By Brad Lovaas / For The Herald
We are proud to recycle in Washington, and the result of that commitment speaks for itself; our state’s recycling rate is 49 percent, which is 50 percent above the national average. In addition to saving natural resources, our recycling and composting collection and processing reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2019, Washington’s solid waste management industry was more than four times above net-zero in greenhouse gas emissions. This means that Washington’s approach to collecting and recycling materials is working. It saves natural resources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, two key fundamentals in protecting the planet. But we can do better and I’m looking forward to the state Legislature adopting proposals such as House Bill 1900 to further raise our recycling rates.
Curbside collection service is the backbone of our state’s leadership in recycling; 87 percent of Washingtonians have access to curbside collection and those who do not are instead able to go to 109 dropbox locations in their communities, most of which are rural. For most, instead of collecting your own items and dropping them off somewhere, like Oregon residents have to do with beverage cans and bottles, you can just sort them at home and put them out at the curb.
Washington’s foresight decades-ago in the curbside service approach has helped residents avoid higher costs and the inconvenience of paying a bottle-return fee, and then driving to drop off your beverage containers to get your money back. Those operating these deposit systems also get to keep the fees from unreturned items, leading to a hidden tax of tens of millions of dollars per year on everyday products bought at the grocery store. By contrast, Washington’s highly regulated recycling companies pick it up and take care of the rest.
Our public-private partnership with residents and local governments has afforded businesses and residents an economically and environmentally sustainable system that is convenient and relatively low-cost. For residents, it equates to approximately 33 cents a day on average to pick up, sort and find buyers for recyclable materials. Any legislative proposal to increase recycling should protect you from higher costs.
Companies big and small serving Snohomish County, from Rubatino Refuse Removal and Sound Disposal to Republic Services and WM, are part of a recycling industry in our state that employs about 14,700 workers. Their work could not be successful without your commitment to recycling and environmental stewardship.
That is why I am encouraged by House Bill 1900, a bipartisan bill proposed in Olympia to further increase our state’s recycling rate. It starts with the fundamentals and builds on proven programs and infrastructure. It will also help hold packaging manufacturers more accountable.
HB 1900, proposed by Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, and co-sponsored by Rep. Sam Low, R-Lake Stevens — along with Reps. Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, and Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, to name just a few) would first require that our state conduct a needs assessment. This data-driven approach will guide the required investments necessary to support the local recycling needs of each community, based on their current strengths and areas for improvement.
The bill would also hold manufacturers accountable by expanding recycled content requirements. That means more types of packaging must contain a minimum amount of recycled content made from the materials we collect every day in curbside recycling programs. This groundbreaking law was adopted in 2021 and has already resulted in more recyclable materials used in covered packaging. A taskforce has made a recommendation for additional materials to include in the program and we should follow their expert counsel.
HB 1900 would also help us all be better recyclers at home by adopting truth in labeling, a law already on the books in California that eliminates misleading labeling on packaging so that we can reduce confusion and thus contamination in our recycling system. Finally, this bill will require packaging manufacturers to register with the state Department of Ecology and report on the materials they are introducing into our state so that we can develop more effective policies to reduce the amount of non-recyclable goods that they continue to produce.
Most of the rest of the country is trying to catch up to or replicate Washington’s successful programs and investment in recycling. I hope that this is the year that our Legislature adopts bills like HB 1900 so that we can expanded our leadership in our shared goal of a sustainable economy and environmental stewardship through recycling.
Brad Lovaas serves as the executive director of the Washington Refuse & Recycling Association, the statewide advocate for the solid waste and recycling industry that represents companies including Rubatino Refuse Removal, Sound Disposal, Republic Services and WM that partner with Snohomish County communities to recycle more.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
