Respectfully Requesting That a Recycling/waste Audit Be Conducted on the Rhode Island State House Which Provides Recommendations for a Waste Reduction Strategy

WHEREAS, A waste audit is a method/survey for analyzing a facility's waste stream. The goal is to identify what is being thrown away, what is being recycled or diverted through other means, what can be composted and/or recovered, and the amounts of each type (paper, plastic, food etc.) by weight or volume that are produced within a given timeframe; and

WHEREAS, Waste audits can reveal costly, wasteful problems and verifies what is being thrown away, and the associated costs monetarily and environmentally; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby conducts a recycling/waste audit on the Rhode Island State House, provides recommendations for a waste reduction strategy, and reports back to the House on or before January 5, 2027; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this House hereby further requests that the Executive Director of the Joint Committee on Legislative Services and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) investigate the installation of water filling stations and the installation of electric car chargers in the State House parking lots, in order to reduce the use of plastic water bottles and to meet the carbon emission goals of the Act on Climate, and who would report back to the House on or before January 5, 2027; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Governor of the State of Rhode Island, the Joint Committee on Legislative Services, and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance.