Momentum is building to improve recycling in Washington

The Recycling Reform Act would reduce plastic pollution and modernize Washington's recycling system.

Volunteers gathered in Olympia to advocate for zero waste policies.
Ricky Osborne | TPIN
Volunteers gathered in Olympia, Washington, to advocate for zero waste policies.

Every day, people throw away tons of plastic “stuff” — packaging, bags, takeout containers, and more. All of this waste clogs our landfills and incinerators, trashes our parks, litters our streets, and washes into our rivers and oceans where it can harm wildlife.

That’s why WashPIRG and Environment Washington are supporting the Recycling Reform Act HB 1150/SB 5284 (formerly known as the Re-WRAP Act), which would hold companies responsible for the waste their products create and help increase recycling rates.

TPIN Staff | Public Domain
Common packaging waste that is difficult or impossible to recycle.

Worldwide, we produce almost 400 million tons of plastic waste annually—and nearly half of all plastic produced is intended to be used just once and then thrown away. Washington’s recycling systems haven’t been able to keep up with the influx of plastic and non-recyclable materials, and residents are having to bear the cost.

In Washington, more than 50% of consumer packaging and paper products are landfilled or incinerated, wasting an extraordinary amount of material that could have been recycled. Recycling helps offset the need for extracting more fossil fuels to make plastic, mining the earth for metals, or cutting down more trees for creating paper products. 

The Recycling Reform Act would create a producer responsibility program that holds companies financially responsible for the waste their packaging creates. This would help fund statewide recycling services and ensure that the materials we put in our blue recycling bins will actually be recycled.

The House Environment & Energy Committee held a hearing for the Recycling Reform Act this past Tuesday, January 21st, at 4:00 PM. You can view the hearing here. 

WashPIRG joined over 1,200 people who signed in “pro” for the Recycling Reform Act’s first hearing. Testifiers showed a wide range of support from environmental groups, city leaders, physicians, and representatives from the recycling and packaging industries. It’s clear that Washingtonians want to see producers held accountable for the end-of-life costs of their packaging. 

The bill will be heard next in the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee on Tuesday, January 28th at 1:30pm. You can “sign in pro” here to show you support the bill.

With the legislative session in full swing, it is critical that we continue to advocate for producer-funded recycling in Washington. Give your legislator a call today to support the Recycling Reform Act!

How To Call Your Legislators

The best way to contact your legislators is to call the legislative hotline: 1-800-562-6000, which operates from 8 am to 7 pm M-F. The operator will ask for your zip code and the message you would like to leave for your legislator.

Sample Calling Script

My name is XXXX XXXX and I live in [town]. I’m calling to ask for your support in establishing a producer responsibility program in Washington to reduce the growing amount of plastic and other hard-to-manage packaging and improve recycling here in Washington. Please support the Recycling Reform Act, House Bill 1150 / Senate Bill 5284. Thank you!

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Authors

Kathryn Horvath

Zero Waste Campaign Associate, WashPIRG

As the Zero Waste Campaign Associate with WashPIRG, Kathryn is working on our Waste is Out of Fashion campaign. Kathryn lives near her family in Seattle where she enjoys exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest through skiing, kayaking and practicing her photography.