Clark County residents could see higher costs for curbside recycling

Most Clark County residents have curbside recycling available. A new bill passed by the Washington Legislature this session could spell changes, and higher costs, for local residents.

Senate Bill 5284 — sponsored by Sen. Liz Lovelett, D-Anacortes — creates a statewide plan for recycling.

The bill will create a statewide list of recyclables, with the goal of reducing confusion about what can be placed in recycling bins. Homes with curbside garbage pickup will also get curbside service for recyclables, although most of Clark County has curbside recycling through Waste Connections of Washington.

SB 5284 also establishes producer responsibility organizations, which will create master plans for recycling packaging and paper products. These organizations will also establish producer fee schedules; submit program plans to the Department of Ecology; implement the plans; and provide reporting, compliance, accounting and other functions associated with administration of the program.

“It’s going to definitely have a significant impact on everyone in Clark County,” said Derek Ranta of Waste Connections.

He said the producer organizations will have to determine how much it costs to process recycling and ensure that recycling facilities aren’t losing money. Ranta said additional costs for complying with the new state requirements will likely be passed on to the customer.

“If we’re ensuring responsible recycling of some sort of packaging, the producer of that product that uses the packaging is certainly not going to be interested in losing money on it,” he said. “They’re being charged more to ensure that it’s being recycled properly under this state law. They’re going to raise rates to recoup their costs.”

Ranta said he’s hopeful that more funding for recycling education will be made available through the producer programs. He said contamination, when nonrecyclable products are mixed into recycling batches, is still a costly problem for recyclers.

Residents have at least a year before the changes go into effect. The producer organizations will be appointed in early 2026, with the first round of fees due to Ecology by Sept. 1, 2026.

Shari Phiel: 360-562-6317; [email protected]