H-4245.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2840
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State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1992 Regular Session
By Representatives J. Kohl, Rust, Casada, Brekke, Pruitt, Rasmussen, H. Sommers, Valle, Winsley, Leonard and Orr
Read first time 01/29/92. Referred to Committee on Environmental Affairs.
AN ACT Relating to plastic holding devices for containers; amending RCW 70.132.010; and adding a new section to chapter 70.132 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 70.132.010 and 1982 c 113 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
The legislature finds that beverage containers designed to be opened through the use of detachable metal rings or tabs are hazardous to the health and welfare of the citizens of this state and detrimental to certain wildlife. The detachable parts are susceptible to ingestion by human beings and wildlife. The legislature intends to eliminate the danger posed by these unnecessary containers by prohibiting their retail sale in this state.
The legislature also finds that containers connected by plastic rings or other plastic holding devices are hazardous to the health and welfare of the citizens of this state, are detrimental to certain wildlife, and create waste that must be disposed. The legislature intends to eliminate the danger posed by these plastic holding devices by prohibiting their retail sale in this state except in circumstances where they will decompose and can be made less harmful.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 70.132 RCW to read as follows:
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, after December 31, 1992, a person may not sell or offer to sell any product in containers connected by plastic rings or other plastic holding devices.
(2) A person may sell or offer to sell products in containers connected to each other with a plastic holding device that decomposes by photodegradation, chemical degradation, or biodegradation within a reasonable period of time upon exposure to the elements if the device:
(a) Is designed or manufactured to be broken when a container is removed;
(b) Breaks simultaneously with the removal of the container; or
(c) Is approved for sale by the department of ecology as an experimental device. The department may approve a device as experimental only if the department determines that the device conforms with the intent of this subsection.