Legislative Work

Priority Zero-waste related bills for 2026

#1 Priority bill! Bottle and can recycling refund act – aka Bottle Bill (SB 5502 / HB 1607 – Concerning recycling and waste reduction): Championed by Senator Robinson and Representative Stonier, this bill would establish a system that facilitates the return of beverage containers, with a 10 cent refund. STATUS (from 2025): SENATE: Placed on second reading by Rules Committee on March 7, 2025. HOUSE: Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading on April 8, 2025.

Amending plastic bag law to ban all film plastic bags (HB 2233 – Reducing environmental impacts associated with bags provided to customers at retail establishments): Championed by Representative Lisa Parshley, this bill would amend the existing bag law to ban all film plastic bags at check-out and increase the fee for paper bags to 20 cents. STATUS: Pre-filed on December 31, 2025 for the 2026 legislative session.

Mattress recycling (might be new bill number. 2025 bill number was HB 1901 – Concerning mattress producer responsibility organizations): Championed by Senator Hunt (and companion expected from Rep. Hall), this bill would establish an extended producer responsibility bill for mattresses. STATUS: Carried over from 2025.

Textile producer responsibility (HB 1420– Establishing producer responsibility for textiles): Championed by Rep. Reeves (and companion bill expected from Sen Lovelett), this bill would set up an extended producer responsibility program for apparel and textiles and restricts toxic PFAS chemicals in textile products. Textiles and fashion, especially fast fashion, harms the environment, waterways, increases carbon emissions, and generates a very large load of waste when people are ready to dispose of items. This bill is modeled after the bill that passed recently in California and emphasizes repair and reuse. STATUS (from 2025): Referred to Appropriations on February 19, 2025.

EV battery recycling (SB 5586/ HB 1550 – Improving the end-of-life management of electric vehicle batteries): Championed by Sen Derek Stanford and Rep. Chipalo Street, this bill is modeled after NJ law (2024) and bills in CA, NM, CO and NV and sets up a system for ensuring safe recycling or repurposing of EV batteries. EV battery providers would be responsible for responsibly recycling their electric vehicle (EV) batteries to ensure beneficial use of the valuable resources in those batteries. They would be responsible for the cost of collecting and transporting EV batteries from auto recyclers, vehicle wreckers, and other persons with batteries that request the battery provider retrieve the battery. If a battery is significantly modified or used for another purpose, such as energy storage at a solar farm, the responsibility shifts. All entities must manage EV batteries in a manner consistent with a battery waste management hierarchy. STATUS (from 2025): SENATE: Removed from public hearing schedule in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 1:30 PM on February 11, 2025. HOUSE: Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading on March 4, 2025.

Environmental crimes (SB 5360 – Concerning environmental crimes): Championed by Sen. Trudeau, this bill would establish new crimes and provide penalties and exceptions, and reclassify existing crimes, for certain violations of the state Water Pollution Control Act, Clean Air Act, Hazardous Waste Management Act, and other specified provisions (environmental laws). It would also provide first-degree and second-degree felony violations for certain offenses under specified environmental laws in the state sentencing grid as seriousness level V and III offenses, respectively. STATUS (from 2025): Senate: Passed off floor (29-20-0-0) on March 4, 2025. House: Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations on April 5, 2025.

Other bills – pre-filed

Authorize local B&O taxes (HB 2097 – Authorizing counties to impose a business and occupation tax): This bill, championed by Rep Shaun Scott would authorize Washington counties to impose business and occupation taxes to fund services that Washingtonians rely on, including waste management. STATUS: Pre-filed December 4, 2025 for 2026 legislative session.

Filters for commercial/industrial washing machines (HB 2212 – Reducing microplastic pollution from washing machines): Led by Rep. Pollet, this bill would require installation of filters on commercial or industrial washing machines after July 1, 2028. STATUS: Pre-filed December 30, 2025 for the 2026 legislative session.

Bills that might be back

Ban flavored vapes and other actions (SB 5803 / HB 2068 – Regulating tobacco and nicotine products): Led by Sen Nobles and Rep. Reeves, this bill would prohibit the sale, display, marketing, or advertising of any flavored tobacco or nicotine product or entertainment vapor product. It also would add an additional cigarette tax of $2 per pack of cigarettes, to be adjusted every three years for inflation and adjusts the tax on vapor products, tobacco products, and alternative nicotine products to be 95 percent of the taxable sales price. Vapes are an item that we find frequently in litter cleanups. STATUS (from 2025): Senate: First reading, referred to Ways & Means on March 29, 2025. House: Heard in the House Committee on Finance at 10:00 AM on April 7, 2025.

