CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

97

CHAPTER 114

Statutes of 2026

Introduced by Assembly Member Connolly

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Davies, DeMaio, Dixon, Elhawary, Ellis, Fong, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Irwin, Jackson, Johnson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Rivas, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Wilson, and Zbur)

April 21, 2026

Relative to Compost Awareness Week.

Fiscal committee: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

This measure would declare that the week of May 3, 2026, to May 9, 2026, inclusive, is designated as Compost Awareness Week.

WHEREAS, Composting is a way of returning organic resources to the soil to restore the health of the soil and enable its essential function in the carbon cycle; and

WHEREAS, Applying finished compost is a proven method of growing healthy food, conserving water during extreme drought, providing resiliency during flooding conditions, reducing water consumption and nonpoint pollution, decreasing the dependence on chemical fertilizers, decreasing erosion, and remediating fire-damaged lands; and

WHEREAS, California instituted ambitious goals around both organics diversion and compost use through Senate Bill 1383 (Chapter 395 of the Statutes of 2016), recognizing compost as an effective form of resource recovery, waste reduction, reuse and recycling, and pollution reduction; and

WHEREAS, Materials such as yard trimmings, vegetable cuttings, biosolids, food scraps, manures, and hay shavings have all been composted and converted into a beneficial product known as compost; and

WHEREAS, Communities, through their local governments, highway departments, soil conservation service and extension offices, and public works agencies, can have a significant impact on clean water, soil, climate change, and landfill diversion by using compost for public works projects; and

WHEREAS, Composting creates green jobs and infrastructure for cities and states that implement composting programs; and

WHEREAS, International Compost Awareness Week is a publicity and education initiative to showcase compost production and demonstrate compost use; and

WHEREAS, The International Compost Awareness Week theme for 2026, “Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us,” was chosen to highlight the benefits of composting in agriculture and food production and the role of compost in supporting healthy, nutritious food and, by extension, people and communities. Beyond responsible waste management, composting recognizes the interconnectedness between every person who eats and the earth that provides all of our food, as well as our agency in feeding the earth our scraps so that the soil may continue to provide for us abundantly; and

WHEREAS, Compost grows healthy soil, healthy food, and a healthy California; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the week of May 3, 2026, to May 9, 2026, inclusive, is hereby designated as Compost Awareness Week; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.