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A 2102

Prohibits the sale of vape products that are made to be attractive to or target persons under the age of twenty-one

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Keith Brown and 5 co-sponsors

Exempts community gardens with on-site composting from several DEP permits if they limit weekly food-waste to 200 gallons (adjusted by size) and use compost on-site.

REPORTED REFERRED TO RULES
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Bill Summary · A 2102

Summary of Assembly Bill No. 2102 (A-2102)

Note: The documents provided indicate that A-2102 concerns exemptions for community gardens with on-site composting from certain DEP permitting requirements, not the sale of vape products. The summary below reflects the bill’s content as described in the materials.

Purpose and intent

  • To exempt certain community gardens that operate on-site composting or other on-site systems for managing organic waste from DEP permitting requirements under several environmental and waste-management laws.
  • The exemption is conditioned on meeting specific waste-handling limits and on-site use requirements, helping to reduce regulatory barriers for community gardens while promoting local recycling and composting practices.

Key provisions and changes

  • Exemption from DEP permits

    • A community garden that operates an on-site composting system (or other on-site organics management aligned with DEP recycling standards) shall not be required to obtain DEP permits or approvals under:
    • Solid Waste Management Act
    • New Jersey Statewide Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act
    • Air Pollution Control Act
    • Water Pollution Control Act
    • This exemption applies specifically to the operation of the on-site composting system and related activities, not to other DEP-regulated operations.

  • Eligibility conditions

    • The on-site system may accept no more than:
    • 200 gallons per week of source-separated food waste
    • If the garden is 5,000 square feet or larger, the limit increases to 200 gallons per week per 5,000 square feet of property
    • Compost generated must be used on-site exclusively for the community garden, except that it may be given away or offered for sale in accordance with DEP rules for disposition of processed Class C recyclable materials.

  • Definitions

    • Community garden: Any publicly or privately owned land maintained and cultivated as a garden by members of the surrounding community.
    • Food waste and source separated: Defined as in related DEP-recycling statutes (references provided in the bill text).

  • Effective date

    • The act takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who/what is affected

  • Community gardens that operate on-site composting systems and meet the specified limits (200 gallons/week of source-separated food waste; on-site use of compost) would be exempt from certain DEP permit requirements.
  • DEP and local environmental permitting processes would be affected by removing permit requirements for qualifying garden composting operations.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Legislative history (highlights from the provided records):
    • Introduced: January 9, 2024
    • Assembly Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee: Reported favorably (November 14, 2024)
    • Passed Assembly: December 19, 2024 (vote 73-0-0)
    • Senate actions: Received in Senate January 14, 2025; referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee; subsequently referred to Health (as of January 15, 2025)
  • Primary sponsor: Charles Fall

Potential impact and considerations

  • Positive:
    • Reduces regulatory burden on community gardens that operate on-site composting, potentially encouraging more local composting and waste diversion.
    • Clarifies permissible scales of on-site food-waste processing for garden operations.
  • Considerations:
    • The exempted activities are tightly scoped to on-site composting that adheres to DEP standards and defined waste-volume limits; non-composting activities or larger-scale organics processing would remain subject to permitting.
    • Local programs and garden operators would need to ensure on-site compost uses comply with DEP guidance, especially for the sale or giveaway of finished compost.

If you’d like, I can adapt this summary to align with the official title (as listed for A-2102) once the final, enacted title is confirmed.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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