SSB 6428 -
By Senator Pridemore
ADOPTED 02/08/2006
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that a convenient,
safe, and environmentally sound system for the collection,
transportation, and recycling of covered electronic products must be
established. The legislature further finds that the system must
encourage the design of electronic products that are less toxic and
more recyclable. The legislature further finds that the responsibility
for this system must be shared among all stakeholders, with
manufacturers financing the collection, transportation, and recycling
system.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 The definitions in this section apply
throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Authority" means the Washington materials management and
financing authority created under section 28 of this act.
(2) "Authorized party" means a manufacturer who submits an
individual independent plan or the entity authorized to submit an
independent plan for more than one manufacturer.
(3) "Board" means the board of directors of the Washington
materials management and financing authority created under section 29
of this act.
(4) "Collector" means an entity licensed to do business in the
state that gathers unwanted covered electronic products from
households, small businesses, school districts, small governments, and
charities for the purpose of recycling and meets minimum standards that
may be developed by the department.
(5) "Contract for services" means an instrument executed by the
authority and one or more persons or entities that delineates
collection, transportation, and recycling services, in whole or in
part, that will be provided to the citizens of the state within service
areas as described in the approved standard plan.
(6) "Covered electronic product" includes a cathode ray tube or
flat panel computer monitor having a viewable area greater than four
inches when measured diagonally, a desktop computer, a laptop or a
portable computer, or a cathode ray tube or flat panel television
having a viewable area greater than four inches when measured
diagonally that has been used in the state by any covered entity
regardless of original point of purchase. "Covered electronic product"
does not include: (a) A motor vehicle or replacement parts for use in
motor vehicles or aircraft, or any computer, computer monitor, or
television that is contained within, and is not separate from, the
motor vehicle or aircraft; (b) monitoring and control instruments or
systems; (c) medical devices; (d) products including materials intended
for use as ingredients in those products as defined in the federal
food, drug, and cosmetic act (21 U.S.C. Sec. 301 et seq.) or the virus-serum-toxin act of 1913 (21 U.S.C. Sec. 151 et seq.), and regulations
issued under those acts; (e) equipment used in the delivery of patient
care in a health care setting; (f) a computer, computer monitor, or
television that is contained within a clothes washer, clothes dryer,
refrigerator, refrigerator and freezer, microwave oven, conventional
oven or range, dishwasher, room air conditioner, dehumidifier, or air
purifier; or (g) hand-held portable voice or data devices used for
commercial mobile services as defined in 47 U.S.C. Sec. 332 (d)(1).
(7) "Covered entity" means any household, charity, school district,
small business, or small government located in Washington state.
(8) "Curbside service" means a collection service providing
regularly scheduled pickup of covered electronic products from
households or other covered entities in quantities similar to
households.
(9) "Department" means the department of ecology.
(10) "Electronic product" includes a cathode ray tube or flat panel
computer monitor having a viewable area greater than four inches when
measured diagonally; a desktop computer; a laptop or a portable
computer; or a cathode ray tube or flat screen television having a
viewable area greater than four inches when measured diagonally.
(11) "Equivalent share" means the weight in pounds of covered
electronic products for which an individual manufacturer is responsible
under this chapter as determined by the department under section 20 of
this act.
(12) "Household" means a single detached dwelling unit or a single
unit of a multiple dwelling unit and appurtenant structures.
(13) "Independent plan" means a plan for the collection,
transportation, and recycling of unwanted covered electronic products
that is developed, implemented, and financed by an individual
manufacturer or by an authorized party.
(14) "Manufacturer" means any person, in business or no longer in
business but having a successor in interest, who, irrespective of the
selling technique used, including by means of distance or remote sale:
(a) Manufactures or has manufactured a covered electronic product
under its own brand names for sale in or into this state;
(b) Assembles or has assembled a covered electronic product that
uses parts manufactured by others for sale in or into this state under
the assembler's brand names;
(c) Resells or has resold in or into this state under its own brand
names a covered electronic product produced by other suppliers,
including retail establishments that sell covered electronic products
under their own brand names;
(d) Imports or has imported a covered electronic product into the
United States that is sold in or into this state. However, if a
company from whom an importer purchases or has purchased the
merchandise performs activities conducted under the standards
established for interstate commerce under the commerce clause of the
United States Constitution, that company is deemed to be the
manufacturer; or
(e) Manufactures or manufactured a cobranded product for sale in or
into this state that carries the name of both the manufacturer and a
retailer.
(15) "New entrant" means: (a) A manufacturer of televisions that
have been sold in the state for less than ten years; or (b) a
manufacturer of desktop computers, laptop and portable computers, or
computer monitors that have been sold in the state for less than five
years. However, a manufacturer of both televisions and computers or a
manufacturer of both televisions and computer monitors that is deemed
a new entrant under either only (a) or (b) of this subsection is not
considered a new entrant for purposes of this chapter.
(16) "Orphan product" means a covered electronic product that lacks
a manufacturer's brand or for which the manufacturer is no longer in
business and has no successor in interest.
(17) "Plan's equivalent share" means the weight in pounds of
covered electronic products for which a plan is responsible. A plan's
equivalent share is equal to the sum of the equivalent shares of each
manufacturer participating in that plan.
(18) "Plan's return share" means the sum of the return shares of
each manufacturer participating in that plan.
(19) "Premium service" means services such as at-location system
upgrade services provided to covered entities and at-home pickup
services offered to households. "Premium service" does not include
curbside service.
(20) "Processor" means an entity engaged in disassembling,
dismantling, or shredding electronic products to recover materials
contained in the electronic products and prepare those materials for
reclaiming or reuse in new products in accordance with processing
standards established by this chapter and by the department. A
processor may also salvage parts to be used in new products.
(21) "Product type" means one of the following categories:
Computer monitors; desktop computers; laptop and portable computers;
and televisions.
