(a) Legislative findings. The County Council finds that:
(1) the County’s general goal of solid waste management establishes waste reduction as the most preferred management technique, followed by reuse, composting and recycling, then incineration with energy recovery, and, least preferred, landfilling;
(2) food waste represents a significant percentage of the County’s solid waste stream;
(3) educating food producers can reduce the generation of excess food that would enter the solid waste stream;
(4) giving food that would otherwise be wasted to organizations that serve people in need is a means to reuse excess food;
(5) composting, a means promoting the biological decomposition of organic material such as food waste into a stable, humus-like product, is a first step in the recycling of food waste;
(6) the use of compost has been demonstrated to benefit soil health by:
(A) suppressing plant diseases and pests;
(B) reducing or eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers;
(C) promoting higher yields of agricultural crops; and
(D) improving soil structure;
(7) compost use is a valuable tool in stormwater management that can lower runoff volume due to improved water holding capacity, healthy vegetation/biomass, and increased infiltration; and
(8) reducing excess food generation, reusing food that would otherwise be wasted, and increasing the amount of food and other compostable waste that is composted will help the County meet its goal of recycling 70% of the solid waste stream generated in the County.
(b) Strategic Plan required. The Director must develop a Strategic Plan to Advance Composting, Compost Use and Food Waste Diversion in Montgomery County by January 1, 2018. The Strategic Plan must identify:
(1) legislative changes, including but not limited to amendments to this Chapter, necessary to reduce food waste and promote composting;
(2) County policies and initiatives to reduce food waste and promote and support composting in the county;
(3) models and best practices used by other jurisdictions;
(4) metrics for assessing and increasing food waste diversion, composting, and compost use;
(5) goals for achieving certain levels of food waste diversion and dates for achieving those goals;
(6) challenges to achieving the goals and means of overcoming these challenges;
(7) potential sites for food waste composting operations;
(8) environmental and public health benefits of composting and food waste diversion; and
(9) cost estimates and potential economic and environmental benefits of implementing the Strategic Plan.
(c) Considerations. The Strategic Plan must consider the following areas in its legislative, policy, metrics, and cost recommendations:
(1) home composting;
(2) community-scale composting;
(3) on-site institutional and commercial composting;
(4) on-farm composting;
(5) small-scale commercial composting facilities;
(6) support for existing and new composting businesses in the form of grants, loans, and land;
(7) models and best practices, including methods and materials, used by other jurisdictions;
(8) use of incentives to encourage private food waste diversion and composting;
(9) diversion and composting of non-food waste compostables;
(10) local use of compost to support soil health and the County stormwater management program;
(11) education and outreach to reduce food waste and promote composting; and
(12) strategies for maximizing the volume of compostables collected in a curbside collection program.
(d) Consultation with stakeholders. In developing the Strategic Plan, the Director must consult with:
(1) the County Division of Solid Waste Services;
(2) the County Department of Permitting Services, including the Land Development and Zoning and Site Plan Enforcement Divisions;
(3) the County Department of Health and Human Services;
(4) the County Department of General Services;
(5) Montgomery County Public Schools;
(6) the County Planning Department;
(7) the County Parks Department;
(8) the County Office of Agriculture;
(9) the County Revenue Authority;
(10) the Montgomery County Food Council;
(11) the Montgomery Countryside Alliance;
(12) the County Solid Waste Advisory Committee;
(13) the University of Maryland Extension;
(14) Community Food Rescue;
(15) the Maryland Horse Council;
(16) the governing bodies of all County municipalities; and
(17) organizations and individuals in the County involved in compost production and use and food waste diversion.
(e) Annual report. By July 1 each year, the Director must submit a report to the County Executive and County Council. The annual report must:
(1) update the food waste diversion metrics; and
(2) document the progress towards achieving the goals of the Strategic Plan. (2016 L.M.C., ch. 33, § 1; 2017 L.M.C., ch. 12, §1.)