HomeMy WebLinkAboutRCW 70A.205.007RCW 70A.205.007 Landfill disposal of organic materials—Goal.
(1)(a) The state establishes a goal for the landfill disposal of
organic materials at a level representing a 75 percent reduction by
2030 in the statewide disposal of organic material waste, relative to
2015 levels.
(b) The state establishes a goal that no less than 20 percent of
the volume of edible food that was disposed of as of 2015 be recovered
for human consumption by 2025.
(2) The provisions of subsection (1) of this section are in
addition to the food waste reduction goals of RCW 70A.205.715(1).
[2022 c 180 s 101.]
Findings—Intent—2022 c 180: "(1) The legislature finds that
landfills are a significant source of emissions of methane, a potent
greenhouse gas. Among other economic and environmental benefits, the
diversion of organic materials to productive uses will reduce methane
emissions.
(2) In order to reduce methane emissions associated with organic
materials, the legislature finds that it will be beneficial to improve
a variety of aspects of how organic materials and organic material
wastes are reduced, managed, incentivized, and regulated under state
law. Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to support the
diversion of organic materials from landfills through a variety of
interventions to support productive uses of organic material wastes,
including by:
(a) Requiring some local governments to begin providing separated
organic material collection services within their jurisdictions in
order to increase volumes of organic materials collected and delivered
to composting and other organic material management facilities and
reduce the volumes of organic materials collected in conjunction with
other solid waste and delivered to landfills;
(b) Requiring local governments to consider state organic
material management goals and requirements in the development of their
local solid waste plans;
(c) Requiring some businesses to manage their organic material
wastes in a manner that does not involve landfilling them, in order to
address one significant source of organic materials that currently
frequently end up in landfills;
(d) Reducing legal liability risk barriers to the donation of
edible food in order to encourage the recovery of foods that might
otherwise be landfilled;
(e) Establishing the Washington center for sustainable food
management within the department of ecology in order to coordinate and
improve statewide food waste reduction and diversion efforts;
(f) Establishing various new funding and financial incentives
intended to increase composting and other forms of productive organic
materials management, helping to make the responsible management of
organic materials more cost-competitive with landfilling of organic
material wastes;
(g) Facilitating the siting of organic material management
facilities in order to ensure that adequate capacity exists to process
organic materials at the volumes necessary to achieve state organic
material diversion goals;
(h) Encouraging cities and counties to procure more of the
compost and finished products created from their organic material
wastes in order to support the economic viability of processes to turn
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organic materials into finished products, and increasing the
likelihood that composting and other responsible organic material
management options are economically viable; and
(i) Amending standards related to the labeling of plastic and
compostable products in order to reduce contamination of the waste
streams handled by compost and organic material management facilities
and improve the economic viability of those responsible organic
material management options." [2022 c 180 s 1.]
Scope of authority of chapter 180, Laws of 2022—2022 c 180:
"Nothing in this act changes or limits the authority of the Washington
utilities and transportation commission to regulate the collection of
solid waste, including curbside collection of residential recyclable
materials, nor does this section change or limit the authority of a
city or town to provide the service itself or by contract under RCW
81.77.020." [2022 c 180 s 902.]
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