(22) "Program" means the collection, transportation, and recycling
activities conducted to implement an independent plan or the standard
plan.
(23) "Program year" means each full calendar year after the program
has been initiated.
(24) "Recycling" means transforming or remanufacturing waste
materials into usable or marketable materials for use other than
landfill disposal or incineration. "Recycling" does not include energy
recovery or energy generation by means of combusting electronic waste
with or without other waste. Smelting of electronic wastes to recover
metals for reuse in conformance with all applicable laws and
regulations is not considered disposal or energy recovery.
(25) "Retailer" means a person who offers covered electronic
products for sale at retail through any means including, but not
limited to, remote offerings such as sales outlets, catalogs, or the
internet, but does not include a sale that is a wholesale transaction
with a distributor or a retailer.
(26) "Return share" means the percentage of covered electronic
products by weight identified for an individual manufacturer, as
determined by the department under section 19 of this act.
(27) "Reuse" means any operation by which an electronic product or
a component of a covered electronic product changes ownership and is
used for the same purpose for which it was originally purchased.
(28) "Small business" means a business employing less than fifty
people.
(29) "Small government" means a city in the state with a population
less than fifty thousand, a county in the state with a population less
than one hundred twenty-five thousand, and special purpose districts in
the state.
(30) "Standard plan" means the plan for the collection,
transportation, and recycling of unwanted covered electronic products
developed, implemented, and financed by the authority on behalf of
manufacturers participating in the authority.
(31) "Transporter" means an entity that transports covered
electronic products from collection sites or services to processors or
other locations for the purpose of recycling, but does not include any
entity or person that hauls their own unwanted electronic products.
(32) "Unwanted electronic product" means a covered electronic
product that has been discarded or is intended to be discarded by its
owner.
(33) "White box manufacturer" means a person who manufactured
unbranded covered electronic products offered for sale in the state
within ten years prior to a program year for televisions or within five
years prior to a program year for desktop computers, laptop or portable
computers, or computer monitors.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 (1) A manufacturer must participate in an
independent plan or the standard plan to implement and finance the
collection, transportation, and recycling of covered electronic
products.
(2) An independent plan or the standard plan must be implemented
and fully operational no later than January 1, 2009.
(3) The manufacturers participating in an approved plan are
responsible for covering all administrative and operational costs
associated with the collection, transportation, and recycling of their
plan's equivalent share of covered electronic products. If costs are
passed on to consumers, it must be done without any fees at the time
the unwanted electronic product is delivered or collected for
recycling. However, this does not prohibit collectors providing
premium or curbside services from charging customers a fee for the
additional collection cost of providing this service, when funding for
collection provided by an independent plan or the standard plan does
not fully cover the cost of that service.
(4) Nothing in this chapter changes or limits the authority of the
Washington utilities and transportation commission to regulate
collection of solid waste in the state of Washington, including
curbside collection of residential recyclable materials, nor does this
chapter change or limit the authority of a city or town to provide such
service itself or by contract pursuant to RCW 81.77.020.
(5) Manufacturers are encouraged to collaborate with electronic
product retailers, certificated waste haulers, processors, recyclers,
charities, and local governments within the state in the development
and implementation of their plans.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 (1) By January 1, 2007, and annually
thereafter, each manufacturer must register with the department.
(2) A manufacturer must submit to the department with each
registration or annual renewal a fee to cover the administrative costs
of this chapter as determined by the department under section 23 of
this act.
(3) The department shall review a registration and notify the
manufacturer if their registration does not meet the requirements of
this section. Within thirty days of receipt of such a notification
from the department, the manufacturer must file with the department a
revised registration addressing the requirements noted by the
department.
(4) The registration may only include the following information:
(a) The name and contact information of the manufacturer submitting
the registration;
(b) The manufacturer's brand names of covered electronic products,
including all brand names sold in the state in the past, all brand
names currently being sold in the state, and all brand names for which
the manufacturer has legal responsibility under section 10 of this act;
(c) The method or methods of sale used in the state; and
(d) Whether the registrant will be participating in the standard
plan or submitting an independent plan to the department for approval.
(5) The registrant shall submit any changes to the information
provided in the registration to the department within fourteen days of
such change.
(6) The department shall determine, using all reasonable means,
manufacturers that are in business or that are no longer in business
but that have a successor in interest by examining best available
return share data and other pertinent data. The department shall
notify manufacturers that have been identified and for whom an address
has been found of the requirements of this chapter, including
registration and plan requirements under this section and section 5 of
this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 (1) A manufacturer must participate in the
standard plan administered by the authority, unless the manufacturer
obtains department approval for an independent plan for the collection,
transportation, and recycling of unwanted electronic products.
(2) An independent plan may be submitted by an individual
manufacturer or by a group of manufacturers, provided that:
(a) Each independent plan represents at least a five percent return
share of covered electronic products; and
(b) No manufacturer may participate in an independent plan if they
are a new entrant or a white box manufacturer.
(3) An individual manufacturer submitting an independent plan to
the department is responsible for collecting, transporting, and
recycling its equivalent share of covered electronic products.
(4)(a) Manufacturers collectively submitting an independent plan
are responsible for collecting, transporting, and recycling the sum of
the equivalent shares of each participating manufacturer.
(b) Each group of manufacturers submitting an independent plan must
designate a party authorized to file the plan with the department on
their behalf. A letter of certification from each of the manufacturers
designating the authorized party must be submitted to the department
together with the plan.
(5) Each manufacturer in the standard plan or in an independent
plan retains responsibility and liability under this chapter in the
event that the plan fails to meet the manufacturer's obligations under
this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 (1) All initial independent plans and the
initial standard plan required under section 5 of this act must be
submitted to the department by February 1, 2008. The department shall
review each independent plan and the standard plan.
(2) The authority submitting the standard plan and each authorized
party submitting an independent plan to the department must pay a fee
to the department to cover the costs of administering and implementing
this chapter. The department shall set the fees as described under
section 23 of this act.
