Compost procurement ordinances and reporting for local government

Step 1 — Sign up for a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account

If you already have a SAW account, go to Step 2 - Add service to your account.

1. Go to the SAW homepage.
2. Click “SIGN UP!” to create a username and password. When asked for your email address, please use your government work email.
3. Fill in the form with your information and click “SUBMIT."
4. Check your email for a confirmation and click the link in the email to activate your account.
5. SAW will notify you that your account is activated. Continue to Step 2.

 Step 2 — Add service to your account

1. Login to SAW, and click "ADD A NEW SERVICE.”
2. Click “I would like to browse a list of services by agency.”
3. Click “Department of Ecology.”
4. Click “Apply” on “Compost Procurement."
5. You will be automatically approved and receive a confirmation email. Press “OK.”

 Step 3 — Request access to your city or county

1. On the Compost Procurement Report home page, click on the “Select a jurisdiction” box. 
2. Under the My Jurisdictions section, click on the “Register for Jurisdiction” box. From the drop-down list, select the city or county report that you want to complete. Then click on the "Add Jurisdiction" box. Note that cities that are required to report will need to submit their own report, and counties required to report will report all other information including any towns and UGA’s data if available.
3. Your request to register has been sent to Ecology. Approval could take three or more business days. You will receive a confirmation email when your request has been approved, at which point you can proceed to Step 4.

 Step 4 — Submit your CPO annual report

1. Login to SAW.
2. Under “My Secure Services” click on "Compost Procurement,” and click “CONTINUE.”
3. Under “My Jurisdictions” section, the jurisdiction(s) that you have been approved to access reports for will be listed.  Within the section that lists the jurisdiction that you want to complete the report for, enter the jurisdiction address and contact information.  Each jurisdiction must have one primary contact.  
4. Click “Annual Report” under the specific jurisdiction to access the report.
5. Follow the steps to complete the report.  [See the CPO Report Demonstration (video) and the CPO Reporting Walkthrough document in the Resources section below for detailed instructions.]
6. Select the Continue to Review Page and confirm the report information is accurate and complete. Press “Back” to make changes. Once you have verified your report information, click “Submit Report.”
7. You will be taken back to the CPO Report home page. From here, you can go to the “Submission History” section and download the report you submitted by clicking on the report link under "Annual Report” column. 
8. If you have other reports to fill out, and you already requested and have been approved access, they will be listed on the CPO Report homepage.  If not, you have completed your reporting requirement.
    

Each county, city, or town required to adopt a CPO must adopt their own CPO or amend an existing recycled product procurement ordinance to include compost. To facilitate this process, jurisdictions can work together to draft identical or similar CPOs for separate adoption.

Counties, cities, and towns may coordinate purchasing compost with other jurisdictions through the use of collective purchasing agreements under RCW 43.19A.150(7). For more information, consult Intergovernmental Procurement and “Piggybacking” on the Municipal Research Service Center website.

A CPO is intended to implement RCW 43.19A.120: Use of compost products in projects. This statute states that when “planning government-funded projects or soliciting and reviewing bids for such projects, all state agencies and local governments shall consider whether compost products can be utilized in the project.” If it is determined that compost products can be used, then they must be used unless certain exceptions related to cost, availability, and quality apply.

RCW 43.19A.110 requires counties and cities to adopt specifications for compost products to be used in road projects.

RCW 43.19A.130 encourages local governments to purchase compost from the compost facility that serves its residents.

The online system for local governments to submit their compost procurement activity reports is available in Secure Access Washington (SAW). The first report, due by March 31, 2025, should include the available data for 2024.

Cities and counties that adopt a CPO must “develop strategies to inform residents about the value of compost and how the jurisdiction uses compost in its operations.” These strategies will need to be included in the local solid waste management plan the jurisdiction participates in when that plan is amended or updated. Information on the value of compost and making and using compost are on our compost page.

Expert help to draft a CPO is offered to all Washington towns, cities, and counties free of charge by the Municipal Research Service Center through their Ask MRSC inquiry service. Additional resources, including sample ordinances, can be found on our Box platform. These materials include environmentally preferred purchasing materials prepared by us and the Department of Enterprise Services.

Each city and each county that is required to report should submit their own. So, the city would report their own data, and the county would capture the other data in the county. Cities and their counties need to communicate with each other to make sure there is no duplicate data being reported.

If it is a county program, the county will report it since they will be tracking the amounts and paying the bills for collection no matter who puts organics in the bin. If it’s a city program, then the city reports the information.

No, do not include biosolids since only material that is collected curbside and at drop-off locations are counted in this report as diverted.

Yes. Since the biosolids was one of the feedstocks that went through the composting process that created the finished compost, then the entire amount is considered compost and should be reported.

That can be true if the compost facility that processed your organic materials into compost also sold you compost. However, they could be different facilities if you buy compost from another compost facility. A processor is who made your organic material into a useful product such as compost, biogas, wood chips, etc.

The source of the compost is the facility that created the compost you purchased. It is not a home improvement store and is usually not a nursery or soil blending facility (unless they are actively making compost). If you purchase compost somewhere other than where it was created, be sure to check the bag or ask the store representative for the name of the compost facility that made it.

No. Only report the amount of actual compost that is mixed with other materials. Any product blended with compost should not be included.

Do not report woodchips or mulch that is not compost as part of your procurement. However, yard and woody debris that is collected curbside or at a drop site should be included as part of the weight of organic materials diverted.

Ecology is required to collect the report information according to RCW 43.19A.150(5).

Ecology will use the data to measure how well we are doing at the state and local levels regarding diverting organic materials from landfills. The data will also tell us how much compost is being purchased by jurisdictions. By comparing these two amounts, it will give us a good idea if jurisdictions are helping “close the loop”. It will also help us gauge if compost markets are growing at the jurisdictional level.