1. Statement of Purpose. The New York City Waste Prevention Coalition is a network of organizations and individuals dedicated to promoting waste prevention as the most responsible, environmentally sound and cost-effective means to solve New York City's mounting solid waste problems. ("Waste Prevention" is defined as the reduction in the weight/volume and/or toxicity of the materials that are generated for disposal or recycling. The means for preventing waste include reduction at the source through improved product and packaging design, consumer education, product reuse, repair & remanufacturing, financial incentives and legislation.)

• Raising public awareness through outreach & education
• Conducting research and analysis of solid waste problems and waste prevention solutions
• Advocating sound public policy that advances waste prevention at the city, state and federal levels as appropriate.

3. Membership Requirements

1. Is any organization or person who supports the Purpose and Mission Statement of the NYC WPC, and
2. Is any organization or person who agrees to work towards the goals and objectives of the NYC WPC in accordance with its bylaws, and
3. Attends meetings on a regular basis.
4. The Waste Prevention Coalition has established a policy of open disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. All parties, interested in waste prevention, are welcome as members and disclosure should not prevent interested parties from participating in Coalition activities. A member is expected to immediately disclose any potential or actual business dealings to the coalition verbally and in writing as soon as he/she becomes aware of them. Business dealings include any fee for service activity associated with waste in the private sector or with the NYC Department of Sanitation, or other governmental agency.
5. May be removed for cause by Steering Committee. Cause shall include violation and/or misrepresentation of Coalition goals, mission statement, bylaws or policies (see Section IX), and/or non-attendance at meetings, and/or failure to disclose business dealings with the Department of Sanitation or other governmental agency involved with waste.

1. The Steering Committee shall be comprised of officers of the Coalition, a minimum of 5 individuals-- 4 titled (below) and 1 at large.
   
   
2. Steering Committee / Duties, Qualifications, and Requirements
   1. Duties: The Coalition's steering committee shall be responsible for identifying issues of importance for Coalition action, setting the agenda of membership meetings, nominating officers, recommending policy to the membership, managing any funds that come to the Coalition.
   2. Qualifications: Steering Committee members should have (a) knowledge of waste prevention policy and practice in NYC.
   3. Requirements: Regular attendance at Steering Committee meetings and (b) commitment to work to implement the purpose and mission of the Coalition.
      
3.    Chair / Duties.

1. Schedules meetings in consultation with Steering committee, where possible.
2. Chairs meetings of the steering committee and membership.
3. Serves as chief liaison with government agencies and officials, or other outside parties with whom the Coalition has business

        D.    Vice Chair / Treasurer / Duties.

1. Assumes the duties of Chair when the Chair is absent or unable to fulfill them.
2. Maintains the treasury, invests funds, oversees the budget, signs for withdrawals along with another executive committee member.

        E.    Corresponding (Organizing) Secretary / Duties

1. Assembles and distributes communications to steering committee and membership on a timely basis (including meeting agenda, minutes, discussion drafts, etc.)
2. Serves as second liaison, assisting the Chair, with government agencies and officials, or other outside parties with whom the Coalition has business.

        F.    Recording Secretary / Duties

1. Takes and prepares minutes, including attendance, of Steering and membership meetings, and provides to Chair for distribution.
2. Maintains a current list of Coalition members, including name, position, affiliation, address, phone number, fax number, and email, providing updates to the Steering committee. This list will not be available for commercial circulation.
3. Maintains a folder/file of Coalition Policies

        G.    Election Procedure: Candidates for officer positions shall be proposed by the Steering (Nominating) Committee                  after a canvass of eligible members. The slate of officers shall be announced by the Steering Committee and sent                  with the agenda of the May full Coalition meeting. Nominations will be taken for all officer positions from the floor                  at both the May and June meetings

        H.    Terms of Office. The term of office for officers shall be one year, beginning and ending in June.

        I.    Removal of Officers. An officer may be removed for misappropriation of funds or consistent failure to perform the                  duties of the office

J.    Vacancies. The Steering committee shall appoint a successor to fill an officer’s unexpired term within two          months of the position being vacated.

22. Committees of the Coalition

1. Committees shall be formed by vote of the Coalition or Steering Committee.
2. Committees shall keep attendance records and report all resolutions adopted, in writing.
3. Committees are not empowered to formulate official policy of the Coalition. All resolutions adopted by a committee constitute a recommendation to the Coalition.

1. Membership meetings. Coalition membership meetings shall take place monthly, except in August, and shall be open to the public. Additional meetings may be scheduled if necessary.
2. Steering Committee meetings. Steering committee meetings shall take place monthly at least two weeks prior to membership meetings, and shall be open to all Coalition members.
3. Committee meetings (left blank for now)

Notice of regular and special meetings, agenda and bylaws proposals shall be emailed or faxed at least 7 days prior to each meeting. If faxing or email is not possible for certain members, mailings to these members will take place an extra two days in advance.

1. Decision-making. Decisions at full Coalition or Steering committee meetings are made by consensus; or failing that, by majority vote of a quorum. In the event of "emergent" issues, the Steering Committee may make decisions between full meetings of the Coalition. All decisions shall be presented, discussed and approved or disapproved at the next full meeting of the Coalition
2. Quorum for Full Coalition meetings. A quorum consists of half of steering committee plus 6 members of the membership.
3. Quorum for Steering Committee meetings: A quorum consists of majority of steering committee members.
4. Vote Count. Individual members in good standing, who have participated in the work of the Coalition and have attended a minimum of 4 of the regular meetings in the past year are entitled to vote.
5. Proxy Voting. A member unable to attend a particular meeting, may assign his/her proxy vote to another member of the Coalition or Steering Committee. This can be done by email, fax or phone call to the Chair or Vice-chair, or in the event of his/her inability to attend a meeting, to another officer, from the member wishing to assign the proxy to another member. There shall be no organizational proxies.
6. Recusal. Members with potential conflicts of interest in a particular vote will be expected to recuse themselves from voting.

1. Development of Coalition Policy. Coalition policy is initially outlined and proposed to the membership by the Steering committee and brought to a general membership meeting for approval by the membership. In the event of "emergent" issues, the Steering Committee may decide policy. Such policy shall at next opportunity be brought before the membership for ratification or rejection.
2. New business at Membership meetings. New business may be proposed at any meeting. Involved issues may be referred to the Steering Committee for discussion and brought back to the general member meeting with recommendation for action, unless it is an emergent situation demanding immediate resolution or can be easily dealt with.
3. Representation of the Coalition by members. Members who understand current Coalition positions may represent the Coalition at community meetings and in other forums. As long as a member sticks to general policies or precise resolutions voted in a general meeting or submits in writing something for approval, s/he can represent the Coalition.
4. Meetings with Officials. Members wishing to meet with elected officials or agency officials shall plan to do so with Steering committee members or with their approval.
5. Recording Secretary shall make current List of Coalition membership available upon request by any Coalition member with the understanding that it cannot be used for commercial purposes. When emailing notices to members, member email addresses shall be placed in blind cc row to avoid use of our email list for other purposes.