The legislature finds that:

(1) The state of Washington has responded to the increasing challenges of safe, affordable disposal of solid waste by an ambitious program of waste reduction, recycling and reuse, as well as strict standards to ensure the safe handling, transportation, and disposal of solid waste;

(2) All communities in Washington participate in these programs through locally available recycling services, increased source separation and material recovery requirements, programs for waste reduction and product reuse, and performance standards that apply to all solid waste disposal facilities in the state;

(3) New requirements for the siting and performance of disposal facilities have greatly decreased the number of such facilities in Washington, and the state has a significant interest in ensuring adequate disposal capacity within the state;

(4) The landfilling, incineration, and other disposal of solid waste may adversely impact public health and environmental quality, and the state has a significant interest in decreasing volumes of the waste stream destined for disposal;

(5) Because of the decreasing number of disposal facilities and other reasons, solid waste is being transported greater distances, often beyond the community where generated and is increasingly being transported between states;

(6) Washington's waste management priorities and programs are a balanced approach of increased reuse, recycling and waste reduction, the strengthening of markets for recycled content products, and the safe disposal of the remaining waste stream, with the costs of these programs shared equitably by all persons generating waste in the state;

(7) Those residing in other states who generate waste destined for disposal within Washington should also share the costs of waste diversion and management of Washington's disposal facilities, so that the risks of waste disposal and the costs of mitigating those risks are shared equitably by all waste generators, regardless of their location;

(8) Because Washington state may not directly regulate waste handling, reduction, and recycling activities beyond its state boundaries, the only reasonable alternative to ensure this equitable treatment of waste being disposed within Washington is to implement a program of reviewing such activities as to waste originating outside of Washington, and to assign the additional costs, when necessary, to ensure that the waste meets standards substantially equivalent to those applicable to waste generated within the state, and, in some cases, to prohibit disposal of waste where its generation and management is not subject to standards substantially equivalent to those applicable to waste generated within the state.

Severability—1993 c 286: "If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected." [ 1993 c 286 s 3.]

Effective date—1993 c 286: "This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately [May 12, 1993]." [ 1993 c 286 s 4.]