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Financing Solid Waste for the Future

Introduction

The present solid waste system in Washington is remarkably successful in many ways. This success is due to the people involved and the relationships they have developed over the years. Ecology is fortunate to have great partners in local government (both health jurisdictions and solid waste divisions), the private sector (haulers, recyclers, composters, landfill owners), state government (Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, Health), and others. While we envision changes to achieve the Beyond Waste vision, we see no reason that the current list of partners and some future partners, such as manufacturers, will not be successful in getting there. Together, we have made great strides to move from open burning dumps to our system of modern solid waste facilities. We can make similar strides to implement Beyond Waste. We will continue to partner and grow – including continued work to ensure equitable, sufficient, and effective financing for the system.

It is essential to support the existing successful system through transition toward a Beyond Waste future. The private and public solid waste infrastructure has shown various levels of its ability to expand and diversify in response to changing demands of the marketplace, changing technologies, and evolving policy requirements. Evidence of this flexibility is the range of materials collected for reuse and recycling that were previously sent to disposal.

Business and government investment at all levels will be needed to meet Beyond Waste goals. Achieving large increases in waste reduction and in closed-loop recycling will require more extensive technical assistance, education, planning and collaboration. It will be useful to seek ways in which financing structures can reinforce rather than work against Beyond Waste goals. For example, a key benefit for the long term might be to support regional and national efforts to shift from predominantly end-of-life fees (such as disposal fees) to incorporating costs at more appropriate parts of the life-cycle (such as advance recovery fees).

Continuing to move recycling toward greater cost-effectiveness is also important. If the demand for recyclable materials and recycled-content products significantly improves and if sales of recyclable materials can cover all the costs, then solving funding challenges could be easier. This could occur through development of technology, use of state and local government purchasing power, and other means.

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