§ 143-58.2.  State policy; bid procedures and specifications; identification of products.

(a) It is the policy of this State to encourage and promote the purchase of products with recycled content. All State departments, institutions, agencies, community colleges, and local school administrative units shall, to the extent economically practicable, purchase and use, or require the purchase and use of, products with recycled content.

(b) No later than January 1, 1995, the Secretary of Administration and each State department, institution, agency, community college, and local school administrative unit authorized to purchase materials and supplies or to contract for services shall review and revise its bid procedures and specifications for the purchase or use of materials and supplies to eliminate any procedures and specifications that explicitly discriminate against materials and supplies with recycled content, except where procedures and specifications are necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this State.

(c) The Secretary of Administration and each State department, institution, agency, community college, and local school administrative unit shall review and revise its bid procedures and specifications on a continuing basis to encourage the purchase or use of materials and supplies with recycled content and to the extent economically practicable, the use of materials and supplies with recycled content.

(d) The Department of Administration, in cooperation with the Division of Environmental Assistance and Outreach of the Department of Environmental Quality, shall identify materials and supplies with recycled content that meet appropriate standards for use by State departments, institutions, agencies, community colleges, and local school administrative units.

(e) A list of materials and supplies with recycled content that are identified pursuant to subsection (d) of this section and that are available for purchase under a statewide term contract shall be distributed annually to each State agency authorized to purchase materials and supplies for use by its departments, institutions, agencies, community colleges, or local school administrative units.

(f) Repealed by Session Laws 2009-484, s. 15, effective January 1, 2010.

(g) The Department of Administration and the Department of Environmental Quality shall develop guidelines for minimum content standards for materials and supplies with recycled content and may recommend appropriate goals in addition to those goals set forth in G.S. 143-58.3, for types of materials and supplies with recycled content to be purchased by the State.

(h) The Secretary of Administration may adopt rules to implement the provisions of this section and G.S. 143-58.3. (1993, c. 256, s. 2; 1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 743, ss. 10, 11; 1997-443, s. 11A.119(a); 2001-452, s. 3.7; 2009-484, s. 15; 2010-31, s. 13.1(f); 2015-241, s. 14.30(u).)