Iowa § 455J.1 - 455J.1 Environmental management systems — legislative findings — purpose.

§ 455J.1. 455J.1 Environmental management systems — legislative findings — purpose.

1. The purpose of this chapter is to encourage responsible environmental management and solid waste disposal and to enhance efforts to promote environmental stewardship. 2. The general assembly finds and declares all of the following: a. The policy of responsible environmental management can be furthered by rewarding solid waste planning and service areas that operate in an innovative, cost-effective, technologically advanced, and environmentally sensitive manner. b. Responsible environmental management can also be furthered by changing the focus of solid waste disposal projects from disposal management to environmental resource management. c. The concept of environmental stewardship embraces every aspect of the environmental footprint created by the management and disposal of solid waste. d. Environmental management systems mitigate the climate change impacts of solid waste disposal by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. In addition, environmental management systems improve water quality by limiting and treating the impacts of leachate disposal and by providing positive examples of sustainable water resource management. e. The goal of managing resources in a sustainable manner is to increase the benefits to communities and society for the present and for the future. 2008 Acts, ch 1109, §4; 2017 Acts, ch 45, §3 Referred to in §455J.7 Fri Dec 12 20:43:28 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Section 455J.1 (18, 0)