Recycling refund community engagement study

We invite you to comment on the draft Recycling Refund Community Engagement Study Report, required by Chapter 70A.208 RCW.

• Draft Recycling Refund Community Engagement Study
• Draft appendix
• Public review summary (en Español)

This report summarizes the community engagement efforts conducted around Washington State to understand potential impacts of a recycling refund program. This is the second recycling refund report, the first recycling refund report modeled convenient access to bottle redemption services in three areas, Spokane, Yakima, and King County.

A recycling refund program, also called a deposit-return system or “bottle bill," places a refundable deposit on beverage containers at the point of sale. Consumers pay the deposit upfront and receive it back when they return the empty container for recycling. No decisions have been made about whether a recycling refunds program will be implemented.

The Recycling Reform Act is a law passed by the State Legislature in 2025 to improve Washington's resisdential recycling system by creating an extended producer responsibility program for residential packaging and paper products.