§22C-3-2. Legislative findings; declaration of policy and responsibility; purpose and intent of article.

The Legislature finds that uncontrolled, inadequately controlled and improper collection and disposal of solid waste (1) is a public nuisance and a clear and present danger to people; (2) provides harborages and breeding places for disease-carrying, injurious insects, rodents and other pests harmful to the public health, safety and welfare; (3) constitutes a danger to livestock and domestic animals; (4) decreases the value of private and public property, causes pollution, blight and deterioration of the natural beauty and resources of the state and has adverse economic and social effects on the state and its citizens; and (5) results in the squandering of valuable nonrenewable and nonreplenishable resources contained in solid waste.

Further, the Legislature finds that governmental agencies in the state and the private sector do not have the financial and other resources needed to provide for the proper collection and disposal of solid waste; that solid waste disposal sheds and projects must be established on a relatively large scale to be economically feasible and stable; and that proper solid waste collection and disposal at the lowest minimum cost can only be achieved through comprehensive solid waste management.

It is declared to be the public policy and a responsibility of this state to assist efforts of governmental agencies and the private sector to provide for the proper collection, disposal and recycling of solid waste and to solve and prevent the problems set forth in this article. It is the purpose and intent of the Legislature in enacting this article to provide for the necessary, dependable, effective and efficient collection, disposal and recycling of solid waste and to assist and cooperate with governmental agencies and the private sector in achieving all the purposes set forth in this article, and to encourage the recycling or extraction of recoverable resources from such solid waste.

The Legislature finds that the public policy and responsibility of the state as set forth in this section cannot be effectively attained without the funding, establishment, operation and maintenance of solid waste disposal projects as provided in this article.