Support Compost, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Legislation in Washington State
WHEREAS the fossil fuel industry is ramping up plastics production to backfill losses in use of
fossil fuels for energy and transportation with little to no effort to make recyclable packaging, 1
many consumer products come in packaging that is difficult or not eligible to recycle with less
than 5% of plastic being recycled nationally, 2,3 producers should be required to adopt practices
that reduce packaging and utilize materials which enable greater recycling or decomposition,
and
WHEREAS batteries in electronic vehicles contain rare earth materials, predominantly mined in
developing countries involving child labor and ecologically damaging processes 4,5 should be
regulated to require environmental protections, worker safety, and mandatory but readily
available reuse, repurposing and recycling; and
WHEREAS electronic products can be manufactured and marketed in such a way that they are
easier to repair by owners or local independent repair shops thus increasing their useful
lifespan, saving consumer dollars, and reducing negative environmental impacts; and
WHEREAS composting is an effective way to reduce landfill volume and methane gas
generation while improving climate impacts by enriching soils with living ecosystems of micro-
organisms that capture and store excess carbon, taking it out of the atmosphere and
sequestering it where it can be used to enhance farm and garden productivity the
implementation of uniform composting regulations throughout the state would benefit the
environment and food production; and
WHEREAS Zero Waste Washington 6 is leading an effort to pass legislation in Washington State
to achieve greater reduction, reuse, and recycling of consumer products and organic materials,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that South Seattle Climate Action Network supports legislation, which
promotes: the reduction of waste products such as plastics, increase composting of organic
materials, require manufacturer responsibility for recyclable packaging, require recycling and
reuse of EV batteries, and call for the manufacture of products that consumers can have
repaired;
THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that this resolution shall be forwarded
to Washington State Representatives and Senators with the request
that they support strong recycling legislation in 2024 which will reduce waste and enable
recycling of consumer products.
References:
- CNBC, Feb 1, 2022, How the fossil fuel industry is pushing plastics on the world, by Katie Bringham
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/29/how-the-fossil-fuel-industry-is-pushing-plastics-on-the-world-.html
- Greenpeace – NPR October 24, 2022, by Laura Sullivan – Recycling plastic is practically impossible —
and the problem is getting worse: https://www.npr.org/2022/10/24/1131131088/recycling-plastic-is-practically-impossible-and-the-problem-is-getting-worse & Greenpeace 2022 full report update: - https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GPUS_FinalReport_2022.pdf
- World Economic Forum, June 22, 2022. Top 25 recycling facts and statistics for
2022.https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/recycling-global-statistics-facts-plastic-paper/ - CBS News, March 6, 2018 – The toll of the cobalt mining industry on health and the
environment:https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-toll-of-the-cobalt-mining-industry-congo/. - The Guardian, Dec 18, 2019, Jonathan Watts – How the race for cobalt risks turning it from miracle
metal to deadly chemical.https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/18/how-the-race-
for-cobalt-risks-turning-it-from-miracle-metal-to-deadly-chemical
6. Zero Waste Washington – and related 2023 WA State Legislative bills,