Specifications

Approved September 25, 2025

Covered Products
  • Angle or lobby brooms     
  • Push brooms
  • Whisk brooms
  • Counter brushes
  • Deck brushes
  • Dishwashing brushes
  • Toilet bowl brushes
  • Utility and scrub brushes
     
Exclusions
Minimum Requirements

Products MUST have the following sustainability attributes:

  • Not labeled as containing vinyl (or polyvinyl chloride, PVC)
  • Not labeled with a California Proposition 65 Warning
  • Broom and brush bristles:
    • Does not contain animal hair
    • Made of one of the following materials:
      • Plant-based fibers (e.g., corn fiber, tampico, palmyra, rice husk, etc.)
      • Plastic, with one or more of the following attributes:
        • 10% post-consumer recycled content (PCRC) or higher
        • Broom or brush head is replaceable
  • Brush heads:
    • Not labeled “disposable”
    • Not labeled “antimicrobial” nor make a claim to kill bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens
    • Does not contain cleaning chemicals, including but not limited to soaps
       
Additional Desirable Attributes

Products are ENCOURAGED to have one or more of the following sustainability attributes:

  • Plastic broom and brush bristles:
    • Greater than 10% PCRC
    • 10% total recycled content (TRC) or higher
  • Broom and brush handles:
    • Plastic-free
    • Made from:
      • Bamboo
      • Metal
      • Wood
  • Broom and brush handles and heads of all material types are replaceable
  • Made by a Certified B Corp
  • Made in the USA

 

Product Alignment with NY State Sustainability Policies

Many products meeting this GreenNY Specification align with the following NYS sustainability policies:

  • Executive Order 22: Leading by Example: Directing State Agencies to Adopt a Sustainability and Decarbonization Program
  • Pollution Prevention Policy
  • Purchasing of Recycled, Remanufactured, or Recyclable Commodities for State Use
  • State Solid Waste Management Policy

Resources

Sample Contract Language

To support compliance with NYS policies and GreenNY procurement requirements, contract managers are encouraged to incorporate the GreenNY Sample Contract Language into bid solicitations and contracts. The GreenNY sample contract language covers the following topics:

  • GreenNY Sales Reporting
  • Packaging Language
  • Product Labeling per GreenNY Specifications
  • Takeback Services
  • Verification of Vendor Compliance with GreenNY Requirements and Documentation of Desirable Attributes and Other Environmental Claims 

Definitions

  • Disposable – A product designed to be discarded after one use and is not intended to be washed or laundered.
     
  • Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) – A type of plastic (also called “vinyl” or #3 plastic) made up of vinyl chloride molecules linked together. Vinyl chloride is classified as a reasonably anticipated human carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program (NTP). Additives commonly found in PVC include, but are not limited to, plasticizers (e.g., phthalates) and heavy metals (e.g., lead, cadmium). PVC is commonly found in packaging, carpeting and flooring, building materials, medical equipment, office supplies, food service ware, and more.
     
  • Post-Consumer Recycled Content (PCRC) – A material that has served its intended use and has been collected in a municipal or commercial recycling program and incorporated into new materials or products. PCRC does not include pre-consumer recycled content (also referred to as post-industrial recycled content), which is material diverted from the waste stream during the manufacturing process.