Washington § 70A.520.010 - Findings — Intent. (Expires July 1, 2029.)

(1) The legislature finds that:

(a) Convenient and environmentally sound product stewardship programs that include collecting, transporting, and reuse, recycling, or the proper end-of-life management of unwanted products help protect Washington's environment and the health of state residents;

(b) Unwanted products should be managed where priority is placed on prevention, waste reduction, source reduction, recycling, and reuse over energy recovery and landfill disposal; and

(c) Producers of plastic packaging should consider the design and management of their packaging in a manner that ensures minimal environmental impact. Producers of plastic packaging should be involved from design concept to end-of-life management to incentivize innovation and research to minimize environmental impacts.

(2) Additionally, the legislature finds that, through design and innovation, industry should strive to achieve the goals of recycling one hundred percent of packaging, using at least twenty percent postconsumer recycled content in packaging, and reducing plastic packaging when possible to optimize the use to meet the need.

(3) The legislature intends that the department, through a consultative process with industry and consumer interest, develop options to reduce plastic packaging in the waste stream for implementation by January 1, 2022.