An Act amending the act of July 7, 1980 (P.L.380, No.97), known as the Solid Waste Management Act, in applications and permits, providing for food processing residuals.

PRINTER'S NO. 617
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 624
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MASTRIANO, APRIL 11, 2025
REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, APRIL 11, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of July 7, 1980 (P.L.380, No.97), entitled "An
act providing for the planning and regulation of solid waste
storage, collection, transportation, processing, treatment,
and disposal; requiring municipalities to submit plans for
municipal waste management systems in their jurisdictions;
authorizing grants to municipalities; providing regulation of
the management of municipal, residual and hazardous waste;
requiring permits for operating hazardous waste and solid
waste storage, processing, treatment, and disposal
facilities; and licenses for transportation of hazardous
waste; imposing duties on persons and municipalities;
granting powers to municipalities; authorizing the
Environmental Quality Board and the Department of
Environmental Protection to adopt rules, regulations,
standards and procedures; granting powers to and imposing
duties upon county health departments; providing remedies;
prescribing penalties; and establishing a fund," in
applications and permits, providing for food processing
residuals.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of July 7, 1980 (P.L.380, No.97), known
as the Solid Waste Management Act, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 509. Food processing residuals.
(a) A person may not:
(1) apply to or spread on any land in this Commonwealth:
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(i) food processing residuals generated from a
municipal, commercial or industrial wastewater treatment
plant;
(ii) compost material that included in its
production food processing residuals generated from a
municipal, commercial or industrial wastewater treatment
plant or septage; or
(iii) a ny other product or material that is intended
for use as a fertilizer, soil amendment, topsoil
replacement or mulch or for other similar agricultural
purpose that is derived from or contains food processing
residuals generated from a municipal, commercial or
industrial wastewater treatment plant or septage; or
(2) sell or distribute in this Commonwealth:
(i) compost material that included in its production
food processing residuals generated from a municipal,
commercial or industrial wastewater treatment plant or
septage; or
(ii) any other product or material that is intended
for use as a fertilizer, soil amendment, topsoil
replacement or mulch or for other similar agricultural
purpose that is derived from or contains food processing
residuals generated from a municipal, commercial or
industrial wastewater treatment plant or septage.
(b) The prohibition under subsection (a) shall not apply to:
(1) The disposal or placement at a solid waste landfill
of any of the materials that are prohibited from application,
spreading, sale or distribution by this section.
(2) The land application of or the sale or distribution
of compost material or other agricultural product or material
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derived from or containing food processing residuals
generated as a result of the processing or cultivation of
food, food waste, crops or vegetative material, the brewing
of malt liquor, the fermenting of wine or hard cider or the
distilling of spirits, including, but not limited to,
blueberries, apples, grapes, potatoes, seaweed, fish and
seafood and spent grain or malt, provided that the food
processing residuals are not mixed with sludge from a
municipal, commercial or industrial wastewater treatment
plant, septage, sewage or sanitary wastewater prior to or
during land application or the production of the compost
material or other agricultural product or material.
(c) As used in this section, the following words and phrases
shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Animal processing waste." Residual materials in liquid or
solid form generated in the slaughtering of poultry and
livestock or in processing and converting fish, seafood, milk,
meat or eggs to food products.
"Food processing residuals." Animal processing waste and
vegetative processing waste.
"Vegetative processing waste." Residual materials in liquid
or solid form generated in the processing, converting or
manufacturing of fruits, vegetables or crops into marketable
food items.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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