(A) Not later than fifteen months after the date on which the department submits its state solid waste management plan to the Governor and to the General Assembly, the governing body of each county, if the county intends to submit a single county plan, or the governing bodies of the counties in a region, if two or more counties intend to submit a regional plan, in cooperation with the local governments located in the county or region, shall prepare a solid waste management plan for the area within that county or region. Local governments within the county or region shall participate in the development of the county or regional plan and are required to be a part of the plan. This plan must provide for public participation and include, at a minimum, the following:

(1) an estimate of the amount of solid waste currently disposed of at solid waste disposal facilities within that county or region and a projection of the amount of solid waste which will be disposed of at solid waste disposal facilities during the twenty-year period following this chapter’s effective date;

(2) an estimate of the current capacity within that county or region to manage solid waste, including identification of each solid waste management facility and a projection of its useful life;

(3) an analysis of the existing and new solid waste facilities which will be needed to manage the solid waste generated within that county or region during the projected twenty-year period;

(4) an estimate of the cost of implementing the solid waste management plan within that county or region;

(5) an estimate of the revenue which each local government or region needs and intends to make available to fund implementation of the solid waste management plan;

(6) an estimate of the cost of siting, constructing, and bringing into operation any new facilities needed to manage solid waste within that county or region during the projected twenty-year period;

(7) a description and estimate of the sources and amount of revenues which can be made available for the siting, construction, and operation of new solid waste management facilities;

(8) a description of resource recovery, or recycling program, or both, which shall be implemented in each county or region which shall include, at a minimum, the following:

(a) the designation of a recycling coordinator;

(b) an identification of the categories of solid waste materials to be source separated, recovered, recycled, or all of the above;

(c) an identification of the means by which such materials will be collected and marketed;

(d) a description of the incentives or penalties, or both, that will be used to ensure compliance with the recycling program; and

(e) a description of the public education program which will be used to inform the public of the need for and benefits of source separation, recovery, and recycling and of the requirements of the recycling program.

A county or region may be exempted from the requirements of § 44-96-80(A)(8)if it provides sufficient justification to the department that the implementation of a source separation, resource recovery, recycling program, or all of the above within that county or region is economically infeasible or impracticable or that such program is unnecessary for the county or region to meet the waste recycling and reduction goals established in § 44-96-50; and

(9) a description of efforts, in addition to the recycling program, which will be undertaken within that county or region to meet the solid waste reduction goal as established on a statewide basis in § 44-96-50.

(B) Each county or region shall submit its solid waste management plan to the department for review. The department shall have one hundred eighty days from the date on which a plan is submitted to review the plan and provide comments to the submitting entity. At the end of the one hundred eighty-day review period, the county or region shall begin implementation of its solid waste management plan. Such plan must be implemented not later than one year after the end of the one hundred eighty-day review period.

(C) Each solid waste management plan submitted by a county or region shall be designed to achieve within that county or region the same recycling and waste reduction goals established on a statewide basis in § 44-96-50. Nothing in this chapter, however, prohibits a county or region from setting higher percentage goals for recycling and waste reduction in its solid waste management plan than the goals established in § 44-96-50. The department may reduce or modify the statewide goals as they apply to a county or region to account for industrial growth or other good cause shown. However, reduction or modification must not result in a failure to meet the recycling and reduction goals on a statewide basis as established in § 44-96-50.

(D) Each county or region submitting a solid waste management plan containing a source separation, resource recovery, recycling programs, or all of the above to the department shall provide its residents with the opportunity to recycle the categories of solid waste materials designated in the county or regional solid waste management plan. The opportunity to recycle may include one or more of the following:

(1) curbside collection systems;

(2) drop-off centers;

(3) collection centers; or

(4) collection systems for multi-family residences.

(E) Each solid waste management plan submitted pursuant to this section shall be consistent with the state solid waste management plan, with the provisions of this chapter, with all other applicable provisions of state law, and with any regulation promulgated by the department for the protection of public health and safety or for protection of the environment.

(F) Each county or region submitting a solid waste management plan to the department shall thereafter submit an annual progress report to the department by a date to be determined by the department. The annual report shall contain information as may be requested by the department but must contain, at a minimum, the following:

(1) any revisions to the solid waste management plan previously submitted by the county or region;

(2) the amount of waste disposed of at municipal solid waste disposal facilities during the previous year by type of waste;

(3) the percentage reduction each year in solid waste disposed of at municipal solid waste disposal facilities;

(4) the amount, type, and percentage of materials that were recycled, if any, during the previous year;

(5) the percentage of the population participating in various types of source separation, recovery, or recycling activities during the previous year; and

(6) a description of the source separation, recovery, or recycling activities or all of the above activities attempted, if any, their success rates, the reasons for their success or failure, and a description of such activities which are ongoing.

