Washington E-waste Law

Governor Gregoire signed SB 6428 in March 2006, which requires manufacturer responsibility for producing and financing an e-waste recycling program, including the collection, transportation, and recycling of covered electronic products. Households, small businesses, schools & school districts, small governments, special purpose districts, and charities can recycle covered electronic products free of charge in this program. 

Numbers
E-Cycle Washington collected more than 38.5 million of pounds of discarded TVs, computers and monitors in its first year and has grown every year since. For more detailed information on the collection data, visit Washington Materials Management & Financing Authority.

Details
By January 2009, manufacturers had to have established and financed convenient collection and recycling programs in urban and rural areas in each county throughout the state.  Manufacturers may choose to meet this requirement independently or by joining the standard program established by the legislation.  The standard program will serve as the safety net for those manufacturers who do not wish to set up and run their own programs.

Each manufacturer participating in the standard program will pay fees into the program to cover their portion of costs.  Manufacturers with independent programs will fully fund the implementation of their programs. Manufacturers obligations are based on return share.

To ensure a level playing field among manufacturers, plans that do not collect their fair share in a given year will pay into a designated state fund an amount based on the deficit.  Plans that exceed their fair share will be paid from that fund an amount based on their surplus.

Department of Ecology provides oversight by annually reviewing whether each program has substantially complied with its plan, and taking necessary enforcement action.

Manufacturers, collectors, and transporters of covered electronic products must register with the state. Manufacturer must also pay registration fees and plan submission fees.

The measure also calls for further encouragement of the design of electronic products that are less toxic and recyclable.

Disposal Ban
There is no statewide ban but some counties have passed disposal bans.

To find out where to recycle your electronics,  click here.

Covered devices: TVs, monitors, laptops and desktop computers
Read the Chaptered Legislation
Washington Department of Ecology