Dive Brief:
- California introduced a bill, AB 1594, which encourages governments, at a local level, to recycle and prevent organic waste from entering landfills.
- Current laws allow green waste materials to be used as daily cover on sites and exempt organics from a statewide disposal fee.
- The exemption and recycling credits used toward diversion rates favor the use of green waste as ground cover, as opposed to alternative environmentally-friendly options.
Dive Insight:
Bill Camarillo, an executive committee member of a statewide compost advocacy group said, "the use of recovered yard trimmings and other green materials as alternative daily cover at California landfills is the largest single impediment to the development of a robust composting industry in our state and a significant contributor to greenhouse gas production."