Updating Washington’s solid waste regulations

OLYMPIA  –  The nitty gritty of solid waste regulations has a lot to say about what gets recycled, what goes to the landfill and how waste is handled along the way. For the first time since current rules were adopted in 2003, the Washington Department of Ecology is proposing a comprehensive update to the state’s solid waste handling standards.
 
These regulations govern a myriad of topics tied to waste handling, such as defining what is and isn’t recyclable, how long material like contaminated dirt and concrete can be stored in piles without being treated as waste, whether waste can be considered “inert” and subject to less rigorous regulations, and how used tires must be stored and managed.
 
Ecology began working on the updates in 2014, consulting with city and county solid waste departments, local health departments, private companies and other stakeholders. The agency held a series of day-long workshops on draft language in summer 2016, issued a second draft in December 2016, and has since worked to incorporate feedback on those plans into the formal rule proposal.
 
The agency is now requesting public comments on the proposed rule through March 20, 2018.
 
Submit comments
Public comments on the proposed Solid Waste Handling Standards are due to Ecology by March 20, 2018. Submit comments online, by mail to Kyle Dorsey, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, or at a public hearing.
Public hearings

• 9 a.m. March 6 – Ecology headquarters, 300 Desmond Drive S.E., Lacey; Ecology Northwest Regional Office, 3190 160^th Ave. S.E., Bellevue; and via online webinar.
• 9 a.m. March 9 – Ecology Central Regional Office, 1250 W. Alder St., Union Gap; Ecology Eastern Regional Office, 4601 N. Monroe, Spokane; and via online webinar.