(3) The fees in subsection (2) of this section apply to the initial
plan submission and plan updates and revisions required in section 7 of
this act.
(4) Within ninety days after receipt of a plan, the department
shall determine whether the plan complies with this chapter. If the
plan is approved, the department shall send a letter of approval. If
a plan is rejected, the department shall provide the reasons for
rejecting the plan to the authority or authorized party. The authority
or authorized party has sixty days after receipt of the letter of
disapproval to submit a new plan.
(5) An independent plan and the standard plan must contain the
following elements:
(a) Contact information for the authority or authorized party and
a comprehensive list of all manufacturers participating in the plan and
their contact information;
(b) A description of the collection, transportation, and recycling
systems and service providers used, including a description of how the
authority or authorized party will:
(i) Seek to use businesses within the state, including retailers,
charities, processors, and collection and transportation services; and
(ii) Fairly compensate collectors for providing collection
services;
(c) The method or methods for the reasonably convenient collection
of all product types of covered electronic products in rural and urban
areas throughout the state, including how the plan will provide for
collection services in each county of the state and for a minimum of
one collection site or alternate collection service for each city or
town with a population greater than ten thousand. A collection site
for a county may be the same as a collection site for a city or town in
the county;
(d) A description of how the plan will provide service to small
businesses, small governments, charities, and school districts in
Washington state;
(e) The processes and methods used to recycle covered electronic
products including a description of the processing that will be used
and the facility location;
(f) Documentation of audits of each processor used in the plan and
compliance with processing standards established under section 25 of
this act;
(g) A description of the accounting and reporting systems that will
be employed to track progress toward the plan's equivalent share;
(h) A timeline describing startup, implementation, and progress
towards milestones with anticipated results;
(i) The public information campaign to inform consumers about how
to recycle their covered electronic products at the end of the
product's life.
(6) The standard plan shall address how it will incorporate and
fairly compensate registered collectors providing curbside or premium
services such that they are not compensated at a lower rate for
collection costs than the compensation offered other collectors
providing drop-off collection sites in that geographic area.
(7) All transporters and collectors used to fulfill the
requirements of this section must be registered as described in section
24 of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7 (1) An independent plan and the standard
plan must be updated at least every five years and as required in (a)
and (b) of this subsection.
(a) If the program fails to provide service in each county in the
state or meet other plan requirements, the authority or authorized
party shall submit to the department within sixty days of failing to
provide service an updated plan addressing how the program will be
adjusted to meet program geographic coverage and collection service
requirements.
(b) The authority or authorized party shall notify the department
of any modification to the plan. If the department determines that the
authority or authorized party has significantly modified the program
described in the plan, the authority or authorized party shall submit
a revised plan describing the changes to the department within sixty
days of notification by the department.
(2) Within sixty days after receipt of a revised plan, the
department shall determine whether the revised plan complies with this
chapter. If the revised plan is approved, the department shall send a
letter of approval. If the revised plan is rejected, the department
shall provide the reasons for rejecting the plan to the authority or
authorized party. The authority or authorized party has sixty days
after receipt of the letter of disapproval to submit a new plan
revision.
(3) The authority or authorized parties may buy and sell tonnage of
covered electronic products with other plans without submitting a plan
revision for review.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 (1) A manufacturer participating in an
independent plan may join the standard plan by notifying the authority
and the department of its intention at least five months prior to the
start of the next program year.
(2) Manufacturers may not change from one plan to another plan
during a program year.
(3) A manufacturer participating in the standard plan wishing to
implement or participate in an independent plan may do so by complying
with rules adopted by the department under section 23 of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9 (1) A program must provide collection
services for covered electronic products of all product types that are
reasonably convenient and available to all citizens of the state
residing within its geographic boundaries, including both rural and
urban areas. Each program must provide collection service in every
county of the state. A program may provide collection services jointly
with another plan or plans.
(a) For any city or town with a population of greater than ten
thousand, each program shall provide a minimum of one collection site
or alternate collection service described in subsection (3) of this
section or a combination of sites and alternate service that together
provide at least one collection opportunity for all product types. A
collection site for a county may be the same as a collection site for
a city or town in the county.
(b) Collection sites may include electronics recyclers and repair
shops, recyclers of other commodities, reuse organizations, charities,
retailers, government recycling sites, or other suitable locations.
(c) Collection sites must be staffed, open to the public at a
frequency adequate to meet the needs of the area being served, and on
an on-going basis.
(2) A program may limit the number of covered electronic products
or covered electronic products by product type accepted per customer
per day or per delivery at a collection site or service. All covered
entities may use a collection site as long as the covered entities
adhere to any restrictions established in the plans.
(3) A program may provide collection services in forms different
than collection sites, such as curbside services, if those alternate
services provide equal or better convenience to citizens and equal or
increased recovery of unwanted covered electronic products.
(4) For rural areas without commercial centers or areas with widely
dispersed population, a program may provide collection at the nearest
commercial centers or solid waste sites, collection events, mail-back
systems, or a combination of these options.
(5) For small businesses, small governments, charities, and school
districts that may have large quantities of covered electronic products
that cannot be handled at collection sites or curbside services, a
program may provide alternate services. At a minimum, a program must
provide for processing of these large quantities of covered electronic
products at no charge to the small businesses, small governments,
charities, and school districts.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10 Any person acquiring a manufacturer, or who
has acquired a manufacturer, shall have all responsibility for the
acquired company's covered electronic products, including covered
electronic products manufactured prior to the effective date of this
section, unless that responsibility remains with another entity per the
purchase agreement and the acquiring manufacturer provides the
department with a letter from the other entity accepting responsibility
for the covered electronic products. Cobranding manufacturers may
negotiate with retailers for responsibility for those products and must
notify the department of the results of their negotiations.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 (1) An independent plan and the standard
plan must implement and finance an auditable, statistically significant
sampling of covered electronic products entering its program every
program year. The information collected must include a list of the
brand names of covered electronic products by product type, the number
of covered electronic products by product type, the weight of covered
electronic products that are identified for each brand name or that
lack a manufacturer's brand, the total weight of the sample by product
type, and any additional information needed to assign return share.
