FINAL BILL REPORT
SHB 1100
Synopsis as Enacted
C 399 L 93
Brief Description: Imposing a fee on waste transported without a cover.
By House Committee on Environmental Affairs (originally sponsored by Representatives Bray, J. Kohl, Rust and Leonard).
House Committee on Environmental Affairs
Senate Committee on Ecology & Parks
Background: Litter surveys from 1982 to 1987 show that the amount of litter from vehicles with unsecured loads has remained steady at around 40 percent of all litter. A 1990 litter survey shows that this type of "non-deliberate" littering has increased to nearly 50 percent of all litter. The cause for the increase in this type of littering appears to be that the number of pickup trucks has nearly doubled since 1982.
Under current state law, littering is punishable as a misdemeanor with a fine of not less than $50 and eight to 16 hours of litter pickup duty. State law governing the "rules of the road" requires trucks carrying dirt, sand, or gravel to have a cover or to maintain at least six inches of space between the material and the side of the vehicle. State law does not require a cover for vehicles transporting any other waste materials.
Yakima County and the city of Richland have adopted ordinances requiring landfill customers to pay a surcharge if they arrive at the landfill in vehicles with uncovered waste. Both local governments report the measure has reduced litter, especially on the roads leading to the landfill.
Summary: A city or county with a staffed transfer station or landfill in its jurisdiction must adopt an ordinance that assesses a surcharge on customers arriving at the transfer station or landfill in vehicles in which the waste is not adequately covered or secured. The ordinance may also provide exemptions for waste that is unlikely to spill from a vehicle. Vehicles transporting dirt, sand, or gravel are not subject to local covered load ordinances.
Votes on Final Passage:
House 76 21
Senate 25 20 (Senate amended)
House 72 24 (House concurred)
Effective: July 25, 1993