AB 2959

The bill would allow local governments to take control of byproducts from restaurants, grocery stores and other retail businesses. Currently, many of these businesses sell their byproducts to haulers who then sell the material to farmers for feed use.

The bill could greatly disrupt the role dairy farmers and beef producers play in keeping solid organic waste from heading into landfills, thus preventing the waste from contributing to more methane emissions in landfills.

According to the EPA, landfills are the 3rd largest source of human-related methane emissions, accounting for about 15% of all U.S. methane emissions in 2018. In California, about 18% of materials that go into landfills is wasted food. In the U.S. about 30-40% of the food supply is wasted. Let those numbers sink in. It’s truly unacceptable.

Farmers and producers use byproducts inedible by humans to feed livestock. In fact, 86% of global livestock feed is not human edible. This material can come from many different sources including restaurants, grocery stores and retail businesses. Byproducts that would otherwise sit at a landfill and emit GHGs, are instead used to produce nutritious protein that CAN be eaten by humans. This is called UPCYCLING and it plays a significant role in meeting SB 1383 goals.

If the proposed AB 2959 passes, the bill would potentially set back the contributions made by dairy farmers and beef producers in reducing methane emissions.

Source: Dr. Frank Mitloehner