Work is underway to transform recycling in Washington. Thanks to the Recycling Reform Act, signed into law in May 2025, the state’s residential recycling system is getting a major upgrade. When the program officially rolls out in 2030, what is recyclable in Renton will also be recyclable in Ritzville.
At the heart of this change is a policy called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Right now, when you throw away a plastic container or cardboard box, you and your local community pay to manage the waste. EPR flips the script. The Recycling Reform Act forces product brand owners to pay for the end-of-life management of their consumer packaging and paper products.
What this means:
- Lower bills: Shifting waste management costs to producers reduces your household recycling fees.
- Smarter packaging: The law financially rewards producers that redesign their packaging or paper products to be more recyclable and to have fewer human health and environmental impacts.
- Better infrastructure: The producer organization must use funds paid by the producers to invest in local recycling and reuse.
Change takes time, but by 2030 Washingtonians will enjoy a simpler, fairer, and less expensive way to recycle.
How does the Recycling Reform Act work?
Under the Recycling Reform Act, producers of packaging and paper products are required to join Circular Action Alliance (CAA), the registered producer responsibility organization. Interchange360 also registered with Ecology to establish an alternative collection program for automotive lubricant packaging.
CAA and Interchange360 will collect fees based on the volume of packaging or paper products their producer members introduce into Washington. Those fees will be set to incentivize recyclable materials (with lower fees) and discourage less sustainable materials (with higher fees).
The law requires recycling infrastructure improvements and expanded curbside systems so everyone who has curbside trash service will also have recycling service.
Recycling Reform Act benefits
Studies show that the following Recycling Reform Act benefits can be anticipated:
- Increased curbside recycling from 2.8 million households — 83% of Washington residents — to 3.2 million households, or more than 95% of residents
- Reduced household recycling bills by at least 90% after 2032 when the program reimbursement rate reaches the highest level
- Standardized recycling collection lists where the same kinds of packaging or paper products will be accepted everywhere across the state, reducing confusion and contamination, and improving the quality of recycling streams
- Increased recovery of residential recyclables from the current 40% to an expected 66%
- Decreased greenhouse gas emissions by about 565,000 metric tons due to more recycled materials used in manufacturing