California legislators aren’t throwing away a bill on composting.
In fact, a bill meant to make it easier for farms, vineyards and smaller-scale community farms and gardens to do their own composting saw bipartisan approval last week in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, chaired by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat who represents southern Orange County communities.
From Sen. Jerry McNerney, a Democrat whose district includes San Joaquin County and part of Alameda County, SB 279 would let large vineyards and farms compost on-site rather than ship green waste to a composting facility, as they have to do now, which could be hundreds of miles away, according to the bill. McNerney’s office pointed to a recent CalRecycle report that found California needs up to 100 additional organic waste recycling facilities to meet demand.
The bill would also allow urban and school farms and community composters to compost up to 500 cubic yards of green waste and food scraps, up from the current limitation of 100 cubic yards, onsite as well. And it increases the amount of compost an organization can give away from 1,000 to 5,000 cubic yards per year, McNerney said during a committee hearing.
The bill “helps small-scale solutions flourish by removing regulatory barriers that hold back school gardens and community composters while also eliminating disincentives for growers, the very people eager to be part of this solution,” said Erica Parker, a policy associate with Californians Against Waste, a non-profit environmental research organization. “Additionally, composting isn’t just about managing organic waste. It’s a key tool for climate resilience.”
Parker said on-farm composting is “a way to responsibly manage large biomass events every 25 to 30 years, like a whole orchard or vineyard.”
But Neil Edgar, co-founder of the California Compost Coalition, a statewide lobbying effort focused on legislation and regulation, told legislators that he was “in the very awkward position” of opposing the bill, as it stands now, specifically when it comes to food waste and deregulation.
“For many of us, just managing that small bucket of food material on your kitchen counter is risky,” said Edgar. “We’re talking about 20 tons of material at very small sites. In all these cases, unregulated or under-regulated operators, creating environmental impacts is not a recipe for success.”
Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-Van Nuys, expressed concern about oversight for how facilities take in and store compost. She did not vote on the bill and said more conversations about some of the concerns with the legislation would be beneficial.
While the bill was ultimately voted out of committee with zero no votes, Blakespear noted there are some changes that will need to be made.
“The idea of reducing regulation on composting facilities and making large-scale composting of orchards and vineyards more practical is something I think we should be aiming toward,” said Blakespear. “I think that I fear we’re focusing too much on a protection when we really need to be expanding the total pie. … I encourage continuing to work toward that but reducing barriers (and) deregulating where needed and where possible.”
“Our office is open to working with the opposition if amendments or comments are produced,” said McNerney.
Orange County offers free compost and mulch at Bee Canyon Greenery at Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Irvine, Capistrano Greenery at Prima Deshecha Landfill in San Juan Capistrano, and Valencia Greenery at Olinda Alpha Landfill in Brea, according to OC Waste & Recycling. Check its website, oclandfills.com/compost, for more information.
In other news
• New Sen. Tony Strickland was appointed to serve as vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and vice chair of the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee. He will also serve on the Energy, Utilities and Communications; Banking and Financial Institutions; and the Business, Professions and Economic Development committees.
• A bill from Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, that provides an alternative to post-entitlement permits — required before construction can begin on housing projects — has cleared two committees in the lower chamber with bipartisan support. The bill would allow for small-scale residential building permit applicants to hire a private, licensed professional to do the required plan checking to ensure compliance with state housing and building codes, under certain circumstances.
“By providing an alternative review option, AB 253 eases the burden on overextended local building departments and accelerates project timelines, helping to increase housing supply and improve affordability,” Quirk-Silva said in a bill analysis.