HOUSE BILL REPORT

SHB 2570

BYHouse Committee on Environmental Affairs (originally sponsored by Representatives Sprenkle, Walker, Fraser, Pruitt, May, G. Fisher, Brekke, R. King, R. Meyers, Spanel, Winsley, Todd, Rasmussen and Cooper)

Requiring the department of ecology to develop a waste reduction, recycling, and procurement plan for state agencies.

House Committe on Environmental Affairs

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (12)

      Signed by Representatives Rust, Chair; Valle, Vice Chair; D. Sommers, Ranking Republican Member; Brekke, G. Fisher, Fraser, Phillips, Pruitt, Schoon, Sprenkle, Van Luven and Walker.

House Staff:Rick Anderson (786-7114)

Rereferred House Committee on Appropriations

Majority Report:  The substitute bill by Committee on Environmental Affairs be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (26)

      Signed by Representatives Locke, Chair; Grant, Vice Chair; R. Sommers, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Republican Member; Youngsman, Assistant Ranking Republican Member; Appelwick, Belcher, Bowman, Braddock, Brekke, Dorn, Doty, Ebersole, Ferguson, Hine, Inslee, McLean, Nealey, Padden, Peery, Rust, Sayan, Spanel, Sprenkle, Wang and Wineberry.

House Staff:      Nancy Stevenson (786-7137)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 13, 1990

BACKGROUND:

The success of recycling programs ultimately depends on markets for the recycled commodities.  Federal, state, and local governments are potentially significant markets for products containing recycled, or "recovered," materials.

The federal government has adopted procurement guidelines to help stimulate markets for products containing recovered materials. Procurement guidelines have been adopted for such materials as: paper products, used oil, fly ash used in construction materials, and for other materials.  Generally, these guidelines apply to federal agencies and to state and local governments purchasing products with federal money.

Current law requires the state procurement office to consider the use of recovered materials as one of several criteria when evaluating bids and to develop a "weighting factor" to evaluate these criteria.  The weighting factor can indirectly subsidize the price of products containing recovered materials.  For the purpose of awarding bids, the procurement office reduces the bid price of products containing recovered material by up to five percent.  However, if the product containing recovered materials wins the bid, the procurement office pays only the bid price.

Legislation enacted last year created a state waste reduction and recycling plan.  The plan is to be developed by the Department of Ecology in conjunction with a task force appointed by the Department of General Administration.

SUMMARY:

The statute creating a state waste reduction and recycling plan is repealed and rewritten to create a state waste reduction, recycling, and procurement plan.  The plan is mandatory for state agencies and is optional for local governments.  Counties with a population of 100,000 or more, cities with a population of 10,000 or more, and school districts within those counties and cities must annually report the status of its plan to the Department of Ecology.

The Department of Ecology, in conjunction with a public sector task force, is directed to develop procurement guidelines to stimulate government purchases of products made from recycled, or recovered materials.

The department is directed to develop procurement guidelines for:  1) those materials for which guidelines have already been developed by the federal government; 2) yard waste; and 3) other materials as determined by the department.

The guidelines must include a weighting factor to provide a price advantage to products made from recovered materials.

"Mill broke," the rejected paper products commonly recycled within a manufacturing site, will not be considered to be "recovered material" by the state procurement office and will not receive the indirect price advantage authorized under current law.

Fiscal Note:      Available.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    (Environmental Affairs) Bill Alkire, Department of Ecology; Meredith Jennings, General Administration; Polly Lord, King County Commission and Evergreen Oil; and Nancy Pearson, Washington Citizens for Recycling.

(Appropriations) Bill Alkire, Department of Ecology.

House Committee - Testified Against:      (Environmental Affairs) No one.

(Appropriations) No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    (Environmental Affairs) The bill will help to create stronger markets for recycled commodities.

(Appropriations) The bill will assist the state in obtaining a 50 percent recycling goal.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      (Environmental Affairs) None.

(Appropriations) None.