“RENEW Act” advances out of Senate Committee

Recycling and waste reduction bill clears first major hurdle

Environment Washington & WashPIRG

OLYMPIA — Today the Washington Senate Committee on Environment, Energy and Technology voted 8-2-3 to advance Senator Das’ “RENEW Act” (Senate Bill 5697). The bill aims to address problems with Washington’s waste and recycling systems by holding packaging producers accountable for the waste they create. 

SB 5697 will now move to the Senate Ways and Means committee, where it will need to be voted on by Monday, February 7 in order to continue on in the legislative process this session.

In response to the committee passage, Pam Clough, Environment Washington Advocate, and Nicole Walter, WashPIRG Advocate, released the following statements:

Pam Clough, Advocate, Environment Washington

“We are thrilled to see the Renew Act pass out of committee today because as long as companies have no responsibility for where their products and packaging ends up, they’re going to keep using wasteful materials that pollute our environment. We need to encourage those producers to stop using the materials that fill our landfills and end up in our communities and oceans. The RENEW Act would begin to change that by incentivizing packaging that is reusable, compostable, or actually recyclable, while also funding improvements to Washington’s recycling system.” 

Nicole Walter, Advocate, WashPIRG

“Washington has been a leader in reducing plastic pollution for years, but companies have continued to fill our world with so much packaging that it has become virtually inescapable, while passing the cleanup costs and blame onto consumers. The Renew Act changes that status quo by instead making producers responsible for the waste they create. We thank Senator Das for her continued leadership towards a cleaner, greener, healthier future for Washington.”

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Environment Washington is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization working for a cleaner, greener, healthier future.

WashPIRG is an advocate for the public interest. We speak out for a healthier, safer world in which we’re freer to pursue our own individual well-being and the common good.