| Environment We all know the waste diversion mantra—reduce, reuse,
recycle. Much has changed over the last 40 plus years as the characteristics of
the solid waste we all produce as well as disposal and diversion methods have
changed. While managing solid waste is a smaller percentage of the
contributions to climate change impacts, there are so many actions that
citizens can take individually. But it’s not just about individual
responsibility, but also getting companies to take responsibility for the waste
their products create. Incentivizing plastic waste reduction and better
recycling outcomes will lead to creating a circular economy to divert waste
from disposal. Issue Team Chair: Ann Murphy, Waste Diversion Issue Chair, amurphy@lwvwa.org |
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Legislation |
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Overview 2025 Legislative Session Legislation in recent years have focused on implementing policies to divert waste from disposal through reuse/repair, reduction, and recycling/composting, and then to safely and sustainably manage the remainder. In this 2025 Session, legislators will continue to consider bills that will reduce and manage the waste that we all produce, including (but not limited to….) the recycling of electric vehicle batteries, management of packaging through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), environmental impacts of the fashion industry, refrigerant recycling, right to repair, and more. These efforts are to reduce the amount of waste that is actually disposed of by landfilling or incineration. LWVWA supports legislation based on these position statements:
Wrapping up the 2024 Legislative Session The 2024 Legislative Session bills focused on implementing policies to divert waste from disposal through reuse/repair, reduction, and recycling/composting, and then to safely and sustainably manage the remainder. Some legislation was developed based on 2023 Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5187, Section 302 (20). The Washington State Legislature directed the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) to contract for a study to (1) develop recycling, reuse, and source reduction performance target rates for consumer packaging and paper materials; and (2) conduct a community input process to gather input from Washington residents about their views and opinions on the state's recycling system. This study addresses consumer packaging material, and specifically, rigid and flexible plastic, paper, aluminum, steel, and glass. Read the complete report here. During the Interim before the 2025 Session, we will be building support for bills that will continue to reduce and manage the waste that we all produce, including (but not limited to….) the recycling of electric vehicle batteries, recycling of wind turbines, management of packaging through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and a deposit return system (DRS) for beverage containers.
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2025 Waste Diversion Legislation
*Note: Other bills will be added as they are introduced and reviewed.
Bills in green are supported. Bills in red are opposed by the League. Bills in black the League is watching.
HB 1150/SB 5284 The Recycling Reform Act (Improving Washington’s solid waste management outcomes. Formerly, the Re-WRAP Act): Championed by Senator Liz Lovelett and Representative Liz Berry, this bill would establish a product stewardship program for packaging and printed paper, including recycling and reuse targets and plastic source reduction.
HB 1107 Disclosure and tracking of fashion impacts (Concerning the environmental impacts of fashion): Championed by Rep. Mena. Fashion retail sellers or fashion manufacturers with annual worldwide gross income greater than $100,000,000 must disclose environmental due diligence policies, processes, and outcomes, including significant real or potential adverse environmental impacts and disclose targets for prevention and improvement.
HB 1154 Adding Ecology approval for landfill permits (Ensuring environmental and public health protection from solid waste handling facility operations): Championed by Rep. Davina Duerr, this bill adds Ecology approval, in addition to local health jurisdictions, for landfill permit approvals. It also adds civil penalty of up to $10,000 per day for operating solid waste facilities without a permit.
HB 1134 State green schools program (Promoting resource conservation practices in public schools): Led by Rep Bergquist, this bill would establish a state green schools program in the office of the superintendent of public instruction to create and expand resource conservation practices in public schools, including: Waste reduction, energy reduction, water conservation, urban forestry education, and environmental preservation; and education and leadership opportunities for students seeking to promote conservation practices in their schools
HB 1293 Concerning litter: Championed by Rep Klicker, this bill adds penalties together for littering in an amount less than or equal to one cubic foot and sets up a littering solutions task force to provide policy recommendations to the legislature.
HB 1420 EPR for textiles (Establishing producer responsibility for textiles): Championed by Rep. Reeves, this bill would set up an extended producer responsibility program for textiles and restrict toxic PFAS chemicals in textile products. This bill is modeled after the bill that passed recently in California.
HB 1422 Drug take-back program fix (Modifying the drug take-back program): Led by Rep Peterson, this bill fixes a problem in the existing medicine return extended producer responsibility program, modifying fee and enforcement regulations and addressing program operator performance parity.
HB 1483/SB 5423 Right to Repair (Supporting the servicing and right to repair of certain products with digital electronics in a secure and reliable manner): Championed by Representative Gregerson and Senator Derek Stanford. This bill requires digital electronic product manufacturers, such as Apple and Microsoft, to make repair information, parts and tools available to independent repair businesses and owners. There’s a huge amount of e-waste! For example, on average, Washington disposes of 8,700 phones every day. This bill would make it possible for small businesses to repair these items. Extending the life of computers, tablets and cellphones, and appliances reduces the burden on manufacturing new products – therefore also decreasing greenhouse gas. This bill will lower costs for consumers, get used digital electronics into the hands of people who need them, and help overcome digital inequities in Washington. This way, people will keep using their items instead of tossing them!
