SB226 • 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: Surovell
Last action: 2026-05-14
Official status: Acts of Assembly Chapter
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify how localities will enforce waste diversion activities beyond issuing warnings and imposing fines.

Compost Preference and Waste Separation Rules

This act allows local governments to give preference to locally produced compost in contracts and requires certain businesses to separate organic waste 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.
Requires large generators of organic waste to separate this waste from other solid waste and divert it from landfills through specified methods like recycling, donation, or feeding animals.
Establishes civil penalties for businesses that repeatedly violate the separation requirements after receiving warnings.
Encourages new public school buildings and renovations to include proper disposal systems for trash, recyclables, and organic waste.

Who It Names or Affects

Local governments when awarding contracts for compost or soil amendments.
Businesses and institutions that generate large amounts of organic waste.
Public schools during construction or renovation projects.

Terms To Know

Generator: A business, school, or institution that produces a significant amount of organic waste.
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 specific penalties for violating the separation requirements are outlined but may vary by locality.
It is unclear what constitutes 'undue hardship' that could exempt generators from compliance.

Amendments

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

SB226AC

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 Senate Bill No.

JOINT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT We, the conferees, appointed by the respective bodies to consider and report upon the disagreeing vote on Senate Bill No.
226 , report as follows: We recommend that the House Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (26108336D) be accepted to resolve the matters under disagreement.
Respectfully submitted, Senator Scott A.
Surovell (signed) Senator Stella G.

SB226G

2026-04-11 • Governor

Governor's Recommendation

Plain English: (SB226) GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION 1.

(SB226) 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.

Bill History

2026-05-14 Governor
Approved by Governor-Chapter 1122 (effective 7/1/2026)
2026-05-14 Governor
Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP1122)
2026-04-22 Governor
Governor's recommendation adopted
2026-04-22 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-04-22 Senate
Signed by President
2026-04-22 Senate
Communicated to Governor
2026-04-22 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., May 23, 2026
2026-04-22 Senate
Senate passed by for the day recommendation Nos. 2 and 3 (Voice Vote)
2026-04-22 Senate
Reenrolled
2026-04-22 Senate
Reenrolled bill text (SB226ER2)
2026-04-22 Senate
Senate concurred in Governor's recommendation Nos. 1, 4 and 5 (21-Y 18-N 0-A)
2026-04-22 Senate
Governor's recommendation Nos. 2 and 3 passed by (Voice Vote)
2026-04-22 House
Governor's amendments nos. 1, 4, and 5 agreed to (64-Y 33-N 0-A)
2026-04-11 Governor
Governor's recommendation received by Senate
2026-03-31 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-31 House
Signed by Speaker
2026-03-31 Senate
Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 31, 2026
2026-03-31 Governor
Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026
2026-03-31 Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB226)
2026-03-30 Senate
Signed by President
2026-03-30 Senate
Enrolled
2026-03-30 Senate
Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB226ER)
2026-03-14 House
Conference report agreed to by House (64-Y 33-N 0-A)
2026-03-14 Senate
Conference report agreed to by Senate (22-Y 17-N 0-A)
2026-03-13 Conference
Conference Report released
2026-03-10 House
Conferees appointed by House
2026-03-10 House
House Conferees: Tran, Nivar, Bloxom
2026-03-04 Senate
Conferees appointed by Senate
2026-03-04 Senate
Senate Conferees: Surovell, Pekarsky, Jordan
2026-03-04 Senate
Senate acceded to request Block Vote (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-03-02 House
House insisted on substitute
2026-03-02 House
House requested conference committee
2026-02-27 Senate
House substitute rejected by Senate
2026-02-25 House
Read third time
2026-02-25 House
committee substitute agreed to
2026-02-25 House
Engrossed by House - committee substitute
2026-02-25 House
Passed House with substitute (66-Y 32-N 0-A)
2026-02-24 House
Read second time
2026-02-23 Counties, Cities and Towns
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB226)
2026-02-20 Counties, Cities and Towns
Reported from Counties, Cities and Towns with substitute (16-Y 5-N)
2026-02-20 Counties, Cities and Towns
Committee substitute printed 26108336D-H1
2026-02-04 House
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-04 House
Read first time
2026-02-04 Counties, Cities and Towns
Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns
2026-01-30 Senate
Read third time and passed Senate (21-Y 17-N 0-A)
2026-01-30 Finance and Appropriations
Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB226)
2026-01-29 Senate
Read second time
2026-01-29 Senate
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute
2026-01-29 Finance and Appropriations
Finance and Appropriations Substitute agreed to
2026-01-29 Senate
Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)
2026-01-28 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-01-28 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-01-28 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-01-28 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-01-27 Finance and Appropriations
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (9-Y 5-N)
2026-01-27 Finance and Appropriations
Committee substitute printed 26106306D-S1
2026-01-21 General Laws and Technology
Reported from General Laws and Technology and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)
2026-01-10 Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26100606D
2026-01-10 General Laws and Technology
Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

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 HB 1011.

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.