(G) Counties are strongly encouraged to pursue a regional approach to solid waste management. Nothing in this chapter, however, shall be construed to require a county to participate in a regional plan or to prohibit two or more counties within the State which are not contiguous from preparing, approving, and submitting a regional solid waste management plan or one or more counties, including industrial waste generators located therein, from contracting with an in-state solid waste disposal facility located outside of the county or region. Not later than eighteen months after the date of enactment of this chapter, each county shall notify the department in writing whether it intends to submit a single county solid waste management plan or to participate in a regional plan.

(H) Local governments may enter into cooperative agreements with other local governments to provide for the collection, separation, or recycling of solid waste at mutually agreed upon sites. Local governments may expend funds received from any source to establish and maintain such regional facilities and to provide for sharing the costs of establishing and maintaining such facilities in an equitable manner.

(I) Each county or region shall ensure that all their local governments participate in the preparation and implementation of the solid waste management plan, including the source separation, resource recovery, or recycling program, or all of the above.

(J) The governing body of a county has the responsibility and authority to provide for the operation of solid waste management facilities to meet the needs of all incorporated or unincorporated areas of the county. Nothing in this chapter, however, prohibits a local government from continuing to operate or to use an existing management facility, permitted on or before this chapter is effective, in accordance with the provisions of the solid waste management plan submitted by the county or region within which the local government is located. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a county which does not regulate the operation or closure of a solid waste management facility, or which has not obtained a permit for that solid waste management facility, shall not be held liable for the operation, closure, and postclosure of that solid waste management facility if it is owned and operated by a private entity under a permit issued by the department. However, that inclusion in a county or regional plan shall not constitute regulation by a county or region under this section.

(K) The governing body of a county is authorized to enact such ordinances as may be necessary to carry out its responsibilities under this chapter; provided, however, that the governing body of a county may not enact an ordinance inconsistent with the state solid waste management plan, with any provision of this chapter, with any other applicable provision of state law, or with any regulation promulgated by the department providing for the protection of public health and safety or for protection of the environment.

(L) (Reserved)

(M) Not later than eighteen months after this chapter is effective, each operator of a municipal solid waste disposal facility shall install scales conforming to requirements established by the department to weigh and record all solid waste when it is received. The department shall promulgate regulations exempting existing facilities which can demonstrate financial hardship and establishing a volume equivalent for such facilities to use in estimating the weight of the solid waste which they receive. All solid waste disposal facilities permitted on or after this chapter is effective shall install scales.

(N) Not later than one year after this chapter is effective, there shall be established a local Solid Waste Advisory Council for each county or region intending to submit a solid waste management plan. The local council shall advise the county or region on the preparation of the solid waste management plan and on methods of implementing the plan. The local council shall be provided with all drafts of the plan and shall be given sufficient opportunity to comment on the drafts. Each local council shall consist of not more than fifteen members. The membership of each council shall be as follows:

(1) one-third of the membership of the council shall represent the county or member counties of a region and shall be appointed by the governing body or bodies of the county or counties;

(2) one-third of the membership of the council shall represent the municipalities within the county or region and shall be appointed by the governing body or bodies of the municipalities within the county or region; and

(3) one-third of the membership of the council shall include a representative of the private solid waste management industry and a representative of the private recycling or processing industry, if any, operating within the county or region, and at least two members shall represent the general public and have been active in public participation on environmental issues for the past five or more years. These members shall be appointed by the county and municipal representatives serving on the council. Each local council shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its members. Members shall promulgate regulations concerning meeting attendance. Each council shall, at a minimum, remain in existence until the end of the one hundred eighty-day review period for the plans, but may remain in existence for a longer period of time as determined by its appointing entities. The comments of a local council on the final solid waste management plan shall be forwarded to the department when the final plan is submitted.

(O) Any amendments to a county or regional solid waste management plan must be adopted and implemented in the same manner as provided for in the initial plan.

(P) This chapter does not:

(1) authorize a local government to enter into agreements or to enact ordinances or resolutions determining private rights with respect to recovered materials in solid waste separated for recycling use or reuse at any time prior to pickup by or delivery to a local government or persons under contract with the local government; or

(2) prohibit a generator of recovered materials from selling, conveying, or arranging for the transportation of materials to a recycler for recycling nor prevent a recycling company or nonprofit entity from collecting and transporting recovered materials from a buy-back center, drop box, or a generator of recovered materials.