Two weeks before the May 18 plastics producer registration deadline required under Senate Bill 5022, the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) announced that retailers would now be responsible for registering all store brands except for those manufactured by contract if a licensee agreement was part of the contract.
In response to the DOE’s actions, WR sent a letter to the Director of Solid Waste, requesting additional time for stakeholders to respond. In the letter, WR President and CEO Renée Sunde referenced the new interpretation stating, “This creates additional work as manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers must again determine which entity is the producer under this new interpretation.”
Sunde requested an extension of the deadline until July 30, 2022, at the earliest. In response, DOE offered a 33-day extension for producers to file registration documentation of all related products to the department with a June 15 deadline.
Producers will receive an invoice by the end of July 2022, and payment will be due to Ecology within 30 days of invoice receipt. The exact dates are to be determined.
