Washington Paint Stewardship Activities

HB 1652, concerning paint stewardship, signed into law by Governor Inslee on May 9, 2019, creates an industry-funded and run paint recycling program for Washington's residents and businesses and is expected to be in place by Nov. 30, 2020 (the law's effective date is July 28, 2019). Read the joint press release from the NWPSC, PSI, ACA, and Zero Waste Washington.

Key dates:

  • By July 28, 2020, submit stewardship plan for Ecology's approval: a stewardship organization representing producers shall submit a plan for the implementation of a paint stewardship program to the Dept. of Ecology for approval within one year of the law's effective date. (Sec. 4)
  • Nov. 30, 2020 program start: a stewardship organization shall implement the paint stewardship program plan by Nov. 30, 2020, or within six months after approval of a paint stewardship program plan, whichever is later. (Sec. 5)

Paint stewardship is supported by businesses, local governments, and environmental organizations. The legislature has considered similar bills since 2012 and Washington will now join eight states and the District of Columbia with similar paint stewardship laws (British Columbia's paint stewardship program began in 1994).

Bill history

The bill passed out of the House Environment & Energy committee, the Appropriations committee, and passed the House April 25, passed the Senate Ways & Means committee April 26, passed a Senate floor vote April 27 and was signed by the Governor May 9, 2019. Watch video of the February 5 and March 14 hearings on TVW. Note that this year the Legislature determined the bill as "necessary to implement the budget," because the paint fee is taxable, and the bill was therefore not bound by the regular bill cutoff dates.

Tools for Local Government in Washington

Paint stewardship in the news