Committee trims membership and adds tires to recycling study committee, approves bill as amended

The Natural Resources and the Environment committee amended and approved a Senate study committee bill on recycling aimed at recapturing waste and improving recycling policy in Georgia.

The bill author described the study committee’s goal as finding ways “to recapture some of that” waste and said "Georgians throw away about a $100,000,000 every year." The author asked the committee to reduce the number of appointees from eight to five and to remove nonlegislative membership from the committee, and said the language should be broadened to include tires among recyclable commodities.

Committee members debated the specific wording of the amendment before a motion to amend was made and seconded. The motion struck language designating particular nonlegislative members, changed the number of appointees, and added references to tires in the commodities list. After the amendment was adopted, a motion to do pass the bill carried; the chair called for hands and the committee approved the measure as amended.

The committee’s changes narrow membership to legislative appointees and explicitly allow the study to consider tires in addition to paper and other commodities. The author said the study will examine a broad set of recyclable materials and return recommendations to the General Assembly.

The bill moves forward as amended; next steps include drafting the study membership list and scheduling any follow-up committee work requested by the committee.