"The first eleven of twelve bills before me today - Introductory Numbers 141-A, 142-A, 147-A, 148-A, 156-A, 157-A, 158-A, 162-A, 164-A, 165-A, and 171-A - are part of a comprehensive legislative package aimed at revising and updating the City's 21-year-old recycling law.

Introductory Number 141-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Eugene, Brewer, Comrie, Crowley, Dickens, Dromm, Ferreras, Fidler, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Koslowitz, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Palma, Recchia, Rodriguez, Seabrook, Vann, Williams, Rose, Nelson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, White, Chin, Jackson, Garodnick, Mealy, Reyna and Barron, mandates the completion of a commercial waste and recycling study by 2012.  This study will help identify potential measures to improve current recycling practices of commercial waste haulers in the City.

"Introductory Number 142-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Ferreras, Brewer, Comrie, Dickens, Dromm, Fidler, James, Koslowitz, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Palma, Recchia, Reyna, Seabrook, Van Bramer, Williams, Rose, Nelson, Gennaro, Koppell, Levin, White, Chin, Jackson, Barron, Garodnick and Mealy, establishes a voluntary 'paint stewardship' pilot program, by which the Department of Sanitation will work with paint manufacturers and retailers to create a reclamation system for accepting unused and leftover paint from consumers for recycling.

"Introductory Number 147-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Fidler, Barron, Brewer, Chin, Comrie, Crowley, Dickens, Dromm, Ferreras, Gentile, James, Koppell, Koslowitz, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Nelson, Palma, Recchia, Rodriguez, Seabrook, Vann, Williams, Rose, Eugene, Jackson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, White, Garodnick, Mealy, Reyna and Sanders, increases fines for recycling violations in residential buildings with nine or more dwelling units and requires the City to publish a recycling guide and conduct recycling outreach and training, particularly in large apartment buildings identified by the Sanitation Commissioner as being persistent violators.

"Introductory Number 148-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Fidler, Barron, Brewer, Chin, Comrie, Dickens, Dromm, Gentile, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Koslowitz, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Nelson, Palma, Recchia, Rodriguez, Sanders, Seabrook, Vann, Rose, Eugene, Jackson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, White, Williams, Ferreras, Garodnick, Mealy and Reyna, requires that prior to the opening of the recycling processing facility at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, the Sanitation Commissioner will expand the designation of recyclable plastics to include rigid plastic containers, provided that the Commissioner will not be required to expand this designation if he or she determines that the cost of doing so is not reasonable as compared to the cost of the current program.

"Introductory Number 156-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members James, Barron, Chin, Comrie, Dickens, Dromm, Fidler, Gentile, Gonzalez, Koppell, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Nelson, Palma, Recchia, Rodriguez, Rose, Vann, Williams, Crowley, Eugene, Jackson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, Koslowitz, White, Ferreras, Garodnick, Mealy, Reyna and Sanders, mandates that City agencies adopt a recycling plan and prepare annual recycling reports.

"Introductory Number 157-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Koslowitz, Brewer, Comrie, Dromm, Fidler, Gentile, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Rodriguez, Vann, Crowley, Rose, Eugene, Jackson, Nelson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, White, Recchia, Chin, Williams, Ferreras, Barron, Garodnick, Reyna and Sanders, suspends for two years the City's collection of yard waste and also restricts residents in Yard Waste Collection Districts from placing grass clippings out with their regular household waste.

"Introductory Number 158-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Lappin, Brewer, Comrie, Dickens, Dromm, Fidler, Gentile, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Koslowitz, Lander, Mark-Viverito, Palma, Recchia, Rodriguez, Vann, Williams, Crowley, Rose, Eugene, Jackson, Nelson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, White, Vallone, Chin, Ferreras, Barron, Garodnick, Mealy and Reyna, provides for an expansion of the public space recycling program from the current total of nearly 300 public space recycling receptacles to 500 receptacles within three years, and to 1,000 within ten years.  Introductory Number 158-A also establishes a citywide textiles recycling program.

"Introductory Number 162-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Mark-Viverito, Brewer, Dickens, Dromm, Ferreras, Fidler, Gentile, James, Koppell, Lander, Lappin, Palma, Recchia, Rodriguez, Williams, Foster, Rose, Jackson, Nelson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, Chin, Barron, Garodnick, Mealy and Reyna, requires the City to hold yearly events in each borough to collect common household hazardous waste items.

"Introductory Number 164-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Palma, Brewer, Dickens, Dromm, Fidler, James, Koppell, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Rodriguez, Seabrook, Vann, Williams, Rose, Eugene, Jackson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, Koslowitz, Recchia, Chin, Ferreras, Barron, Garodnick, Mealy and Reyna, replaces the City's recycling tonnage mandates, which the courts ruled were unachievable in 2002, with a series of recycling percentage goals accompanied by requirements that the City increase education and outreach should it not meet a goal and that the City obtain a special advisor should it not meet two consecutive goals.  Introductory Number 164-A also mandates that the City conduct a recycling economic development study and a follow-up to the residential waste characterization study.

"Introductory Number 165-A, sponsored by Public Advocate de Blasio, Speaker Quinn, and Council Members Barron, Brewer, Dromm, Fidler, James, Koppell, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Palma, Rodriguez, Vann, Williams, Rose, Eugene, Jackson, Nelson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, Recchia, Chin, Ferreras, Garodnick, Mealy and Reyna requires schools to file recycling plans and reports and to provide paper waste receptacles in every classroom. 

"Introductory Number 171-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Rose, Brewer, Dromm, Fidler, Gentile, James, Koppell, Koslowitz, Lander, Lappin, Mark-Viverito, Williams, Jackson, Gennaro, Van Bramer, Levin, Recchia, Ferreras, Barron, Garodnick and Reyna, requires the City to conduct a food waste composting study to explore means of diverting food waste for the purpose of composting. 

"I would like to thank Department of Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, Acting Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability Director Adam Freed, and their staff along with Michael Casertano from my Office of City Legislative Affairs for working with the Council on these bills.  I would also like to thank the Council for approving this package of legislation."