(2) The sampling must be conducted in the presence of the
department or a third-party organization approved by the department.
The department may, at its discretion, audit the methodology and the
results.
(3) After the fifth program year, the department may reassess the
sampling required in this section. The department may adjust the
frequency at which manufacturers must implement the sampling or may
adjust the frequency at which manufacturers must provide certain
information from the sampling. Prior to making any changes, the
department shall notify the public, including all registered
manufacturers, and provide a comment period. The department shall
notify all registered manufacturers of any such changes.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12 (1) An independent plan and the standard
plan must inform covered entities about where and how to reuse and
recycle their covered electronic products at the end of the product's
life, including providing a web site or a toll-free telephone number
that gives information about the recycling program in sufficient detail
to educate covered entities regarding how to return their covered
electronic products for recycling.
(2) The department shall promote covered electronic product
recycling by:
(a) Posting information describing where to recycle unwanted
covered electronic products on its web site;
(b) Providing information about recycling covered electronic
products through a toll-free telephone service; and
(c) Developing and providing artwork for use in flyers and signage
to retailers upon request.
(3) Local governments shall promote covered electronic product
recycling, including listings of local collection sites and services,
through existing educational methods typically used by each local
government.
(4) A retailer who sells new covered electronic products shall
provide information to consumers describing where and how to recycle
covered electronic products and opportunities and locations for the
convenient collection or return of the products. This requirement can
be fulfilled by providing the department's toll-free telephone number
and web site. Remote sellers may include the information in a visible
location on their web site as fulfillment of this requirement.
(5) Manufacturers, state government, local governments, retailers,
and collection sites and services shall collaborate in the development
and implementation of the public information campaign.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13 (1) The electronic products recycling
account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All payments
resulting from plans not reaching their equivalent share, as described
in section 22 of this act, shall be deposited into the account. Any
moneys collected for manufacturer registration fees, fees associated
with reviewing and approving plans and plan revisions, and penalties
levied under this chapter shall be deposited into the account.
(2) Only the director of the department or the director's designee
may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to
allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is
not required for expenditures.
(3) Moneys in the account may be used solely by the department for
the purposes of fulfilling department responsibilities specified in
this chapter and for expenditures to the authority and authorized
parties resulting from plans exceeding their equivalent share, as
described in section 22 of this act. Funds in the account may not be
diverted for any purpose or activity other than those specified in this
section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 14 (1) By March 1st of the second program year
and each program year thereafter, the authority and each authorized
party shall file with the department an annual report for the preceding
program year.
(2) The annual report must include the following information:
(a) The total weight in pounds of covered electronic products
collected and recycled, by county, during the preceding program year
including documentation verifying collection and processing of that
material. The total weight in pounds includes orphan products. The
report must also indicate and document the weight in pounds received
from each nonprofit charitable organization primarily engaged in the
business of reuse and resale used by the plan. The report must
document the weight in pounds that were received in large quantities
from small businesses, small governments, charities and school
districts as described in section 9(5) of this act;
(b) The collection services provided in each county and for each
city with a population over ten thousand including a list of all
collection sites and services operating in the state in the prior
program year and the parties who operated them;
(c) A list of processors used, the weight of covered electronic
products processed by each direct processor, and a description of the
processes and methods used to recycle the covered electronic products
including a description of the processing and facility locations. The
report must also include a list of subcontractors who further processed
or recycled unwanted covered electronic products, electronic
components, or electronic scrap described in section 25(1)(b) of this
act, including facility locations;
(d) Other documentation as established under section 25(1)(d) of
this act;
(e) Educational and promotional efforts that were undertaken;
(f) The results of sampling and sorting as required in section 11
of this act, including a list of the brand names of covered electronic
products by product type, the number of covered electronic products by
product type, the weight of covered electronic products that are
identified for each brand name or that lack a manufacturer's brand, and
the total weight of the sample by product type;
(g) Any other information deemed necessary by the department.
(3) The authority shall also include in its annual report to the
department the list of manufacturers that are participating in the
standard plan.
(4) The department shall review each report within ninety days of
its submission and shall notify the authority or authorized party of
any need for additional information or documentation, or any deficiency
in its program.
(5) All reports submitted to the department must be available to
the general public through the internet. Proprietary information
submitted to the department under this chapter is exempt from public
disclosure under RCW 42.56.270.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 15 Nonprofit charitable 501(c)3 organizations
that are primarily engaged in the business of reuse and resale and that
are used by a plan to collect covered electronic products shall file a
report with the department by March 1st of the second program year and
each program year thereafter. The report must indicate and document
the weight of covered electronic products sent for recycling during the
previous program year attributed to each plan that the charitable
organization is participating in.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 16 (1) Beginning January 1, 2007, no person
may sell or offer for sale an electronic product to any person in the
state unless the electronic product is labeled with the manufacturer's
brand. The label must be permanently affixed and readily visible.
(2) In-state retailers in possession of unlabeled products on
January 1, 2007, may exhaust their stock through sales to the public.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 17 No person may sell or offer for sale a
covered electronic product to any person in this state unless the
manufacturer of the covered electronic product has filed a registration
with the department under section 4 of this act and is participating in
an approved plan under section 5 of this act. A person that sells or
offers for sale a covered electronic product in the state shall consult
the department's web site for lists of manufacturers with registrations
and approved plans prior to selling a covered electronic product in the
state. A person is considered to have complied with this section if on
the date the product was ordered from the manufacturer or its agent,
the manufacturer was listed as having registered and having an approved
plan on the department's web site.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 18 (1) The department shall maintain on its
web site the following information:
(a) The names of the manufacturers and the manufacturer's brands
that are registered with the department under section 3 of this act;
(b) The names of the manufacturers and the manufacturer's brands
that are participating in an approved plan under section 5 of this act;
(c) The names and addresses of the collectors and transporters that
are listed in registrations filed with the department under section 24
of this act;
(d) The names and addresses of the processors used to fulfill the
requirements of the plans;
(e) Return and equivalent shares for all manufacturers.