HB 1497 Compost, organics management (Improving outcomes associated with waste material management systems): Championed by Representative Beth Doglio, this bill would address composting and other management of organic (yard and food waste) in order to divert the material from the landfill and avoid methane gas generation.
HB 1550/SB 5586 EV Battery recycling (Improving the end-of-life management of electric vehicle batteries): Championed by Rep. Chipalo Street and Senator Stanford, this bill is modeled after the New Jersey EV battery bill (January 2024) and sets up a system for ensuring safe recycling or repurposing of EV batteries. We support this bill preferably over SB 5045 (see below) because this bill handles EV batteries differently than other batteries.
HB 1607/SB 5502 Beverage deposit aka Bottle Bill (Concerning recycling and waste reduction): Championed by Representative Stonier and Senator Robinson, this bill would establish a system that facilitates the return of beverage containers, with a 10 cent refund.
HB 1670/SB 5450 Increasing transparency regarding sewage-containing spills: EPC Priority Item - Hundreds of sewage overflows occur every year. Few are widely reported to the general public. Too often, the public only finds out about these spills when their local beach or fishing area is closed because of contaminated water. Sewage discharges contribute to a range of environmental harms including toxics exposure and bacterial pollution. Spill reports to the Department of Ecology are not searchable or compiled and available in a timely way to the public to use for active decision-making for personal pollution exposure. At least 10 other states such as South Carolina, Connecticut, and Massachusetts have a public disclosure hub and right to know law on the books, but Washington does not. This policy would require the Department of Ecology to establish a public-facing website with maps and searchable sewage spill records.
HB 1789/SB 5175 Solar panel recycling program revision (Concerning the photovoltaic module stewardship and takeback program): Led by Rep Kloba and Sen. Shewmake, this bill delays the solar panel recycling program and establishes a photovoltaic module advisory committee to make program recommendations by June 1, 2026.
HB 1826/SB 5680 Establishing a right to repair mobility equipment for persons with physical disabilities: Bill sponsors are Representative Gregerson and Senator Hansen. Championed by Representative Gregerson and Senator Drew Hansen. This bill requires manufacturers of powered wheelchairs and similar devices to make repair information, parts and tools available to independent repair businesses and owners. There is a lack of options for repair across the state and the wait time for repairs can be up to several months!
SB 5175 Solar panel recycling program revision (Concerning the photovoltaic module stewardship and takeback program): Led by Sen. Shewmake, this bill delays the solar panel recycling program and establishes a photovoltaic module advisory committee to make program recommendations by June 1, 2026.
SB 5033 PFAS in biosolids (Concerning biosolids): Led by Sen Wilson, this establishes a monitoring program for PFAS (i.e., the forever chemicals) in biosolids from wastewater treatment facilities. Biosolids are spread in forests and on farms … and we are concerned about the impacts of these bioaccumulating toxic chemicals.
SB 5360 Concerning environmental crimes: Championed by Sen. Trudeau this bill establishes new, and reclassifies existing, crimes for certain violations of the state Water Pollution Control Act, Clean Air Act, Hazardous Waste Management Act, and other specified environmental statutes (environmental statutes). The intention is to create meaningful accountability for entities that pollute water and air.
Bills For Which We Have Concerns
HB 1041 Replacement tire restrictions (Improving choices of replacement tires for consumers): Led by Rep Walsh, this bill would prohibit state and local governmental agencies from regulating the use or sale of replacement tires, which means that energy saving requirements and restrictions on toxic chemicals, such as 6-PPD would not be allowed.
HB 1071/SB 5058 Alternative to the Recycling Reform Act (see above) (Implementing strategies to achieve higher recycling rates within Washington’s existing solid waste management system): Championed by Rep Fey and Sen. Chapman.
HB 1756/SB 5628 Concerning lead in cookware. Adds more clarity to bill passed in 2024 to prevent lead in cookware. LWVWA supports measures to reduce the exposure to toxics in the home. Watching bills to be sure that the bill passed last year is not weakened.
SB 5045 EV Battery recycling (Expanding the state battery stewardship program to include electric vehicle batteries): Championed by Sen Jeff Wilson, this bill adds EV batteries to existing battery recycling law.
- If you are interested in a particular bill, use the links above to go to the webpage for that bill. These pages include staff summaries and reports including who testified PRO versus CON on the bill. There is also information about how to access videos of hearings that have been held.
- If you do nothing else, please scan the LWVWA Legislative Action Newsletter each week (it's distributed each Sunday during the legislative session) and respond to the Action Alerts .
- If you have more time and are interested in a particular topic, we always appreciate and can use your assessments of bills, law implementation, and future concerns. For Forests topics send assessments of a few paragraphs to a few pages and include the sources of the facts you rely on. Send them to Ann Murphy, Waste Diversion Issue Chair.
- Join the LWVWA Environment Action group by emailing Ann Murphy.