Dive Summary:
- New York City council passed legislation stating that those convicted of illegally taking recyclables will be subject to civil and criminal fines of $1,000 for each occurrence.
- The cost of recyclables theft in New York City adds up to approximately $8-$10 million each year.
- The National Solid Wastes Management Association has been attempting to find a viable solution for recycling theft since 2008.
From the article:
... City agencies have done a better job recently in enforcing the laws as it applies to cardboard theft. “But the laws are relatively weak.
“We’ve been encouraging city agencies to both enforce the existing laws stringently and make the current laws more stringent,” [Vice-President for government affairs for NSWMA] Biderman says.
The law will take effect when Mayor Michael Bloomberg signs the bill. ...
