R 263
2025 -- H 6300
Enacted 05/06/2025

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING THE FIRST FULL WEEK OF MAY, 2025, TO BE "COMPOSTING AWARENESS WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

Introduced By: Representatives Cortvriend, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Boylan, Speakman, McGaw, Carson, Donovan, and Bennett

Date Introduced: May 06, 2025

     WHEREAS, Each year, Composting Awareness Week is celebrated nationwide during
the first full week of May with the goal of raising public awareness of the environmental benefits
of composting; and
     WHEREAS, Compost is a mixture made up of organic materials such as yard trimmings,
vegetable and fruit peels and scraps, other food scraps, flowers, eggshells, paper products,
nutshells, sawdust, wood chips, biosolids, manure, hay shavings, and leaves, which are rich in
moisture and nutrients, and when added to the soil in gardens and farms, helps plants and crops
grow; and
     WHEREAS, By retaining and transferring moisture through the soil to the plant,
composting minimizes the need for irrigation, reduces water usage by up to 30 percent, conserves
water during droughts, and prevents flooding by retaining water that would otherwise enter drains
and sewers; and
     WHEREAS, Rich in both nutrients and organisms, compost is beneficial for plant health
and growth, as well as worms, centipedes, spiders, beetles, and fungal mycelium, which results in
minimizing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and reduces soil and water pollution;
and
     WHEREAS, Composting reduces waste by reusing and recycling organic materials,
which make up approximately 30 percent of all materials sent to landfills, and can help
communities that implement composting programs to efficiently divert waste from landfills and
become more sustainable; and
     WHEREAS, The beneficial organisms and microbes in compost also sequester and retain
carbon in the soil, and help to prevent carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases,
which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere in large amounts due to decomposing
waste in landfills; and
     WHEREAS, By using compost in certain public works projects, such as the construction
and improvement of parks, trails, highways, and green spaces, composting can lead to large-scale
reductions in pollution, help to prevent climate change, and lead to the creation of green jobs;
now, therefore be it
     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
proclaims the first full week of May to be "Composting Awareness Week" and respectfully urges
the Governor and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to observe the
week with appropriate activities and programs. We moreover encourage all Rhode Islanders to
start composting and help build a healthier environment for all; and be it further
     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor of the
State of Rhode Island, and Terrence Gray, Director of the Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management.
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LC002512
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