Solid waste: compostable materials.

The general composting exclusion threshold changed from a flat 500 cubic yards for all operations to a tiered system: 200 cubic yards for private operations and 500 cubic yards for public agency-owned operations. This narrows the exclusion for private composters by 60 percent.

Three Assembly members (Alanis, Ellis, and Garcia) were added as coauthors, indicating broader legislative support for the bill.

A new definitions subsection was added covering 'agricultural byproduct material,' 'agricultural facility,' 'agricultural material,' 'large-scale biomass management event,' and 'manure.' A definition of 'public agency' was also added, specifying city, county, charter city or county, special district, joint powers authority, state agency, or federal agency.

CalRecycle (Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery) was given explicit authority to increase the onsite feedstock and compost limits by regulation, providing flexibility beyond what is set in statute.

The section was reorganized: definitions moved to subdivision (a), excluded activities to subdivision (b), permit obligations to subdivision (c), and compost product sales/giveaway provisions to subdivision (d). The large-scale biomass management event exclusion language was largely carried over with minor wording changes.

The bill text was reformatted from the official chaptered document layout (with 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' headers, page numbers, and column formatting) to a web page display format with navigation menus, search tools, and version history links. No changes to the substantive legal language.

Header changed from enrolled bill format (with Senate/Assembly passage dates and governor receipt line) to chaptered law format with 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' and Chapter 651 designation.

Governor approval date filled in as October 11, 2025, replacing the blank 'Approved ___, 2025' line.

Line wrapping, indentation, and page numbering adjusted throughout to match the official chaptered law layout. No changes to statutory language.

The entire provision allowing composting operations with 500 to 12,500 cubic yards of material onsite to be placed in the enforcement agency notification tier and accept up to 10 percent food material by volume for up to five years without a full solid waste facility permit was deleted. This removed a pathway for mid-size composters to handle food waste.

A new frequency and duration limit was added: the large-scale biomass management exclusion may be used no more than once every 10 years, and the composting of materials from such an event shall not exceed 24 months.

A new subdivision (b) requires persons handling compostable material under the exclusions to obtain all permits, licenses, or other clearances required by other regulatory agencies, including local health entities and local land use authorities. This clarifies that the solid waste exclusion does not exempt operators from other regulatory requirements.

The record retention requirement for entities acquiring offsite agricultural materials was strengthened from simply 'maintain records' to 'maintain records for a minimum of five years.'

The definition of excluded animal materials was broadened from 'animal carcasses' to 'whole or partial animal carcasses or animal byproducts other than manure.' A new definitional sentence was also added stating that a large-scale biomass management event includes, but is not limited to, the removal of a whole orchard or vineyard.

A new provision authorizes the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to increase, by regulation, the 5,000 cubic yard annual compost sales limit when the composting involves agricultural materials from a large-scale biomass management event.

The restriction on animal carcasses and byproducts was extended to explicitly cover offsite materials as well, not just onsite materials, stating 'Offsite material shall not include whole or partial animal carcasses or animal byproducts other than manure.'

The amendment date header was updated to reflect the May 23, 2025 amendment, with the prior May 12 date retained as a secondary line.

A drafting error introduced the duplicated phrase 'Material Materials' in Section 44019(a)(2)(A) where the prior version correctly read 'Material or residues.'

A section numbering error appears in the new version where subsection (c) is shown on its own line followed by a mislabeled '(b)' for the compost product sales provision, which was correctly labeled (c) in the prior version.

Senator Hurtado added as coauthor of the bill

A drafting error appears to have been introduced in Section 44019(a)(2)(A), changing 'a large scale biomass management event' to 'a large scale large-scale biomass management event,' duplicating the word 'scale' with a hyphen

Page numbering changed from 98 to 97, reflecting re-pagination of the bill

Animal carcasses are now explicitly excluded from the definition of materials covered under the large-scale biomass management event exemption. This prevents operators from using the exclusion to compost animal carcasses without a full solid waste facility permit.

The provision allowing entities to bring in agricultural materials, byproducts, and manure for blending with onsite orchard or vineyard removal residues now requires that those materials come 'from an agricultural site.' This narrows the permissible source of imported materials compared to the introduced version, which had no such geographic or use-based restriction.

A new record-keeping requirement obligates any entity that acquires and uses agricultural materials, byproduct materials, or manure for blending under the exclusion to maintain records identifying the origin of those materials and to present them to enforcement agencies upon request. This creates a traceability and accountability mechanism.