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This measure would designate the week of May 6, 2018, through May 12, 2018, as Compost Awareness Week.

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WHEREAS, Composting is an effective form of waste reduction, reuse, and recycling, and since organic materials make up approximately 30 percent of the material going to landfills, composting is becoming one of the primary methods communities use to reach waste diversion goals and create sustainable communities; and

WHEREAS, Chapter 719 of the Statutes of 2014 phased out diversion credits for organic alternative daily cover in landfills, Chapter 727 of the Statutes of 2014 statutorily mandated commercial recycling of organics, and Chapter 593 of the Statutes of 2015 required organic waste recycling planning by local jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, Section 42649.87 of the Public Resources Code requires 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 use of agricultural, forestry, and urban organic waste as a feedstock for compost and by promoting the appropriate use of that compost throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, Chapter 395 of the Statutes of 2016 requires the State Air Resources Board to incorporate new targets for landfill diversion and reduction of methane emissions from livestock and dairy operations in its comprehensive short-lived climate pollutant strategy, and specifically recognizes the important role composting may have in achieving those targets; and

WHEREAS, Organic residual materials, including yard trimmings, vegetable cuttings, biosolids, food scraps, manures, and hay shavings, have been composted and converted into a beneficial product known as compost; and

WHEREAS, Returning organic resources contained in compost to the soil reduces water consumption by over 30 percent on all soil types, conserves water during extreme drought or flooding conditions, reduces dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and reduces erosion and nonpoint source pollution; and

WHEREAS, Composting is recognized by the State Air Resources Board as an important tool to sequester massive amounts of carbon in Californias soils to help control global warming by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the soil; and

WHEREAS, Communities, through their local governments, highway departments, soil conservation services, and public works professionals, can have positive impacts on clean water, soil, climate change, and landfill diversion by using compost for public works projects; and

WHEREAS, International Compost Awareness Week is a multimedia publicity and educational initiative, initiated and supported by compost industry organizations from around the world, to showcase compost production and demonstrate compost use; and

WHEREAS, Composting creates green jobs and infrastructure for cities and states that implement composting programs; and

WHEREAS, The United States Composting Council and the composting industry organizations of Australia, Canada, Europe, Ireland, and the United Kingdom have declared the first week of May to be the annual International Compost Awareness Week; and

WHEREAS, The Association of Compost Producers is the California State Chapter of the United States Composting Council and manages International Compost Awareness Week in California; and

WHEREAS, The theme of 2018, Compost! Building a Better Future, is a great way to get the message out regarding compost and its many benefits to communities and property owners; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the week of May 6, 2018, through May 12, 2018, is hereby designated as Compost Awareness Week; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.