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HB1011 • 2026

Compost and other products containing organic soil amendments; waste disposal infrastructure, etc.

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-937.1 and by adding in Article 3 of Chapter 9 of Title 22.1 a section numbered 22.1-141.2:1, relating to compost and other products containing organic soil amendments; waste disposal infrastructure; civil penalty.

Education
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Tran
Last action
2026-05-14
Official status
Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact enforcement mechanisms and criteria for obtaining a waiver from the waste separation requirements are not specified in the official bill text.

Compost Preference and Waste Separation Rules

This act allows local governments to give preference to locally produced compost in contracts and requires large generators of organic waste to separate it from other trash, with penalties for non-compliance.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the governing body of a locality to prefer compost or soil amendments made within such locality when there is a tie bid for such products in contracts.
  • Requires certain generators of large quantities of organic waste to separate organic waste from other solid waste and ensure that it is diverted from final disposal in a refuse disposal system through specified waste diversion activities.
  • Establishes civil penalties for businesses that repeatedly violate the separation rules after receiving warnings, with specific penalty amounts for subsequent violations.
  • Expresses the intent that new public school buildings include proper disposal systems for food scraps, recyclables, and liquid waste.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local governments when awarding contracts involving compost or soil amendments.
  • Large generators of organic waste such as supermarkets, cafeterias, and similar businesses.
  • New public schools in terms of including proper disposal systems for food scraps, recyclables, and liquid waste.

Terms To Know

Generator
A business or facility that produces large amounts of organic waste, such as public and nonpublic school facilities, supermarkets, convenience stores, or similar establishments; a business, school, or institutional cafeteria; and a cafeteria operated by or on behalf of the Commonwealth or a locality.
Organic Waste
Material derived from the processing or discarding of food, including pre-consumer and post-consumer vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products, and meats.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how localities will enforce the new requirements on generators of organic waste.
  • It is unclear what criteria a generator must meet to obtain a waiver from the waste separation requirements.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB1011AC

2026-03-13 • Conference

Conference Report

Plain English: JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT We, the conferees, appointed by the respective bodies to consider and report upon the disagreeing vote on House Bill No.

  • JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT We, the conferees, appointed by the respective bodies to consider and report upon the disagreeing vote on House Bill No.
  • 1011 , report as follows: A.
  • We recommend that the Senate Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26109039D) be rejected.
  • B.
HB1011G

2026-04-11 • Governor

Governor's Recommendation

Plain English: (HB1011) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION 1.

  • (HB1011) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION 1.
  • Line 4, enrolled, Title, after infrastructure; strike the remainder of line 4 and through expanded; on line 5 2.
  • Line 14, enrolled, after establishments strike ; [the semi-colon] insert and cafeterias operated by or run on behalf of 3.
  • At the beginning of line 15, enrolled strike institutional cafeteria; and a cafeteria operated by or on behalf of the Commonwealth or a 4.
HB1011AHC2

2026-01-29 • Committee

Subcommittee #2 Subcommittee Amendment

Plain English: 1/29/2026 HB 1011 SUBCOMMITTEE 1.

  • 1/29/2026 HB 1011 SUBCOMMITTEE 1.
  • Line 28, introduced, after facility insert or anaerobic digester
HB1011AHC1

2026-01-29

Counties, Cities and Towns Amendment

Plain English: OFFERED FOR CONSIDERATION 1/29/2026 HB 1011 SUBCOMMITTEE 1.

  • OFFERED FOR CONSIDERATION 1/29/2026 HB 1011 SUBCOMMITTEE 1.
  • Line 28, introduced, after facility insert or anaerobic digester
HB1011AH1

2026-01-30 • Committee

Counties, Cities and Towns Amendment

Plain English: 1/30/2026 HB 1011 COUNTIES, CITIES AND TOWNS 1.

