Senate committees narrow HB 751, remove compostable packaging from organic-waste definition and defer effective date

House Bill 751, HD2, establishing statewide goals for solid waste reduction and organic-waste diversion passed the committees on Tuesday after members adopted targeted revisions recommended by the Department of Health.

Lein Otsu of the Department of Health testified in opposition and flagged incomplete data on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and the performance of compostable food packaging. Committees received 36 written testimonies in support and two in opposition.

Committee chairs said they would remove "compostable food packaging" from the bill’s definition of "organic waste" because the testing on PFAS contamination is incomplete. The committees also deferred the bill’s effective date to July 1, 2050, a change described during decision making as precautionary pending additional testing results.

Chair and vice chair both voted to pass the bill with amendments; the motion passed by the members present. Committee staff will reflect the deletions and the new effective date in the committee report.

The committees noted they would consider Department of Health concerns while preserving the bill’s broader goal of establishing county-level organic waste diversion plans aligned to statewide benchmarks.