a. Each county shall, within six months of the adoption and approval by the department of the district recycling plan required pursuant to section 3 of this amendatory and supplementary act, solicit proposals from, review the qualifications of, and enter into contracts or agreements on behalf of municipalities with persons providing recycling services or operating recycling centers for the collection, storage, processing, and disposition of recyclable materials designated in the district recycling plan in those instances where these services are not otherwise provided by the municipality, interlocal service agreement or joint service program, or other private or public recycling program operator.

b. In the event that a county is unable to enter into contracts or otherwise execute agreements to market specific designated recyclable materials in order to achieve the designated recovery targets set forth in the district recycling plan, the county may petition the department for a temporary exemption from the provisions of subsection a. of this section for these specified materials. The department is authorized to grant, deny or conditionally grant the exemption. If the exemption is denied, the department shall assist the county in identifying and securing markets for the recyclable materials designated in the district recycling plan. Any exemption granted by the department shall not exceed one year in duration, and shall be granted or renewed only upon a finding that the county has made a good faith effort to identify and secure markets for its recyclable materials. Each county shall continue to solicit those recycling services necessary to achieve the maximum feasible recovery targets in each municipality as set forth in the district recycling plan.

L. 1987, c. 102, s. 4.