H-3136.3  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2361

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      53rd Legislature     1994 Regular Session

By Representatives J. Kohl, Horn, Rust, Foreman, Linville, L. Johnson, R. Johnson and Pruitt

Read first time 01/14/94.  Referred to Committee on Environmental Affairs.

Providing for the disposal of large residential appliances.

    AN ACT Relating to the disposal of large residential appliances; adding new sections to chapter 70.95 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout sections 2 through 4 of this act.

    (1) "Large appliances" means common household appliances containing a significant quantity of recyclable metal and includes but is not limited to refrigerators, freezers, stoves, ranges, ovens, air conditioners, washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashing machines, water heaters, trash compactors, garbage disposals, dehumidifiers, and heat pumps.

    (2) "Retired large appliances" means used large appliances that are relinquished by their owners.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  (1) No person may knowingly dispose of a large appliance in mixed municipal solid waste.

    (2) No owner or operator of a solid waste disposal site may knowingly accept for disposal large appliances in mixed municipal solid waste, except when authorized to do so by the department.

    (3) This section shall take effect January 1, 1995.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  (1) By September 1, 1994, the department shall develop guidelines specifying how wastes contained in retired large appliances shall be removed and managed.  At a minimum, the guidelines shall include the removal and management of:

    (a) Capacitors and ballasts containing polychlorinated biphenyls;

    (b) Mercury switches;

    (c) Compressor oil;

    (d) Refrigerant gases; and

    (e) Any other waste identified by the department.

    (2) Beginning January 1, 1995, and thereafter, an owner or operator of a facility that is used to recycle retired large appliances shall ensure that all dangerous wastes contained in retired large appliances are removed in conformance with the guidelines developed under subsection (1) of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  Upon request by the department, a large appliance recycler shall verify conformance with section 3 of this act.  Failure to comply with this section shall result in a civil penalty of fifty dollars for each appliance, not to exceed a total of ten thousand dollars.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.  Section 2 of this act is applicable only to jurisdictions where the recycling infrastructure for large appliances is active, as determined by the department of ecology.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.  Sections 1 through 5 of this act are each added to chapter 70.95 RCW.

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