(2) The department shall update this web site information promptly
upon receipt of a registration or a report.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 19 (1) The department shall determine the
return share for each manufacturer in the standard plan or an
independent plan by dividing the weight of covered electronic products
identified for each manufacturer by the total weight of covered
electronic products identified for all manufacturers in the standard
plan or an independent plan, then multiplying the quotient by one
hundred.
(2) For the first program year, the department shall determine the
return share for such manufacturers using all reasonable means and
based on best available information regarding return share data from
other states and other pertinent data.
(3) For the second and each subsequent program year, the department
shall determine the return share for such manufacturers using all
reasonable means and based on the most recent sampling of covered
electronic products conducted in the state under section 11 of this
act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 20 (1) The department shall determine the
total equivalent share for each manufacturer in the standard plan or an
independent plan by dividing the return share percentage for each
manufacturer by one hundred, then multiplying the quotient by the total
weight in pounds of covered electronic products collected for that
program year, allowing as needed for the additional credit authorized
in subsection (3) of this section.
(2)(a) By June 1st of each program year, the department shall
notify each manufacturer of the manufacturer's equivalent share of
covered electronic products to be applied to the previous program year.
The department shall also notify each manufacturer of how its
equivalent share was determined.
(b) By June 1st of each program year, the department shall bill any
authorized party or authority that has not attained its equivalent
share as determined under section 22 of this act. The authorized party
or authority shall remit payment to the department within sixty days
from the billing date.
(c) By September 1st of each program year, the department shall pay
any authorized party or authority that exceeded its equivalent share.
(3) Plans that utilize the collection services of nonprofit
charitable 501(c)3 organizations that are primarily engaged in the
business of reuse and resale must be given an additional five percent
credit to be applied toward a plan's equivalent share for pounds that
are received for recycling from those organizations. The department
may adjust the percentage of credit annually.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 21 (1) By June 1, 2007, the department shall
notify each manufacturer of its preliminary return share of covered
electronic products for the first program year.
(2) Preliminary return share of covered electronic products must be
announced annually by June 1st of each program year for the next
program year.
(3) Manufacturers may challenge the preliminary return share by
written petition to the department. The petition must be received by
the department within thirty days of the date of publication of the
preliminary return shares.
(4) The petition must contain a detailed explanation of the grounds
for the challenge, an alternative calculation, and the basis for such
a calculation, documentary evidence supporting the challenge, and
complete contact information for requests for additional information or
clarification.
(5) Sixty days after the publication of the preliminary return
share, the department shall make a final decision on return share,
having fully taken into consideration any and all challenges to its
preliminary calculations.
(6) A written record of challenges received and a summary of the
bases for the challenges, as well as the department's response, must be
published at the same time as the publication of the final return
share.
(7) By August 1, 2007, the department shall publish the final
return shares for the first program year. By August 1st of each
program year, the department shall publish the final return shares for
use in the coming program year.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 22 (1) For an independent plan and the
standard plan, if the total weight in pounds of covered electronic
products collected during a program year is less than the plan's
equivalent share of covered electronic products for that year, then the
authority or authorized party shall submit to the department a payment
equal to the weight in pounds of the deficit multiplied by the
reasonable collection, transportation, and recycling cost for covered
electronic products and the administrative fee. Moneys collected by
the department must be deposited in the electronic products recycling
account.
(2) For an independent plan and the standard plan, if the total
weight in pounds of covered electronic products collected during a
program year is more than the plan's equivalent share of covered
electronic products for that year, then the department shall submit to
the authority or authorized party, a payment equal to the weight in
pounds of the surplus multiplied by the reasonable collection,
transportation, and recycling cost for covered electronic products.
(3) For purposes of this section, the initial reasonable
collection, transportation, and recycling cost for covered electronic
products is forty-five cents per pound and the administrative fee is
five cents per pound.
(4) The department may annually adjust the reasonable collection,
transportation, and recycling cost for covered electronic products and
the administrative fee described in this section. Prior to making any
changes in the fees described in this section, the department shall
notify the public, including all registered manufacturers, and provide
a comment period. The department shall notify all registered
manufacturers of any changes to the reasonable collection,
transportation, and recycling cost or the administrative fee by January
1st of the program year in which the change is to take place.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 23 (1) The department shall adopt rules to
determine the process for manufacturers to change plans under section
8 of this act.
(2) The department shall establish annual registration and plan
review fees for administering this chapter. An initial fee schedule
must be established by rule and be adjusted no more often than once
every two years. All fees charged must be based on factors relating to
administering this chapter and be based on a sliding scale that is
representative of annual sales of covered electronic products in the
state. Fees must be established in amounts to fully recover and not to
exceed expenses incurred by the department to implement this chapter.
(3) The department shall establish an annual process for local
governments and local communities to report their satisfaction with the
services provided by plans under this chapter. This information must
be used by the department in reviewing plan updates and revisions.
(4) The department may adopt rules as necessary for the purpose of
implementing, administering, and enforcing this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 24 Each collector and transporter of covered
electronic products in the state must register annually with the
department. The registration must include all identification
requirements for licensure in the state and the geographic area of the
state that they serve. The department shall develop a single form for
registration of both collectors and transporters.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 25 (1)(a) The authority and each authorized
party shall ensure that each processor used directly by the authority
or the authorized party to fulfill the requirements of their respective
standard plan or independent plan has provided the authority or the
authorized party a written statement that the processor will comply
with the requirements of this section.
