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Today's Reality

Ecology collects and reports a huge amount of information about hazardous wastes, toxic releases and solid wastes in Washington. Much of the data collected by Ecology are submitted by regulated facilities or enterprises; others are obtained directly by Ecology staff. For data on some material flows, Ecology depends on other entities (including state and local government agencies, agricultural groups, and health agencies) to share pertinent information. In some cases, Ecology relies on studies conducted outside of its jurisdiction.

The existing data systems provide good information about hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. Most of this data is reasonably accurate, with data quality improving over the years as Ecology has worked with those that are required to report. The data are more readily available to staff and the public with the data reports on the Internet. Ecology has been able to use this data to make projections and to develop performance measures. In short, Ecology’s progress with its current data-collection efforts is commendable. However, Ecology must build on its current data-collection efforts and revise them.

Using existing data systems, the following issues limit the ability:

• Many hazardous wastes are not tracked due to regulatory exemptions.
• Inability to predict future waste streams.
• Limited ability to track trends due to regulatory changes or other factors.
• Lack of performance measures to determine if actions are making a difference.
• Lack of ability to target Ecology resources at changing waste generation trends.
• Data is not verified with other sources for accuracy.
• Limited ability to track the use of hazardous substances.

The questions below, developed by a team of experts, outline where Ecology needs to redirect its data-collection efforts:

Key Questions

1. Total waste: How much are we generating?
2. Inputs & efficiency: Are we reducing the use of materials over time?
3. Return flows & eco-effectiveness: How much and what is the value of the “waste” output returned and reused as material inputs?
4. Risk & inherent hazard: Are we reducing risks from toxic materials and wastes?
5. Contribution to vitality: Does eliminating wastes contribute to economic, environmental and social vitality?
6. Behavior change: Are residents, businesses, and institutions taking actions to achieve the Beyond Waste vision?
7. Beyond waste strategy effectiveness: Are Ecology’s strategies achieving their intended goals?
8. Capacity & safety: Do we have adequate, safe facilities to handle the remaining wastes?

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