Embodied carbon in buildings (includes reuse and salvage) (HB 1458 – Reducing embodied carbon emissions of buildings and building materials): Championed by Rep. Davina Duerr, this bill requires the state building code council shall adopt rules to set embodied carbon emissions reductions standards, and includes material reuse and salvage reporting guidance. STATUS (from 2025): Referred to Appropriations on February 27, 2025.

Promoting regenerative agriculture (SB 5474 / HB 1588 – Expanding opportunities for organic, regenerative, climate-smart, and sustainable producers): Championed by Senator Liias and Representative Bernbaum, this bill requires Department of Agriculture to develop an Organic Agriculture Action Plan, creates a microgrant program to support the growth of organic, regenerative, and sustainable climate-smart agriculture and allows modification of the organic certification fee schedule to decrease the financial burden of organic certification. Critical to regenerative agriculture is compost! STATUS (from 2025): Senate: Referred to Ways & Means on February 21, 2025 House: Public hearing in the House Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources at 10:30 AM on February 11, 2025.

Utility waiver related to industrial symbiosis (HB 1302 – Concerning utility connection charge waivers): Led by Rep Cortes, this bill would allow municipal utilities to waive connection charges for properties owned or developed by public or private organizations that use the property for industrial symbiosis. STATUS (from 2025): Passed off House floor (93-1-0-4) on February 13, 2025. In the Senate: Placed on second reading by Rules Committee on April 15, 2025.

Increase solid waste tax (HB 2018 – Concerning solid waste and establishing the local government solid waste assistance account): Led by Rep Doglio, this bill would increase the solid waste tax. STATUS (from 2025): Referred to Committee on Finance on February 24, 2025.

Exempts materials from Asbestos law (HB 1857 – Concerning asbestos-containing building materials): Led by Rep. Ley, this bill would exempt commercial aggregates from restrictions pertaining to labeling and the use of asbestos-containing building materials. We don’t love this bill, but worked with proponents and the bill is now significantly limited in scope. STATUS (from 2025): Passed off House floor (95-2-0-1) on March 12, 2025. In the Senate: Placed on second reading by Rules Committee on April 4, 2025.

State green schools program (HB 1134 – Promoting resource conservation practices in public schools): Led by Rep Bergquist, this bill would establish a state green schools program in the office of the superintendent of public instruction to create and expand resource conservation practices in public schools, including: Waste reduction, energy reduction, water conservation, urban forestry education, and environmental preservation; and education and leadership opportunities for students seeking to promote conservation practices in their schools STATUS (from 2025): First reading, referred to Education on January 13, 2025.

Environmental Priorities Coalition

Zero Waste Washington is part of the Environmental Priorities Coalition. The Coalition is made up of 27 statewide organizations working to safeguard our environment and the health of our communities in the state legislature. For the 2026 legislative session, we have four priorities and a partnership agenda:

Bottle and Cans Recycling Refund Act (see above)
Protect Climate and Environmental Health Funding: Ensure that dedicated funding sources are used for their intended purposes: reducing dangerous climate and toxic pollution while also safeguarding communities from the impacts of cuts to environmental programs.
Restore Wildfire Resilience Funding: Restore full funding to the Wildfire Response, Forest Restoration, and Community Resilience Account.
Data Centers, Environmental Protection, and Affordability: A package of data center-focused policies that will protect and further our state’s climate and clean energy laws and goals; protect ratepayers from financial and reliability impacts; minimize impacts to communities and natural resources including air, water, and salmon; and maximize benefits to communities.

Partnership Agenda. The coalition also adopts a Partnership Agenda. This agenda supports work that is important for environmental progress being led by partners outside the coalition. Bills TBD:

2026 Legislative Session

Priority Zero-waste related bills for 2026

Other bills – pre-filed

Bills that might be back

Environmental Priorities Coalition

Zero Waste Washington legislative work in recent years:

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2026 Legislative Session

Priority Zero-waste related bills for 2026

Other bills – pre-filed

Bills that might be back

Environmental Priorities Coalition

Zero Waste Washington legislative work in recent years:

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