  • 1/30/2026 HB 1011 COUNTIES, CITIES AND TOWNS 1.
  • Line 28, introduced, after facility insert or anaerobic digester

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-14 Governor

    Approved by Governor-Chapter 1121 (effective 7/1/2026)

  2. 2026-05-14 Governor

    Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1121)

  3. 2026-04-22 Governor

    Governor's recommendation adopted

  4. 2026-04-22 House

    Signed by Speaker

  5. 2026-04-22 Senate

    Signed by President

  6. 2026-04-22 House

    Communicated to Governor

  7. 2026-04-22 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., May 23, 2026

  8. 2026-04-22 House

    Reenrolled

  9. 2026-04-22 House

    Reenrolled bill text (HB1011ER2)

  10. 2026-04-22 House

    Governor's amendment nos. 1, 4, and 5 agreed to (66-Y 34-N 0-A)

  11. 2026-04-22 House

    Governor's amendment nos. 2 and 3 passed by

  12. 2026-04-22 Senate

    Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation (21-Y 18-N 0-A)

  13. 2026-04-11 Governor

    Governor's recommendation received by House

  14. 2026-04-01 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1011)

  15. 2026-03-31 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026

  16. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  17. 2026-03-31 House

    Signed by Speaker

  18. 2026-03-31 House

    Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026

  19. 2026-03-31 Governor

    Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026

  20. 2026-03-30 Senate

    Signed by President

  21. 2026-03-30 House

    Enrolled

  22. 2026-03-30 House

    Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB1011ER)

  23. 2026-03-14 House

    Conference report agreed to by House (66-Y 31-N 0-A)

  24. 2026-03-14 Senate

    Conference report agreed to by Senate (21-Y 18-N 0-A)

  25. 2026-03-13 Conference

    Conference Report released

  26. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Senate requested conference committee

  27. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Senate Conferees: Surovell, Bennett-Parker, Cifers

  28. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Conferees appointed by Senate

  29. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Senate insisted on substitute

  30. 2026-03-12 House

    Senate substitute rejected by House (3-Y 95-N 0-A)

  31. 2026-03-12 Senate

    Senate insisted on substitute Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)

  32. 2026-03-12 House

    House acceded to request

  33. 2026-03-12 House

    Conferees appointed by House

  34. 2026-03-12 House

    House Conferees: Tran, Nivar, Bloxom

  35. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Read third time

  36. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Read third time

  37. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute

  38. 2026-03-11 Local Government

    Local Government Substitute agreed to

  39. 2026-03-11 Senate

    Passed Senate with substitute (21-Y 19-N 0-A)

  40. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Rules suspended

  41. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Rules suspended

  42. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  43. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 2nd reading) (37-Y 0-N 0-A)

  44. 2026-03-10 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  45. 2026-03-09 Finance and Appropriations

    Reported from Finance and Appropriations (10-Y 4-N)

  46. 2026-03-03 Local Government

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1011)

  47. 2026-03-02 Local Government

    Reported from Local Government with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (8-Y 7-N)

  48. 2026-03-02 Local Government

    Committee substitute printed 26109039D-S1

  49. 2026-02-10 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1011)

  50. 2026-02-06 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)

  51. 2026-02-06 Local Government

    Referred to Committee on Local Government

  52. 2026-02-05 House

    Read third time and passed House (69-Y 28-N 0-A)

  53. 2026-02-04 House

    Read second time

  54. 2026-02-04 House

    committee amendment agreed to

  55. 2026-02-04 House

    Engrossed by House as amended

  56. 2026-02-03 House

    Read first time

  57. 2026-01-30 Counties, Cities and Towns

    Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with amendment(s) (18-Y 3-N)

  58. 2026-01-29 Subcommittee #2

    Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) (8-Y 0-N)

