{"id":18106,"date":"2023-04-14T10:01:12","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T14:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/articles\/ilsr-helps-pass-bill-expanding-on-farm-composting-of-food-scraps-in-md\/"},"modified":"2024-12-18T07:44:37","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T12:44:37","slug":"bill-expanding-on-farm-composting-of-food-scraps-passes-in-md","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/es\/article\/composting-for-community\/bill-expanding-on-farm-composting-of-food-scraps-passes-in-md","title":{"rendered":"El ILSR contribuye a la aprobaci\u00f3n de una ley que ampl\u00eda el compostaje de residuos alimenticios en las granjas de Maryland"},"template":"","class_list":["post-18106","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_type-article","initiatives-composting-for-community","topics-farming","topics-on-farm-composting","impact_areas-climate-and-environmental-justice","impact_areas-food-security","impact_areas-rural-vitality","authors-linda-bilsens-brolis"],"acf":{"details":{"featured_image":1006,"background_color":"tan","article_type":[134],"initiative":15,"display_event_fields":false,"start_date":null,"end_date":null,"start_time":null,"end_time":null,"time_zone":"America\/New_York","virtual_event":false,"location":"","topics":[76,99],"impact_areas":[16,18,23],"abstract":"

Go to ILSR\u2019s Composting Rules Library to see more detail on the law. Maryland has been a national model for advancing on-farm composting since the state\u2019s composting permit regulations were updated in 2015 with carve-outs for farms and small composting operations. Those rules \u2013 which ILSR championed \u2013 created a tiered permitting structure and exempted on-farm … Read More<\/a><\/p>\r\n","authors_tax":[635]},"sidebar":{"title":"\u00cdndice"},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"Go to <\/span>ILSR\u2019s Composting Rules Library<\/span><\/a> to see more detail on the law.<\/span>\r\n\r\nMaryland has been a national model for <\/span>advancing on-farm composting<\/span><\/a> since the state\u2019s composting permit regulations were updated in 2015 with carve-outs for farms and small composting operations. Those rules \u2013 which ILSR championed \u2013 created a <\/span>tiered permitting structure<\/span><\/a> and exempted on-farm and small sites from needing a full composting facility permit for processing <\/span>certain feedstock types in particular quantities<\/span>, including off-site food scraps <\/span>(<\/span>COMAR 26.04.11.06<\/span><\/a>)<\/span>. In its 2023 session, Maryland\u2019s legislature created a new, expanded exemption by passing <\/span>SB262<\/span><\/a>\/<\/span>HB253<\/span><\/a>, \u201cOn-Farm Composting Facilities\u2014Permit Exemption.\u201d This new law requires the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to adopt regulations that more than double the area allowed for food scrap composting \u2013 from 5,000 sq. ft. for space used \u201cin support of composting,\u201d to 10,000 sq. ft. for \u201cactive composting.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>","":null,"settings":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_media_duo","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_media_duo":{"align":"left","background":"white","image_size":"normal","image":18738,"title":"ILSR\u2019s History of Advocacy","text":"The new law represents a significant step forward in enlisting farmers to contribute to Maryland\u2019s composting infrastructure, which has been identified as a key strategy for diverting food scraps from the solid waste stream at the both\u00a0state<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0local<\/a>\u00a0levels, due in large part to ILSR\u2019s efforts over many years. ILSR advocates for\u00a0a diverse and distributed composting infrastructure<\/a>\u00a0that includes farms. We also\u00a0document and promote model policies and programs that advance this vision via\u00a0webinars<\/a>, a\u00a0policy library<\/a>, and a\u00a0policy map<\/a>.\u00a0We have been working to foster widespread support for\u00a0on-farm composting and compost use<\/a>\u00a0nationally and most recently in Maryland as part of the\u00a0Million Acre Challenge<\/a>, a collaborative focused on proliferating the adoption of soil health practices on farms in the Chesapeake region.","button":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"Over the last two years, ILSR worked closely with key stakeholders and bill sponsors, playing an essential role in developing the bill language for\u00a0SB262<\/a>\/HB253<\/a>. During the 2022 legislative session (the first year it was introduced), ILSR led this process, coordinating input from the farming and environmental communities, bill sponsors, and University of Maryland Extension faculty. The bill language specifies restrictions for on-farm composting of food scraps to ensure sites are well-operated and high-quality compost is produced, while not overburdening farmers who are already subject to a number of overlapping regulatory requirements. In Maryland\u2019s rules, food scraps and manures generated off-site are classified as a \u201cType 2\u201d feedstock. The bill allows farmers to add clean \u201cOff Site Type 2\u201d feedstocks to materials generated on the farm. As defined in the bill, materials cannot contain more than 2 percent man-made inerts or plastic film, and they cannot include liquid feedstocks (such as grease or oil), animal mortalities from off-site, or industrial processing residuals. The bill requires best practices such as recordkeeping, immediate mixing of off-site food scraps with carbonaceous \u201cType 1\u201d feedstock (e.g., yard trimmings), and incorporation into active composting within 24 hours after arriving on site.\r\n\r\nAmendments were made to the bill during the 2023 session to establish the composting of off-site food scraps and manures at the 10,000 sq. ft. level as a new and distinct permit exemption category. They were made in collaboration with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). This process was led by\u00a0Clean Water Action<\/a>\u00a0y un grupo activo de partes interesadas que inclu\u00eda al ILSR, el\u00a0MD Farm Bureau<\/a>, un\u00a0agricultor local<\/a>, y un\u00a0compostador de la comunidad local<\/a>, all of whom were also involved in 2022.\u00a0Key changes include:\r\n