I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2292
To express the sense of the Congress to encourage the President and the
Governor of each State to carry out on-site composting at their residences.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 26, 1993
Mr. HOCHBRUECKNER (for himself, Mr. TORRES, Mr. FISH, Ms. NORTON,
Mr. WALSH, and Ms. MCKINNEY) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To express the sense of the Congress to encourage the Presi-
dent and the Governor of each State to carry out on-
site composting at their residences.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Executive Composting
Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States faces a crisis in munici-
pal solid waste management, due in large part to
rapidly declining landfill capacity and growing public
concern about the adverse environmental con-
sequences of waste disposal.
(2) Composting, an ancient technique that pro-
motes natural decomposition of biodegradable mate-
rials, could be used to manage as much as 60 per-
cent of municipal discards, including such items as
fallen leaves, grass clippings, woody materials, and
post-consumer organic materials that are not suit-
able for municipal recycling programs. Homeowners
can naturally recycle their yard trimmings and
kitchen food scraps through backyard composting,
thus substantially reducing the amount of materials
they discard.
(3) Finished compost material provides a valu-
able soil amendment that can improve soil quality
and stability, help prevent soil erosion, and reduce
the demand for chemical fertilizers. Homeowners can
use compost produced from backyard composting in
outdoor landscaping or as soil for houseplants.
(4) The President of the United States and the
Nation’s Governors, uniquely positioned to lead by
example, can provide a model for citizen involvement
by composting their organic yard trimmings and
food scraps that are not suitable for recycling pro-
grams. Such programs could include distribution of
the finished compost material to the public for use
in gardens and other appropriate purposes.
(5) A backyard composting effort at the White
House and at Governors’ residences would dem-
onstrate to citizens that each household has a role
to play in the solid waste solution, a component of
which may be recovering organic materials through
backyard composting.
(6) Backyard composting at the Federal and
State executive residences would also set a positive
example for Federal and State government agencies,
and could encourage composting of organic materials
on government office grounds.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that, in order to en-
courage backyard composting across the Nation, the
President and the Governor of each State should consider
carrying out on-site composting of organic materials gen-
erated at their residences and grounds that is appropriate
for composting, including yard trimmings, kitchen food
scraps, and other organic materials that are not suitable
for recycling programs. The President and each Governor
also should consider distributing the resulting compost to
visitors and local residents for use in gardens and other
appropriate purposes.
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