegradable packaging materials will substantially
reduce the County's nonbiodegradable waste and provide regional leadership
in protecting the environment of Long Island. Therefore, the purpose
of this article is to require vendors of goods to the County to utilize
biodegradable materials when shipping goods to the County.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
A product that can be placed into a composition of decaying
biodegradable materials, and eventually turns into a nutrient-rich
material.
A product or package that will completely break down and
decompose into elements found in nature within a reasonably short
period of time after proper disposal.
Loose fill peanuts, bubble wrap or other materials utilized
in the packaging of goods for shipment.
A purveyor of goods which maintains a contract to provide
materials to the County.
A.
All County contracts with vendors for the purchase of goods shall
contain a provision which requires all vendors to utilize biodegradable
and/or backyard-compostable packing materials to the greatest extent
possible when shipping goods ordered by any County department. This
requirement shall not apply to the packaging and shipping of goods
which are regulated by state or federal authorities. In the event
a vendor is unable to provide biodegradable and/or backyard-compostable
packing materials for a shipment of goods, it must notify the County
in writing of the items being shipped in noncompliant packing and
the reason why such packaging is necessary.
B.
The original packaging of goods shall be exempt from these provisions.
This article shall apply to all contracts with vendors entered
into pursuant to requests for proposals issued on or after the effective
date of this article.
