AB 1981: Organic waste: composting.

Existing law requires, until January 1, 2021, the California Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the State Water Resources Control Board, the State Air Resources Board, and the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop and implement policies to aid in diverting organic waste from landfills by promoting the composting of specified organic waste and by promoting the appropriate use of that compost throughout the state.

This bill would revise and recast this and related provisions, including, among other changes, imposing additional duties on those state agencies relating to promoting the application of compost and additionally including the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in the state agencies in coordination with which the California Environmental Protection Agency is required to develop and implement the above-specified policies. The bill would also require the California Environmental Protection Agency additionally to work with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Forest Management Task Force to achieve the goal of reducing at least 5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year through the development and application of compost on working lands. The bill would postpone the repeal of these provisions until January 1, 2026.