The City of Bellevue adopted Ordinance No. 6844 establishing a new procurement code section, BCC 4.28.165 (Compost procurement), in Chapter 4.28. The ordinance creates operational compliance obligations for City projects and City contractors where compost products can be utilized, including: (1) a planning requirement to consider compost use in City projects; (2) required use (or requiring contractors to use compost) when feasible, with specified exceptions (e.g., availability/timing, procurement standards, health/quality/safety, or unreasonable/noncompetitive price); (3) purchasing priorities (e.g., local producers and compost meeting recognized quality/certification and applicable Washington standards); (4) a public education/outreach component; and (5) annual reporting to the Washington State Department of Ecology. The ordinance states an effective date of 30 days after passage and legal publication, but the specific calendar date is not provided in the research data and is therefore left blank.
City of Bellevue Ordinance No. 6844 adds a new section to Chapter 4.28 of the Bellevue City Code: BCC 4.28.165 “Compost Procurement.” The ordinance requires City departments to consider compost products before planning City-funded projects or soliciting bids and, when compost can be utilized, to use (or require contractors to use) compost unless specified exceptions apply (e.g., availability, standards, health/quality/safety, or unreasonable/noncompetitive pricing). It establishes priority purchasing criteria (e.g., locally produced compost, nationally recognized certification such as USCC, and compost derived from municipal solid waste programs meeting WSDOT/Ecology quality standards), directs public education/outreach by the City Manager/designee, and requires an annual report to the Washington Department of Ecology. The ordinance text specifies reporting is due by March 31, 2025 and each March 31 thereafter, covering prior-year diversion tonnage and processing facilities, compost volume/cost purchased, and sources. The ordinance states it becomes effective 30 days after passage and legal publication, but the passage/publication dates are not provided in the extracted research text, so specific effective/implementation dates are not captured.