(1) "Investment" means the total cost of acquisition, construction, erection, and installation of all real and personal property, whether owned or leased including, but not limited to, all realty, improvements, leasehold improvements, buildings, machinery, and office equipment, which is at any time incorporated into or associated with a qualified recycling facility.

(2) "Recycling property" means all real and personal property, whether owned or leased including, but not limited to, all realty, improvements, leasehold improvements, buildings, machinery, and office equipment, incorporated into or associated with a qualified recycling facility.

(3) "Qualified recycling facility" means a facility certified as a qualified recycling facility by a duly authorized representative of the department which includes all real and personal property incorporated into or associated with the facility located or to be located within this State that will be used by the taxpayer to manufacture products for sale composed of at least fifty percent postconsumer waste material by weight or by volume. The minimum level of investment for a qualified recycling facility must be at least three hundred million dollars incurred by the end of the fifth calendar year after the year in which the taxpayer begins construction or operation of the facility.

(4) "Postconsumer waste material" means any product generated by a business or consumer which has served its intended end use and which has been separated from the solid waste stream for the purpose of recycling and includes, but is not limited to, scrap metal and iron, and used plastics, paper, glass, and rubber.

(B) A taxpayer who is constructing or operating a qualified recycling facility is allowed a credit in the amount of thirty percent of the taxpayer’s investment in recycling property during the taxable year. This credit may be used to reduce any corporate income tax imposed by § 12-6-530, sales or use tax imposed by the State or any political subdivision of the State, or corporate license fees imposed by § 12-20-50 or any tax similar to these taxes. Any unused credit for a taxable year may be carried forward to subsequent taxable years until the credit is exhausted. If the recycling facility fails to meet the minimum investment within the time required by subsection (A)(3) of this section, the taxpayer shall increase its tax liability for the current taxable year by an amount equal to the amount of credit which was used to reduce any tax liability in earlier years.