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Supporting State Legislation Incentivizing the Use of Finished Compost and Digestate on Commercial and Specialty Farm Operations
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WHEREAS, Kane County generates approximately forty thousand (40,000) tons of organic material each year via yard waste and food scraps collected from residential and commercial sources; and
WHEREAS, the Kane County Board approved the adoption of the Climate Action Implementation Plan (CAIP; Res. 24-505), which recommends thirty-five percent of all organic waste to be diverted from landfills by 2030; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition has established a lack of robust markets for finished compost as a barrier to composting a higher percentage of organic material in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, the CAIP recommends collaboration with partners to create a market for certified compost; and
WHEREAS, Kane County considers incentivizing the use of finished compost and digestate to be beneficial in promoting soil health, building resilience to drought, and reducing reliance on inorganic fertilizers for local farmers; and
WHEREAS, S.B. 1397 has been introduced to the 104th General Assembly to allocate certain funds from the state Solid Waste Management Fund for a new grant program to support the purchase, transport and application of finished compost on public and private land.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Kane County Board supports S.B. 1397 and any reciprocal House Bill to establish a grant program that would fund the cost of purchasing, transporting, and applying finished compost and digestate on commercial farm and specialty farm operations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chair of the Legislative Committee shall submit witness slips establishing Kane County as a Proponent of S.B. 1397 and reciprocal House Bill in advance of Committee hearings, or shall issue a written directive to Kane County’s lobbyist to support the Bill in interactions or correspondence with relevant members of the General Assembly, or shall issue a letter describing the County’s support of the Bill to the relevant Assembly Members.
Passed by the Kane County Board on March 11, 2025.
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John A. Cunningham, MBA, JD, JD Corinne M. Pierog MA, MBA
Clerk, County Board Chairman, County Board
Kane County, Illinois Kane County, Illinois
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