The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) It is the policy of the state to conserve and protect resources for future citizens as well as the current population of the state.

(b) It is in the best interest of the people of the state that the state alter its perception of solid waste to instead look upon this waste as resources that can be recovered and reused.

(c) It is in the best interest of reducing the increasing burden on communities disposing of the state’s solid waste for the state to take a role in developing an integrated state solid waste management policy, which includes source reduction, recycling, composting, market development, incineration, and landfills. Since recycling is a necessary component of this policy, the state shall encourage the use of recycled products to ensure that the state’s industries have sufficient and adequate markets for products regeneratively utilizing the state’s solid waste as recycled resources.

(d) It is the policy of the state to encourage the expansion of businesses located in California and, to whatever extent possible, to look favorably on California businesses in the recycling industry, which include, but are not limited to, those California businesses that manufacture, distribute, or act as brokers for, recycled products.

(e) Market development is the key to moving beyond the uneven collection of recyclable materials to stable resource recovery and reuse. Because of existing local collection programs, significant quantities of recycled resources such as the following are today available for purchase: fine grades of paper, high-quality paper products, plastics, retreaded automobile tires, rerefined lubricating oil, reused automotive parts, reclaimed solvents, recycled asphalt, recycled concrete, carpet or geotextiles composed of recycled plastics, compost and co-compost products, and steel products.

(f) In making these findings, the Legislature declares that the policy and intent of this chapter is to set an example for the state and nation to encourage the purchase of products utilizing recycled resources.

(g) It is the intent of the Legislature, whenever economically feasible and as markets allow, to continually expand the policies of the state to utilize recycled resources in the daily operations of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, the procurement and purchase of recycled materials, the use of recycled resources in the performance of a service or project for the state, and the purchase of equipment used for the collection and sale of waste materials generated by the state.

(h) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of General Services work with all state departments, agencies, the Legislature, the California Integrated Waste Management Board, and the Department of Conservation to draft, establish, and implement policies that ensure the procurement and use of recycled resources.

(i) It is also the intent of the Legislature to encourage local public agencies and private companies to adopt policies to maximize the use of recycled resources.

(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 427, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1996.)