Washington's plastic packaging stewardship study bill (SB 5397) passed and was signed into law May 21, 2019. Read the press release from Zero Waste Washington (PDF).
Key dates:
- Study and report due to the Legislature by Oct. 31, 2020: Dept. of Ecology must contract with a third-party independent consultant to evaluate and assess the amount and types of plastic packaging sold into the state as well as the management and disposal of plastic packaging, and submit a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature. The report must include:
- Findings regarding amount and types of plastic packaging sold into the state as well as the management and disposal of plastic packaging
- Recommendations to meet the goals of reducing plastic packaging, including through industry initiative or plastic packaging product stewardship, or both, to:
- Achieve 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging in all goods sold in Washington by Jan. 1, 2025;
- Achieve at least 20% postconsumer recycled content in packaging by Jan. 1, 2025;
- Reduce plastic packaging
- Options to meet plastic packaging reduction goals, that are capable of being established and implemented by Jan. 1, 2022.
- This chapter in Title 70 RCW expires July 1, 2029.