{"data":{"id":"us-wa/rcw-70a.505.010","jurisdiction":"us-wa","citation":"RCW 70A.505.010","heading":"Findings—Purpose. (Effective until January 1, 2035.)","body":"The legislature finds that:\n(1) Mercury is an essential component of many energy efficient lights. Improper disposal methods will lead to mercury releases that threaten the environment and harm human health. Spent mercury lighting is a hard to collect waste product that is appropriate for product stewardship;\n(2) Convenient and environmentally sound product stewardship programs for mercury-containing lights that include collecting, transporting, and recycling mercury-containing lights will help protect Washington's environment and the health of state residents;\n(3)(a) The purpose of this chapter is to achieve a statewide goal of recycling all end-of-life mercury-containing lights through expanded public education, a uniform statewide requirement to recycle all mercury-containing lights, and the development of a comprehensive, safe, and convenient collection system that includes use of residential curbside collection programs, mail-back containers, increased support for household hazardous waste facilities, and a network of additional collection locations;\n(b) The purpose of chapter 339, Laws of 2024 is to reduce exposure to mercury by prohibiting the sale of most mercury-containing lights beginning in 2029 and to provide continuing collection of mercury-containing lights that have already entered the marketplace;\n(4) Product producers must play a significant role in financing no-cost collection and processing programs for mercury-containing lights; and\n(5) Providers of premium collection services such as residential curbside and mail-back programs may charge a fee to cover the collection costs for these more convenient forms of collection.","path":["Title 70A","Chapter 70A.505"],"source_url":"https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70A.505.010","current_through":"July 15, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T04:03:24Z","sha256":"dfefa6caf5615f728b599352b5c5daf02da78cc526cdf4249102a0abd12d0aa9","source_id":"us-wa","stale":false,"prev":"us-wa/rcw-70a.500.901","next":"us-wa/rcw-70a.505.020"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}