P.R. Laws tit. 12, § 1320a
It shall be the public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to develop and implement financially viable and environmentally safe strategies that shall result in a reduction of the volume of solid waste that requires final disposal. As part of these strategies it is deemed necessary to modify the existing handling and disposal practices in order to reduce the intensive use of the country’s landfills. To such effects, technologies shall be used and systems shall be implemented for the reduction of the solid waste that is generated and the recovery of materials with the potential of being reused or recycled and returned to the economy as products or raw material. Therefore, after considering the technical and financial factors, the following classification of methods for the management of solid waste in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is hereby established:
(a) The reduction of the amount of solid waste generated;
(b) the re-use of materials for the purpose for which they were originally created, or any other use that does not require their processing;
(c) the recycling or composting of any material that cannot be reused;
(d) the recovery of energy from solid waste that cannot be reused or recycled, provided that the energy recovery facility preserves the quality of the air, water, soil and other natural resources, and
(e) the disposal of solid waste that cannot be reused, recycled or used for the recovery of energy in landfills that meet the requirements of the applicable federal and Commonwealth laws and regulations.
This public policy shall be specified in the Program for the Reduction and Recycling of Solid Waste to be developed by the Authority as provided in § 1320g of this title, and shall be implemented through the adoption of the following measures:
(1) To create mechanisms to reduce the volume of solid waste that is generated on the Island.
(2) To promote the development of municipal consortia for the establishment of reduction, re-use and recycling projects.
(3) To establish programs for separation at the source.
(4) To stimulate the recovery of recyclable material through the granting of incentives to participating businesses.
(5) To stimulate the participation of private industry in the construction and operation of the recovery and recycling facilities.
(6) To develop educational programs that promote the participation of all sectors.
(7) To stimulate the use of recycled and recyclable material in the manufacture as well as the consumption of products.
History —Sept. 18, 1992, No. 70, § 3; Jan. 20, 1995, No. 13, § 2.