(b) The international export of any unwanted covered electronic
products or electronic components or electronic scrap derived from such
products destined for disposal or recycling that are capable of
leaching lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, or selenium or
selenium compounds in concentrations above the limits listed in 40
C.F.R. Sec. 261.24 as of the effective date of this act shall be
prohibited except for exports to:
(i) Countries that are members of the organization for economic
cooperation and development;
(ii) Countries that are members of the European community; or
(iii) Countries that have entered into an agreement with the United
States that allows for such exports.
(c) Any unwanted electronic products or electronic components
derived from such products that are capable of leaching lead, cadmium,
mercury, hexavalent chromium, or selenium or selenium compounds in
concentrations exceeding the levels established in 40 C.F.R. Sec.
261.24 as of the effective date of this act and exported to countries
that are not members of the organization for economic cooperation and
development or the European community or with whom the United States
has not entered into an agreement for such export for reuse, must be
tested and labeled as fully functional or needing only repairs that do
not result in the replacement of components capable of leaching these
substances in concentrations exceeding the levels established in 40
C.F.R. Sec. 261.24 as of the effective date of this act.
(d) The department shall establish rules to implement this section,
including any requirements necessary to ensure that full compliance is
adequately documented.
(2) The department shall establish by rule performance standards
for environmentally sound management for processors directly used to
fulfill the requirements of an independent plan or the standard plan.
Performance standards may include financial assurance to ensure proper
closure of facilities in the state consistent with environmental
standards.
(3) The department shall establish by rule guidelines regarding
nonrecycled residual that may be properly disposed after covered
electronic products have been processed.
(4) The department may audit processors that are utilized to
fulfill the requirements of an independent plan or the standard plan.
(5) No plan or program required under this chapter may include the
use of federal or state prison labor for processing.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 26 (1) No manufacturer may sell or offer for
sale a covered electronic product in or into the state unless the
manufacturer of the covered electronic product is participating in an
approved plan. The department shall send a written warning to a
manufacturer that does not have an approved plan or is not
participating in an approved plan as required under section 5 of this
act. The written warning must inform the manufacturer that it must
participate in an approved plan within thirty days of the notice. Any
violation after the initial written warning shall be assessed a penalty
of up to ten thousand dollars for each violation.
(2) If the authority or any authorized party fails to implement
their approved plan, the department must assess a penalty of up to five
thousand dollars for the first violation along with notification that
the authority or authorized party must implement its plan within thirty
days of the violation. After thirty days, the authority or any
authorized party failing to implement their approved plan must be
assessed a penalty of up to ten thousand dollars for the second and
each subsequent violation.
(3) Any person that does not comply with manufacturer registration
requirements under section 4 of this act, education and outreach
requirements under section 12 of this act, reporting requirements under
section 14 of this act, labeling requirements under section 16 of this
act, retailer responsibility requirements under section 17 of this act,
collector or transporter registration requirements under section 24 of
this act, or requirements under section 25 of this act, must first
receive a written warning including a copy of the requirements under
this chapter and thirty days to correct the violation. After thirty
days, a person must be assessed a penalty of up to one thousand dollars
for the first violation and up to two thousand dollars for the second
and each subsequent violation.
(4) All penalties levied under this section must be deposited into
the electronic products recycling account created under section 13 of
this act.
(5) The department shall enforce this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 27 By December 31, 2012, the department shall
provide a report to the legislature that includes the following
information:
(1) For each of the preceding program years, the weight of covered
electronic products recycled in the state by plan, by county, and in
total;
(2) The performance of each plan in meeting its equivalent share,
and payments received from and disbursed to each plan from the
electronic products recycling account;
(3) A description of the various collection programs used to
collect covered electronic products in the state;
(4) An evaluation of how the pounds per capita recycled of covered
electronic products in the state compares to programs in other states;
(5) Comments received from local governments and local communities
regarding satisfaction with the program, including accessibility and
convenience of services provided by the plans;
(6) Recommendations on how to improve the statewide collection,
transportation, and recycling system for convenient, safe, and
environmentally sound recycling of electronic products; and
(7) An analysis of whether and in what amounts unwanted electronic
products and electronic components and electronic scrap exported from
Washington have been exported to countries that are not members of the
organization for economic cooperation and development or the European
union, and recommendations for addressing such exports.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 28 (1) The Washington materials management and
financing authority is established as a public body corporate and
politic, constituting an instrumentality of the state of Washington
exercising essential governmental functions.
(2) The authority shall plan and implement a collection,
transportation, and recycling program for manufacturers that have
registered with the department their intent to participate in the
standard program as required under section 4 of this act.
(3) Membership in the authority is comprised of registered
participating manufacturers. Any manufacturer who does not qualify or
is not approved to submit an independent plan, or whose independent
plan has not been approved by the department, is a member of the
authority.
(4) The authority shall act as a business management organization
on behalf of the citizens of the state to manage financial resources
and contract for services for collection, transportation, and recycling
of covered electronic products.
(5) The authority's standard plan is responsible for collecting,
transporting, and recycling the sum of the equivalent shares of each
participating manufacturer. All new entrants and white box
manufacturers must participate in the standard plan.
(6) The authority shall accept into the standard program covered
electronic products from any registered collector who meets the
requirements of this chapter. The authority shall compensate
registered collectors for the reasonable costs associated with
collection, but is not required to compensate nor restricted from
compensating the additional collection costs resulting from the
additional convenience offered to customers through premium and
curbside services.
(7) Except as specifically allowed in this chapter, the authority
shall operate without using state funds or lending the credit of the
state or local governments.
