P1 1WHEREAS, Materials, such as yard trimmings, vegetable
2cuttings, biosolids, food scraps, manures, and hay shavings, have
3all been composted and converted into a beneficial product known
4as compost; and
5WHEREAS, Compost is an important soil amendment and is
6critical to the state’s valuable agricultural industry; and
7WHEREAS, Returning organic resources to the soil decreases
8dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, decreases
9erosion, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and nonpoint source
10pollution, conserves water, and creates drought-resistant crops;
11and
12WHEREAS, Composting is an effective form of waste reduction,
13reuse, and recycling; and since compostable organic materials
14make up approximately 42 percent of the material going to
15landfills, composting is becoming one of the primary methods
16used by communities to reach waste diversion goals; and
17WHEREAS, Anaerobic digestion is a form of organics
18management that prepares materials for composting, while
19
capturing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, which is then used
20to generate electricity and heat or processed into an ultra-low
21carbon transportation fuel; and
22WHEREAS, Composting California’s food waste could cut
23landfill methane emissions by an amount of up to the equivalent
24of three million tons of carbon dioxide per year, and reduce
P2 1greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of an additional 3.3
2million tons, through the use of finished compost in agriculture;
3and
4WHEREAS, Communities, through their local governments,
5highway departments, soil conservation services and extension
6offices, and public works professionals, can have significant impact
7on clean water, soil, climate change, and landfill diversion by using
8compost for public works projects; and
9WHEREAS, Composting creates green jobs and infrastructure
10for cities and states that implement composting programs; and
11WHEREAS, The Department of Resources Recycling and
12Recovery has estimated that recovering a significant portion of
13our organic waste stream could create 14,000 new jobs in the state
14by 2020; and
15WHEREAS, The composting councils of the United States,
16Canada, and the United Kingdom have all declared the first full
17week of May as the annual International Compost Awareness
18Week; now, therefore, be it
19Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the
20week of May 3, 2015, through May 9, 2015, is hereby designated
21as Compost Awareness Week; and be it further
22Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
23of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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