Solid waste: compostable materials.

Senator McNerney's composting regulations bill modifies California's tiered system for composting operations by adjusting volume thresholds and expanding exemptions for agricultural facilities. The legislation increases the maximum allowable feedstock and compost volume for excluded activities from 100 to 500 cubic yards, while eliminating the current 750-square-foot spatial restriction.

The bill creates a new exemption category for agricultural facilities managing large-scale biomass events, such as orchard removals or vineyard clearing, provided they do not otherwise function as solid waste facilities. These operations may incorporate additional agricultural materials and manure from other sites, though they must maintain records documenting the materials' origin. For composting operations in the enforcement agency notification tier, the bill permits facilities to process up to 10% food material by volume for five years before requiring a full solid waste facility permit, provided they maintain between 500 and 12,500 cubic yards of material onsite.

The legislation also addresses distribution limits, allowing qualifying composting operations to give away or sell up to 5,000 cubic yards of compost annually, an increase from the current 1,000-cubic-yard cap. This provision applies to both excluded tier operations and agricultural material composting facilities in the enforcement agency notification tier that process green and agricultural materials on agriculturally zoned land. The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery retains authority to establish best management practices and training requirements for operations accepting food material under the new provisions.