City of Baltimore - File #: 15-0202R

• File #: 15-0202R
• Version: 0
• Name: Investigative Hearing - Municipal Composting
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Adopted
• File created: 2/9/2015
• In control: City Council
• On agenda: 3/23/2015
• Final action: 3/23/2015
• Title: Investigative Hearing - Municipal Composting FOR the purpose of requesting the Director of Public Works, and the Chief, Bureau of Solid Waste to update the Council on the Department’s progress toward creating a comprehensive Municipal Composting Program, to provide a fiscal impact statement on creating the program, and estimate a time line for citywide implementation of municipal composting.
• Sponsors: Bill Henry, Warren Branch, Eric T. Costello, James B. Kraft, Mary Pat Clarke, Edward Reisinger, Sharon Green Middleton, William "Pete" Welch, Robert Curran, Helen L. Holton, Nick Mosby, President Young, Brandon M. Scott, Rochelle Spector, Carl Stokes
• Indexes: Investigative Hearing, Municipal Composting

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
3/23/2015	0	City Council	Adopted
3/23/2015	0	Judiciary and Legislative Investigations	Recommended Favorably
3/11/2015	0	Judiciary and Legislative Investigations	Recommended Favorably	Pass
2/12/2015	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
2/12/2015	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
2/12/2015	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
2/9/2015	0	City Council	Introduced
2/9/2015	0	City Council	Assigned
2/9/2015	0	Judiciary and Legislative Investigations	Scheduled for a Public Hearing

* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*

CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)

Introduced by: Councilmember Henry


A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Investigative Hearing - Municipal Composting
FOR the purpose of requesting the Director of Public Works, and the Chief, Bureau of Solid Waste to update the Council on the Department’s progress toward creating a comprehensive Municipal Composting Program, to provide a fiscal impact statement on creating the program, and estimate a time line for citywide implementation of municipal composting.
body

Recitals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 27% of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream - a lot of waste to send to landfills when it could become useful and environmentally beneficial compost instead. Compost offers the obvious benefits of resource efficiency and creating a useful product from organic waste that would otherwise have been landfilled.

The EPA defines compost as organic material that can be used as a soil amendment or as a medium to grow plants. Mature compost is a stable material with a content called humus that is dark brown or black and has a soil-like, earthy smell. It is created by: combining organic wastes (e.g., yard trimmings, food wastes, manures) in proper ratios into piles, rows, or vessels; adding bulking agents (e.g., wood chips) as necessary to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials; and allowing t...