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Progress on the 2004 Beyond Waste Plan

The initiatives, recommendations, and milestones are steps toward the Beyond Waste vision. Ecology will continue to evaluate progress on the Beyond Waste recommendations and milestones to determine if we need to adjust or correct them. We are committed to updating the Beyond Waste Plan every five years so it remains a current, statewide guide for collaborative actions to reduce wastes and the use of toxic substances.

The first six years of the Beyond Waste Plan saw much progress. Of the original 74 milestones, 25 were accomplished, and some progress was made on 38 others. Only 11 had little or no progress.

Progress on the 2004 Beyond Waste Plan Milestones

Beyond Waste Plan Section	Number of Milestones	Achieved to Date	Significant or Some Progress	Little or No Progress
Industries Initiative	14	4	10	-
Small Volume Hazardous Materials and Waste Initiative	10	2	6	2
Organics Initiative	10	4	6	-
Green Building Initiative	11	7	2	2
Measuring Progress Initiative	4	4	-	-
Hazardous Waste Issues	10	2	6	2
Solid Waste Issues	15	2	8	5
Total	74	25	38	11

 

Some highlights include:

• A manufacturer-funded program to recycle electronics is in place for computers, TVs, monitors, and laptops.
• The Legislature passed a law requiring all state-funded building projects to build green.
• Government is leading the way with composting programs at a number of locations, including all Ecology offices.
• A Chemical Action Plan for PBDE flame-retardants was written and legislation was passed. Implementation is in process.
• Implementing the Mercury Chemical Action Plan kept more than 10,000 pounds of mercury out of the environment.
• Businesses reduced by 50 percent the amount of recurrent hazardous waste they generate.
• More local governments are adopting the Beyond Waste vision in their plans and programs.
• The Beyond Waste Plan is recognized as a key strategy for combating climate change.

In the first five years, we have taken a new and challenging concept, Beyond Waste, and made it commonly known among people in the waste industry. Now, because of the Climate Action Team's recommendations, people outside of the waste industry have accepted it as well. In the next five years, we will continue to work on making Beyond Waste a better understood and accepted concept, as we progress with the recommendations and milestones laid out in the plan update. 

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