E-Cycle Washington plan input and program updates

In July 2023, E-Cycle Washington collected 1.06 million pounds of TVs, computers, and monitors for recycling. The year-to-date collection total for 2023 is 7.45 million pounds. This is 94.1% of the 7.92 million pounds collected over the same period in 2022. Over the program's lifetime the total volume collected is 460.8 million pounds.

The Washington Materials Management and Financing Authority (WMMFA), which operates E-Cycle WA on behalf of manufacturers, provides county-by-county breakdowns of collection data in monthly and annual reports.

E-Cycle Washington Five-Year Plan Input 
The WMMFA must submit a new 5-year program plan for approval by the Dept. of Ecology by Sept. 1, 2023. The NWPSC Electronics Committee coordinated and conducted consultation with local governments, residents, collection sites, and others to provide WMMFA input into their plan. Some of the concerns the NWPSC provided the WMMFA included: 

  • Concern #1: Increased disposal of covered electronics.  
  • Concern #2: Convenient access to collection sites has decreased substantially. 
  • Concern #3: Lack of awareness due to insufficient outreach spending.

The NWPSC also provided the WMMFA with recommendations to combat this problem:  

  • Invest in proactive recruitment of additional collection sites and/or provide funding to support other forms of collection services to ensure Washington residents have reasonably convenient access.  
  • Significantly increase program outreach budget and carry out additional outreach activities to ensure that Washington residents and small businesses are aware of where and how to reuse and recycle E-Cycle covered products.  
  • Establish an advisory council to ensure ongoing engagement and collaboration with E-Cycle program stakeholders. 
  • Conduct a regular awareness survey to gauge program awareness and guide outreach strategy.