(A) Not later than eighteen months after this chapter is effective, the department shall submit to the Governor and to the General Assembly a state solid waste management plan. All regulations promulgated by the department in accordance with this chapter are subject to the provisions of Chapter 23 of Title 1, the Administrative Procedures Act. The plan shall, at a minimum, include:

(1) an inventory of the amounts and types of solid waste currently being disposed of at solid waste disposal facilities in this State, both in the municipal solid waste stream and in the industrial solid waste stream;

(2) an estimate of solid waste which will require disposal at solid waste disposal facilities in this State projected for the twenty-year period following this chapter’s effective date;

(3) an estimate of the current capacity in this State to manage solid waste, including an identification of each solid waste management facility and a projection of its remaining useful life;

(4) an evaluation of current solid waste management practices, including without limitation waste reduction, recycling, incineration, storage, processing, disposal, and export;

(5) an analysis of the types of solid waste facilities which will be needed to manage the state’s solid waste during the projected twenty-year period;

(6) a description of procedures by which the State may facilitate the siting, construction, and operation of new facilities needed to manage the state’s solid waste over the projected twenty-year period;

(7) an evaluation of existing local government solid waste management programs, including recommendations, if necessary, on ways to improve such programs;

(8) a description of the means by which the State shall achieve its statewide solid waste recycling and reduction goals; including recommendations on which categories of solid waste materials should be recycled;

(9) procedures and requirements for meeting state goals for waste reduction and recycling, including composting, and objectives for waste-to-energy implementation and sanitary landfilling;

(10) a description of existing state programs and recommendations for new programs or activities that will be needed to assist local governments in meeting their responsibilities under this article, whether by financial, technical, or other forms of aid;

(11) procedures by which local governments and regions may request assistance from the department;

(12) procedures for encouraging and ensuring cooperative efforts in solid waste management by the State, local governments, and private industry, including a description of the means by which the State may encourage local governments to pursue a regional approach to solid waste management;

(13) minimum standards and procedures developed after consulting with local government officials which must be met by a county or region in its solid waste management plan, including the procedures which will be used to provide for input from private industry and from private citizens;

(14) a comprehensive analysis of the amounts and types of hazardous waste currently being disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills and recommendations regarding more appropriate means of managing such waste;

(15) a description of the public education programs to be developed in consultation with local governments, other state agencies, and business and industry organizations to inform the public of solid waste management practices in this State and the need for and the benefits of recycling, reduction, and other methods of managing the solid waste generated in this State;

(16) a description of the program for the certification of operators at solid waste management facilities;

(17) recommendations on whether to require that certain solid waste materials be made degradable and, if so, which categories of materials; and

(18) a fiscal impact statement identifying the costs incurred by the department in preparing the state solid waste management plan and which will be incurred in carrying out all of the department’s duties and responsibilities under this chapter, including the number of new employees which may be necessary, and an estimate of the revenues which will be raised by the various fees authorized by this chapter.

(B) After submission of the state solid waste management plan, the department shall submit to the Governor and to the General Assembly by March fifteenth of each year a comprehensive report on solid waste management in this State for the previous year. The annual report shall, at a minimum, include:

(1) any revisions in the state solid waste management plan which the department determines are necessary;

(2) a description and evaluation of the progress made in implementing the state solid waste management plan;

(3) a description and evaluation of the progress made by local governments in implementing their solid waste management plans;

(4) an inventory of the amounts and types of solid waste received, recycled, incinerated, or disposed at solid waste disposal facilities during the previous year and the methods of recycling, incineration, or disposal used including, but not limited to, paper, polystyrene, and beverage containers;

(5) a determination of the success of the State, each county or region, and municipality, if a program is in existence in the municipality, in achieving the solid waste recycling and reduction goals established in § 44-96-50;

(6) recommendations to the Governor and to the General Assembly for improving the management of solid waste in this State; and

(7) the number of lead-acid batteries recycled.

The department may establish procedures and promulgate regulations necessary to obtain recycling data. These procedures may include, but are not limited to, registration of municipal solid waste recyclers and requiring municipal solid waste recyclers to submit annual reports on the amounts, actual or estimated, and types of materials recycled and the county, when available, in which the materials were generated.

(C) Not later than six months after this chapter is effective, there shall be established a State Solid Waste Advisory Council. The council shall consist of the following sixteen members:

(1) twelve members appointed by the Governor which shall include one member to represent manufacturing interests; one member to represent the retail industry; two members to represent the solid waste disposal industry; one member to represent existing private recycling industry; two members to represent the general public; three members to represent county governments to be recommended by the South Carolina Association of Counties, one shall represent a county with a population of 50,000 or less, one shall represent a county with a population more than 50,000 and up to 100,000, and the final county representative shall represent a county with a population over 100,000; and two members shall represent municipalities to be recommended by the South Carolina Municipal Association. County, regional, and municipal representatives who are elected officials shall serve ex officio;

(2) the consumer advocate or his designee;

(3) one member to represent the Department of Health and Environmental Control;

(4) the Secretary of Commerce or his designee; and

(5) one member to represent the Governor.

The members of the council in (1) above appointed after May 27, 1997, shall serve terms of four years dating from May 27, 1997, except that the member representing manufacturing interests, one member representing the solid waste disposal industry, the member representing existing private recycling industry, one member representing the general public, the member representing a county with a population of over one hundred thousand, and one municipal member must be appointed for a term of two years dating from May 27, 1997, and subsequent appointment of these members must be for a term of four years. No member appointed after May 27, 1997, may serve more than two terms. Members named in (2), (3), (4), and (5) above shall serve co-terminus with their office or at the pleasure of the respective appointing authority. No member appointed before May 27, 1997, shall serve past May 27, 2001. Members shall promulgate regulations concerning meeting attendance. The council shall advise the department on the preparation of the state solid waste management plan, on methods of implementing the state plan on the preparation of the annual reports by the department on solid waste management and provide technical expertise regarding solid waste management grants and planning. The council shall be provided with drafts of the plan and reports and shall be given adequate opportunity to comment. The council also shall be advised on a regular basis by the department regarding the grant applications which have been accepted or denied under the Solid Waste Management Grant Program and on the status of the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund.