E.A. Crunden@eacrunden reports for WasteDive
UPDATE: March 11, 2020: A bill banning single-use plastic bags (SB 5323) has been sent to Gov. Jay Inslee for final approval. If he signs it, which is considered likely, Washington will become the ninth state with some form of bag policy. Another bill setting post-consumer recycled content standards (HB 2722) has also passed both chambers of the state legislature, following final amendments, and is also off to Inslee for consideration.
Dive Brief:
- Washington state is considering establishing minimum post-consumer recycled content (PCR) standards for plastic beverage containers (HB 2722), banning single-use plastic bags that do not meet minimum content standards (SB 5323), and banning expanded polystyrene products (SB 6213).
- The first bill has passed the state House and the latter two have passed the state Senate, with further committee hearings scheduled this week. But it is unclear how each might ultimately fare. A prior version of the bag ban, for example, passed the Senate last year before stalling in the House.
- Groups like Zero Waste Washington are supportive of these bills and other waste-centric legislation. Heather Trim, the organization’s executive director, told Waste Dive the uptick reflects a growing national trend. “I think there’s going to be a lot of plastics-related legislation across the United States because there’s so much public interest,” she said.