(8) The authority shall develop innovative approaches to improve
materials management efficiency in order to ensure and increase the use
of secondary material resources within the economy.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 29 (1)(a) The authority is governed by a board
of directors. The initial board of directors is comprised of eleven
participating manufacturers, elected by the membership of the
authority. Five board positions are reserved for representatives of
the top ten brand owners by return share of covered electronic
products, and six board positions are reserved for representatives of
other brands, including at least one board position reserved for a
manufacturer who is also a retailer selling their own private label.
The return share of covered electronic products used to determine the
top ten brand owners for purposes of electing the board must be
determined by the department by January 1, 2007.
(b) The board must have representation from both television and
computer manufacturers.
(2) The board shall select from its membership the chair of the
board and such other officers as it deems appropriate.
(3) A majority of the board constitutes a quorum.
(4) The directors of the department of community, trade, and
economic development and the department of ecology, and the state
treasurer serve as ex officio members. The state agency directors and
the state treasurer serving in ex officio capacity may each designate
an employee of their respective departments to act on their behalf in
all respects with regard to any matter to come before the authority.
Ex officio designations must be made in writing and communicated to the
authority director.
(5) The board shall create its own bylaws in accordance with the
laws of the state of Washington.
(6) Any member of the board may be removed for misfeasance,
malfeasance, or willful neglect of duty after notice and a public
hearing, unless the notice and hearing are expressly waived in writing
by the affected member.
(7) The members of the board serve without compensation but are
entitled to reimbursement, solely from the funds of the authority, for
expenses incurred in the discharge of their duties under this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 30 (1) Participating manufacturers shall pay
the authority to cover all administrative and operational costs
associated with the collection, transportation, and recycling of
covered electronic products within the state of Washington incurred by
the standard program operated by the authority.
(2) The authority shall assess charges and collect funds from
participating manufacturers based on return share, market share, any
combination thereof, or any other equitable method, and collect
assessments directly to fund the activities of the standard program.
The authority shall adjust the assessments as necessary in order to
ensure that all costs associated with the identified activities are
covered. If a manufacturer has not met its financial obligations as
determined by the authority under this section, the authority shall
notify the department that the manufacturer is no longer participating
in the standard plan.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 31 (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of
this section, the authority shall use any funds legally available to it
for any purpose specifically authorized by this chapter to:
(a) Contract and pay for collecting, transporting, and recycling of
covered electronic products and education and other services as
identified in the standard plan;
(b) Pay for the expenses of the authority including, but not
limited to, salaries, benefits, operating costs and consumable
supplies, equipment, office space, and other expenses related to the
costs associated with operating the authority;
(c) Pay into the electronic products recycling account amounts
billed by the department to the authority for any deficit in reaching
the standard plan's equivalent share as required under section 22 of
this act; and
(d) Pay the department for the fees for submitting the standard
plan and any plan revisions.
(2) If practicable, the authority shall avoid creating new
infrastructure already available through private industry in the state.
(3) The authority may not receive an appropriation of state funds,
other than:
(a) Funds that may be provided as a one-time loan to cover
administrative costs associated with start up of the authority, such as
electing the board of directors and conducting the public hearing for
the operating plan, provided that no appropriated funds may be used to
pay for collection, transportation, or recycling services; and
(b) Funds received from the department from the electronic products
recycling account for exceeding the standard plan's equivalent share.
(4) The authority may receive additional sources of funding that do
not obligate the state to secure debt except as described in subsection
(1) of this section.
(5) All funds collected by the authority under this chapter,
including interest, dividends, and other profits, are and must remain
under the complete control of the authority and its board of directors,
be fully available to achieve the intent of this chapter, and be used
for the sole purpose of achieving the intent of this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 32 (1) The board shall adopt a general
operating plan of procedures for the authority. The board shall also
adopt operating procedures for collecting fees from participating
covered electronic manufacturers and for providing funding for
contracted services. These operating procedures must be adopted by
resolution prior to the authority operating the applicable programs.
(2) The general operating plan must include, but is not limited to:
(a) Appropriate minimum reserve requirements to secure the authority's
financial stability; and (b) appropriate standards for contracting for
services.
(3) The board shall conduct at least one public hearing on the
general operating plan prior to its adoption. The authority shall
provide and make public a written response to all comments received by
the public.
(4) The general operating plan must be adopted by resolution of the
board. The board may periodically update the general operating plan as
necessary, but must update the plan no less than once every four years.
The general operating plan or updated plan must include a report on
authority activities conducted since the commencement of authority
operation or since the last reported general operating plan, whichever
is more recent, including a statement of results achieved under the
purposes of this chapter and the general operating plan. Upon
adoption, the authority shall conduct its programs in observance of the
objectives established in the general operating plan.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 33 (1) The authority shall employ a chief
executive officer, appointed by the board, and a chief financial
officer, as well as professional, technical, and support staff,
appointed by the chief executive officer, necessary to carry out its
duties.
(2) Employees of the authority are not classified employees of the
state. Employees of the authority are exempt from state service rules
and may receive compensation only from the authority at rates
competitive with state service.
(3) The authority must retain its own legal counsel.
(4) The departments of ecology and community, trade, and economic
development shall provide staff to assist in the creation of the
authority. If requested by the authority, the departments of ecology
and community, trade, and economic development shall also provide
start-up support staff to the authority for its first twelve months of
operation, or part thereof, to assist in the quick establishment of the
authority. Staff expenses must be paid through fees and funds
collected by the authority and must be reimbursed to the departments
from the authority's financial resources within the first twenty-four
months of operation.
