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<section article="gen" article_name="Environment" number="9-1724.1" title_number="9" title_name="Water, Ice, and Sanitary Facilities" subtitle_number="17" subtitle_name="Office of Recycling">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this section, “person”:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Includes:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>An individual facility owned or operated by a local school system;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>An individual public primary or secondary school;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>An individual nonpublic school;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>A supermarket, convenience store, mini–mart, or similar establishment;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>A business, school, or institutional cafeteria; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>A cafeteria operated by or on behalf of the State or a local government; and</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Does not include:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The aggregate of all school buildings and facilities in a local school system; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A restaurant establishment that:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Accommodates the public; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Is equipped with a dining room with facilities for preparing and serving regular meals.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>This section applies only to a person that:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>On or after January 1, 2023, generates at least 2 tons of food residuals each week; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>On or after January 1, 2024, generates at least 1 ton of food residuals each week; and</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Generates the food residuals at a location that is within a 30–mile radius of an organics recycling facility that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Has the capacity to accept and process all of the person’s food residuals;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Is willing to accept all of the person’s food residuals for recycling; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Is willing to enter into a contract to accept and process the person’s food residuals.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, a person that generates food residuals shall:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Separate the food residuals from other solid waste; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Ensure that the food residuals are diverted from final disposal in a refuse disposal system by:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Reducing the amount of food residuals generated by the person;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Donating servable food;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Managing the food residuals in an organics recycling system installed on–site;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Providing for the collection and transportation of the food residuals for agricultural use, including for use as animal feed;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>Providing for the collection and transportation of the food residuals for processing in an organics recycling facility; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>Engaging in any combination of the waste diversion activities listed under items (i) through (v) of this item.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>A person that generates food residuals may apply to the Department for a waiver from the requirements of subsection (c) of this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Department may grant a waiver under paragraph (1) of this subsection if the person demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Department, undue hardship because of the following:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The cost of diverting food residuals from a refuse disposal system is more than 10% more expensive than the cost of disposing the food residuals at a refuse disposal system; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Other reasonable circumstances.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The Department shall establish waiver application procedures to carry out this subsection.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>On or before December 31 each year, beginning in 2023, the Department shall report to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on the implementation of this section, including the impacts on waste diversion in the State.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Department shall issue a warning to a person who violates this section or any rule or regulation adopted under this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>After receiving a warning issued under paragraph (1) of this subsection, a person who subsequently violates this section, or any rule or regulation adopted under this section, shall be subject to a civil penalty, to be collected in a civil action brought by the Department, of:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>$250 for the second violation;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>$500 for the third violation; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>$1,000 for the fourth and each subsequent violation.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Each day a violation occurs is a separate violation under this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Penalties collected under this subsection shall be distributed to a special fund, to be used only to finance incentives that encourage food waste reduction and composting in the State.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
