Bill Text: VA SB1319 | 2021 | 1st Special Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Waste Diversion & Recycling Task Force; Department of Environmental Quality to continue Task Force.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-03-31 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0503) [SB1319 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2021-SB1319-Comm_Sub.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. §1. A. That the Department of Environmental Quality (the Department) is requested to continue its Waste Diversion and Recycling Task Force (the Task Force) that was created pursuant to SJ 42 (2020).
B. That the Department shall include in the Task Force additional members including (i) two directly affected community members who reside within a reasonable vicinity of a currently permitted and operating landfill; (ii) two experts on solid waste management and recycling at the academic or research level who shall be independent of and not associated with or employed by any public or private waste management entity or any advocacy group; (iii) a member of the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice; (iv) a representative of a rural solid waste planning unit; (v) a representative of an urban solid waste planning unit; (vi) a representative of a rural local government with experience in land-use planning; (vii) a representative of an urban local government with experience in land-use planning; (viii) a representative of the Virginia Trucking Association; and (ix) a representative of an environmental advocacy group focusing on the management and recycling of solid waste. If the Director of the Department determines that certain additional members would contribute to the deliberations of the Task Force, he may allow participation of additional members who shall be nonvoting members and shall not be counted for purposes of a quorum.
C. That in addition to those topics of study identified in SJ 42 (2020), the Task Force shall (i) further study available options to divert from landfills in the Commonwealth food residuals, organic waste, and baseline recyclables; (ii) conduct a meta-analysis or systematic review of the policies, legislation, practices, and programs proposed and implemented by other states and draw upon such programs in considering recommendations for waste diversion policies; (iii) examine Virginia's status as a prime destination for out-of-state trash and explore ways in which waste from other states can be diverted from Virginia's landfills; (iv) assess the landfill, hazardous waste, and recycling facilities needed to manage toxic materials generated by electric vehicle and electric grid backup battery waste; and (v) investigate the role of a composting and food donation infrastructure in reducing the volume of waste that is accepted by landfills, including upgrading and refining existing food donation infrastructure, identifying food material and organic waste generators and haulers, comparing the use of in-house composting with regional composting hubs, studying the ideal distance between composting hubs and waste generators, considering the permitting of composting hubs, and exploring markets and systems for composting services and anaerobic digestion.
D. That in developing its recommendations, the Task Force shall take guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Sustainable Materials Management Program Strategic Plan.
E. That the Task Force shall hold its first meeting of the 2021 interim no later than October 15, 2021, and shall publish an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations no later than November 1, 2022.