  59. 2026-01-29 Subcommittee #2

    House subcommittee offered

  60. 2026-01-28 Subcommittee #2

    Assigned HCCT sub: Subcommittee #2

  61. 2026-01-14 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103785D

  62. 2026-01-14 Counties, Cities and Towns

    Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns

Official Summary Text

Local competitive bidding for compost and other products containing organic soil amendments; waste disposal infrastructure; civil penalty.
Allows the governing body of a locality to give preference to compost or other products containing organic soil amendments produced within such locality in the case of a tie bid when determining the award of any contract for compost or other products containing soil amendments to be purchased for use by such locality. The bill also provides that any locality may by ordinance require that certain generators, as defined in the bill, of large quantities of organic waste separate the organic waste from other solid waste and ensure that the organic waste is diverted from final disposal in a refuse disposal system by any of a variety of specified waste diversion activities. The ordinance may also establish civil penalties for violations of the ordinance, but a locality shall first issue a warning to a generator that violates the ordinance. Finally, the bill expresses that it is the intent of the General Assembly that new public school buildings and facilities and improvements and renovations to existing public school buildings and facilities include waste disposal infrastructure, as defined in the bill, that includes a place for the disposal of trash, recyclables, and food scraps and a sink for liquid waste. This bill is identical to SB 226.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
15.2-937.1
and by adding in Article 3 of Chapter 9 of Title 22.1 a section numbered
22.1-141.2:1
, relating to compost and other products containing organic soil amendments; waste disposal infrastructure; civil penalty.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered
15.2-937.1
and by adding in Article 3 of Chapter 9 of Title 22.1 a section numbered
22.1-141.2:1
as follows:
§
15.2-937.1
. Localities may require separation of organic waste; civil penalty.
A. For purposes of this section:
"Generator" means a generator of large quantities of organic waste, including public and nonpublic school facilities, supermarkets, convenience stores, or similar establishments; a business, school, or institutional cafeteria; and a cafeteria operated by or on behalf of the Commonwealth or a locality.
"Organic waste" means material derived from the processing or discarding of food, including pre-consumer and post-consumer vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy products, and meats.
B. Any locality may, by ordinance, require that certain generators separate organic waste from other solid waste and ensure that such organic waste is diverted from final disposal in a refuse disposal system. The ordinance may require that generators divert organic waste from final disposal in a refuse disposal system by (i) reducing the amount of food residuals generated; (ii) donating servable food; (iii) managing the organic waste in an on-site organics recycling system; (iv) providing for the collection and transportation of organic waste for agricultural use, including for use as animal feed or for processing in an organics recycling facility

or anaerobic digester; or (v) engaging in some combination of those waste diversion activities. However, a locality that adopts an ordinance pursuant to this section shall require that a business generating at least one ton of organic waste weekly compost such organic waste at a permitted facility if such facility is within 30 miles of the business
, unless the business demonstrates in writing that the permitted facility will not accept the organic waste
.
C. The ordinance shall only apply to a generator that generates a threshold amount of organic waste, as established in the ordinance. Such generator may apply for a waiver from the above requirements if the generator demonstrates undue hardship in accordance with criteria established by the locality.
D. The ordinance may establish civil penalties for violations of the ordinance. A locality shall first issue a warning to a generator that violates the ordinance. After receiving a warning, a generator that subsequently violates the ordinance is subject to a civil penalty to be collected in a civil action brought by the locality. The civil penalty is $250 for a second violation, $500 for a third violation, and $1,000 for a fourth or subsequent violation. Each day a violation occurs is a separate violation. Penalties collected under the ordinance shall be payable to the treasury of the locality.
§
22.1-141.2:1
. Waste disposal infrastructure.
A. For purposes of this section:
"Organic waste" means the same as that term is defined in §
15.2-937.1
.
"Waste disposal infrastructure" means a physical waste disposal line located near a cafeteria that allows a student to efficiently and properly dispose of organic waste at the end of a meal.
B. It is the intent of the General Assembly that new public school buildings and facilities and improvements and renovations to existing public school buildings and facilities include waste disposal infrastructure that includes a place for the disposal of trash, recyclables, and organic waste and a sink for liquid waste.