(5) In addition to accomplishing the activities specifically
authorized in this chapter, the authority may:
(a) Maintain an office or offices;
(b) Make and execute all manner of contracts, agreements, and
instruments and financing documents with public and private parties as
the authority deems necessary, useful, or convenient to accomplish its
purposes;
(c) Make expenditures as appropriate for paying the administrative
costs and expenses of the authority in carrying out the provisions of
this chapter;
(d) Give assistance to private and public bodies contracted to
provide collection, transportation, and recycling services by providing
information, guidelines, forms, and procedures for implementing their
programs;
(e) Delegate, through contract, any of its powers and duties if
consistent with the purposes of this chapter; and
(f) Exercise any other power the authority deems necessary, useful,
or convenient to accomplish its purposes and exercise the powers
expressly granted in this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 34 This chapter is void if a federal law, or
a combination of federal laws, takes effect that establishes a national
program for the collection and recycling of covered electronic products
that substantially meets the intent of this chapter, including the
creation of a financing mechanism for collection, transportation, and
recycling of all covered electronic products from households, small
businesses, school districts, small governments, and charities in the
United States.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 35 A new section is added to chapter 43.19 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) The department of general administration shall establish
purchasing and procurement policies that establish a preference for
electronic products that meet environmental performance standards
relating to the reduction or elimination of hazardous materials.
(2) The department of general administration shall ensure that
their surplus electronic products, other than those sold individually
to private citizens, are managed only by registered transporters and by
processors meeting the requirements of section 25 of this act.
(3) The department of general administration shall ensure that
their surplus electronic products are directed to legal secondary
materials markets by requiring a chain of custody record that documents
to whom the products were initially delivered through to the end use
manufacturer.
Sec. 36 RCW 42.56.270 and 2005 c 274 s 407 are each amended to
read as follows:
The following financial, commercial, and proprietary information is
exempt from disclosure under this chapter:
(1) Valuable formulae, designs, drawings, computer source code or
object code, and research data obtained by any agency within five years
of the request for disclosure when disclosure would produce private
gain and public loss;
(2) Financial information supplied by or on behalf of a person,
firm, or corporation for the purpose of qualifying to submit a bid or
proposal for (a) a ferry system construction or repair contract as
required by RCW 47.60.680 through 47.60.750 or (b) highway construction
or improvement as required by RCW 47.28.070;
(3) Financial and commercial information and records supplied by
private persons pertaining to export services provided under chapters
43.163 and 53.31 RCW, and by persons pertaining to export projects
under RCW 43.23.035;
(4) Financial and commercial information and records supplied by
businesses or individuals during application for loans or program
services provided by chapters 43.163, 43.160, 43.330, and 43.168 RCW,
or during application for economic development loans or program
services provided by any local agency;
(5) Financial information, business plans, examination reports, and
any information produced or obtained in evaluating or examining a
business and industrial development corporation organized or seeking
certification under chapter 31.24 RCW;
(6) Financial and commercial information supplied to the state
investment board by any person when the information relates to the
investment of public trust or retirement funds and when disclosure
would result in loss to such funds or in private loss to the providers
of this information;
(7) Financial and valuable trade information under RCW 51.36.120;
(8) Financial, commercial, operations, and technical and research
information and data submitted to or obtained by the clean Washington
center in applications for, or delivery of, program services under
chapter 70.95H RCW;
(9) Financial and commercial information requested by the public
stadium authority from any person or organization that leases or uses
the stadium and exhibition center as defined in RCW 36.102.010;
(10) Financial information, including but not limited to account
numbers and values, and other identification numbers supplied by or on
behalf of a person, firm, corporation, limited liability company,
partnership, or other entity related to an application for a liquor
license, gambling license, or lottery retail license;
(11) Proprietary data, trade secrets, or other information that
relates to: (a) A vendor's unique methods of conducting business; (b)
data unique to the product or services of the vendor; or (c)
determining prices or rates to be charged for services, submitted by
any vendor to the department of social and health services for purposes
of the development, acquisition, or implementation of state purchased
health care as defined in RCW 41.05.011; ((and))
(12)(a) When supplied to and in the records of the department of
community, trade, and economic development:
(i) Financial and proprietary information collected from any person
and provided to the department of community, trade, and economic
development pursuant to RCW 43.330.050(8) and 43.330.080(4); and
(ii) Financial or proprietary information collected from any person
and provided to the department of community, trade, and economic
development or the office of the governor in connection with the
siting, recruitment, expansion, retention, or relocation of that
person's business and until a siting decision is made, identifying
information of any person supplying information under this subsection
and the locations being considered for siting, relocation, or expansion
of a business;
(b) When developed by the department of community, trade, and
economic development based on information as described in (a)(i) of
this subsection, any work product is not exempt from disclosure;
(c) For the purposes of this subsection, "siting decision" means
the decision to acquire or not to acquire a site;
(d) If there is no written contact for a period of sixty days to
the department of community, trade, and economic development from a
person connected with siting, recruitment, expansion, retention, or
relocation of that person's business, information described in (a)(ii)
of this subsection will be available to the public under this chapter;
and
(13) Financial and proprietary information submitted to or obtained
by the department of ecology or the authority created under chapter
70.-- RCW (sections 1 through 34 of this act) to implement chapter
70.-- RCW (sections 1 through 34 of this act).
NEW SECTION. Sec. 37 This act must be liberally construed to
carry out its purposes and objectives.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 38 If any provision of this act or its
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
persons or circumstances is not affected.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 39 This act takes effect July 1, 2006.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 40 Sections 1 through 34 of this act
constitute a new chapter in Title
SSB 6428 -
By Senator Pridemore
ADOPTED 02/08/2006
On page 1, line 2 of the title, after "opportunities;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 42.56.270; adding a new section to chapter 43.19 RCW; adding a new chapter to Title 70 RCW; creating a new section; prescribing penalties; and providing an effective date."
EFFECT: Prohibits a manufacturer from selling a covered electronic product in Washington unless the manufacturer is participating in an approved collection and recycling plan. Reduces the timeline for manufacturers to participate in a collection and recycling plan without penalty from 90 days to 30 days after receiving a written warning from the Department of Ecology. Clarifies how the Authority may assess fees to manufacturers participating in the standard plan and removes specific fees that would be established if the Board fails to set fees. Makes several clarifying and technical changes to definitions and other sections of the bill.