The department of ecology, at the request of a local government jurisdiction, may periodically provide educational material promoting household waste reduction and recycling to public and private refuse haulers. The educational material shall be distributed to households receiving refuse collection service by local governments or the refuse hauler providing service. The refuse hauler may distribute the educational material by any means that assures timely delivery.
Reasonable expenses incurred in the distribution of this material shall be considered, for rate-making purposes, as legitimate operating expenses of garbage and refuse haulers regulated under chapter
81.77 RCW.