Ferguson called it the “biggest overhaul of our recycling system in decades.” Washington’s law, the seventh in the U.S., drew opposition from the waste and recycling industry.
By Megan Quinn, Senior Reporter, Waste Dive
Washington is now the seventh U.S. state with a packaging EPR law.
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed SB 5284 into law on Saturday, the culmination of years of advocacy to get a bill across the finish line. He called it the “biggest overhaul of our recycling system in decades” during the signing.
Now that Washington has adopted the law, the whole West Coast of the U.S. has an EPR for packaging program. California and Oregon have also adopted such laws.
The Recycling Reform Act creates an extended producer responsibility program for most kinds of paper and packaging. It also establishes a statewide recycling collection list and calls for adding curbside recycling for all homes that already have curbside trash service. Ferguson noted at the bill signing that this could add service for hundreds of thousands of households.
It also calls for the state’s Department of Ecology to conduct and submit a statewide recycling needs assessment, due by Dec. 31, 2026, and update it with any new data by Dec. 31, 2027.
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