Summary — S-2426 (Reprint/As Amended)
Topic: Reduction of food waste; composting facility regulation (Solid Waste Management)
Status
- Reported out of Senate Committees with amendments; placed on 2nd Reading (most recent committee action: Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee, 6/26/2025).
Purpose / Intent
- Require each New Jersey solid waste management district (each county plus the Hackensack Meadowlands district administered by the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority) to adopt a district-level strategy to substantially reduce food waste generation and to enable expanded use of organic recycling (composting/anaerobic digestion).
Key provisions
- Food-waste reduction target
- Each solid waste management district must develop and implement a strategy to reduce food waste generated in the district by at least 50% by calendar year 2035, using 2022 as the baseline year.
- Strategies must be adopted as amendments to district solid waste management plans (or via administrative action) and are subject to approval by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
DEP guidance and measures
- DEP must develop and publish on its website a list of measures districts can use to meet the reduction target. Examples specified include:
- Prevention activities and public awareness campaigns
- Increasing donation of surplus edible food
- Source separation and recycling of food waste
- Composting and anaerobic digestion and other diversion methods that reduce methane
Composting regulation
- DEP is required to adopt rules and regulations creating a tiered regulatory structure for composting facilities under the Solid Waste Management Act to facilitate use of organic waste recycling. (Committee amendments removed a specific 180‑day proposal deadline and removed an explicit requirement to base rules on the U.S. Composting Council model rule.)
Measurement scope
- The amended bill clarifies that increases in edible food donation, composting, and anaerobic digestion count toward achieving the food-waste reduction target.
- The bill also revises the statutory definition of “food waste” (as amended).
Who would be affected
- Counties and the Hackensack Meadowlands solid waste district (required to prepare and implement strategies)
- Municipalities (may design local programs such as donations, source separation, curbside collection)
- DEP (rulemaking, plan review, web publication)
- Food businesses, haulers, composting and anaerobic digestion facilities, community composting operations, schools, and households
Fiscal and operational impacts
- Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimate:
- One‑time local cost (counties + NJSEA) at least $1.2 million (assumes ~$5,000 per district to amend plans plus ~ $50–55k per district for initial public awareness and program start-up).
- One‑time State cost at least $55,000 for DEP support and web materials in year one.
- DEP will incur a one‑time workload increase to review plan amendments, develop guidance, and adopt composting rules; current staff could likely absorb these duties.
- Higher-cost scenarios are possible if localities implement new collection infrastructure (separate curbside organics service or new processing capacity), potentially costing millions per municipality and hundreds of millions statewide; conversely, long‑term savings could accrue from reduced landfill tip fees if collected waste volumes fall.
Notable changes from earlier drafts (committee amendments)
- Extended the target year from 2030 to 2035 and set 2022 as the baseline.
- Clarified that donations and increased organics recycling count toward the 50% reduction.
- Removed the 180‑day deadline for DEP to propose composting rules and removed some prescriptive rule language (e.g., mandatory use of a specific model rule); rules are to be adopted under the Solid Waste Management Act.
- Allowed districts to adopt strategies via administrative action where permitted by DEP regulation.
Next steps / procedural
- Bill has been advanced out of committee and sits on 2nd Reading in the Senate. Further floor action, concurrence by the General Assembly (if amended in the Senate), and final enactment would follow normal legislative steps.
Sources
- Office of Legislative Services fiscal estimate (10/2/2024)
- Committee statements (Senate Environment & Energy, 6/20/2024; Senate Budget & Appropriations, 6/26/2025)
- Bill text (as reprinted/introduced)
