Washington Advisory Council Takes Two Votes on What the Statewide Recycling Lists Should Include

The Recycling Reform Act Advisory Council met on August 13, 2026 and took up two votes on its Statewide Lists Subcommittee’s recommendations: one on the subcommittee’s proposed feedback on the preliminary statewide collection lists, and one on recommended additions to the Alternative Collection List. The proposed feedback would align the residential recycling and public place lists, include a broader range of materials than is commonly recycled today so the needs assessment can evaluate feasibility and cost, and revisit glass collection methods, aseptic and gable top carton sortation, and fiber food service packaging once needs assessment findings arrive. The draft Alternative Collection List v2 carries #1, #2 and #5 black pigmented rigid plastic (or black plastic nursery pots), #6 EPS non-food packaging, PE bags and film, aerosol cans, compressed gas cylinders and small format metal packaging. Vote outcomes publish with the meeting notes, due on the council site within ten days of the meeting. What this means for you: these lists become the yardstick your packaging is measured against once the program charges, and black pigmented rigid plastic currently sits on the alternative collection draft rather than residential recycling, consistent with the NIR sorting design risk this site flags. Ecology’s preliminary lists are due October 1, 2026, and the first draft preliminary needs assessment goes to Ecology and the council September 29, 2026 with public comment in October. Source: RRA Advisory Council, August 13, 2026 meeting materials (read August 20, 2026).