Governor Glenn Youngkin is vetoing legislation that might have increased composting.
The governor is pulling out his veto pen and rejecting a bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell that would’ve allowed local governments to require supermarkets and convenience stores to separate waste from compost.
"According to the EPA, about 85% of food scraps are burned instead of reused," Surovell said as he explained why he introduced the bill. "And one of the ways we can use less fracked methane is to use anaerobic digestion – either with animal waste, food waste, other kinds of organic waste; you throw it in a big tub and bake it. It generates methane. You can put that in a pipe and burn it in your furnace or stove instead of using fracked methane."
One of the supporters of the bill was Andrew Cassilly at Bioenergy Devco.
"The bill allows localities to extend the lifespan of their landfills and meet climate mitigation goals by implementing regulations to divert food waste and organic material from the waste stream", said Cassilly.
In his veto message, the governor said he’s in favor of promoting sustainable waste management. But he also said he’s worried about the burden this would place on businesses to comply if local governments used the law to create new requirements.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
