ASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT AND SOLID WASTE COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

ASSEMBLY, No. 4548

 

with committee amendments

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED:  SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

 

      The Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 4548 with committee amendments.

      This bill, as amended by the committee, would authorize a school to receive compostable or anaerobically digestable food waste from another school, provided that the receiving school accepts the food waste, composts the food waste using an in-vessel composting system or digests the food waste using an on-site anaerobic digestion system, and does not accept food waste in excess of the capacity of its in-vessel composting system or anaerobic digestion system. 

      In addition, the bill provides that schools that receive food waste pursuant to the bill would be exempt from permits required by the Department of Environmental Protection under the "Solid Waste Management Act," P.L.1970, c.39 (C.13:1E-1 et seq.), the "New Jersey Statewide Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act," P.L.1987, c.102 (C.13:1E-99.11 et al.), the "Air Pollution Control Act (1954)," P.L.1954, c.212 (C.26:2C-1 et seq.), or the "Water Pollution Control Act," P.L.1977, c.74 (C.58:10A-1 et seq.), or any rules or regulations adopted pursuant thereto, related to the receipt of the food waste or the processing of food waste generated on-site.

      The bill would not apply to schools that are covered under P.L.2020, c.24 (C.13:1E-99.122 et al.), which would continue to dispose of their food waste pursuant to that law.

 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amendments to the bill:

      1)   expand the bill to authorize schools to receive anaerobically digestable food waste, in addition to compostable food waste;

      2)   provide that schools that receive food waste pursuant to the bill would not need to obtain certain permits required by the Department of Environmental Protection related to the receipt of the food waste or the processing of food waste generated on-site;

      3)   add definitions for the terms “anaerobically digestible” and “anaerobic digestion system”; and

      4)   make technical amendments.