San Juan County waste advisory members outline fast timeline for recycling reform, warn of logistics and payment gaps

San Juan County Solid Waste Advisory Committee members spent a major portion of their May meeting assessing state-level recycling-reform developments and a new battery stewardship law that will shift collection costs to producer-funded programs.

"If it goes through the way it's written, it'll totally change the way we all do business," said Pete Moe, chair of the county's Solid Waste Advisory Committee and operator of the Exchange on Orcas Island. He and other operators said the programs will require better local data and new logistics planning to make reimbursements work for island facilities.

Katie Stickels, planner and grant manager at the Washington Department of Ecology, said the Mercury Lamp Recyclers Association is anticipated to take over lamp stewardship management on June 1, 2026, pending conditional approval of its stewardship plan. She also urged operators to take a survey on a possible recycling refund program and noted that formal comments on draft rule language are open through June 24.

"There's also been a lot of updates for the Recycling Reform Act recently," Stickels said, adding that Ecology will host a webinar for applicants on July 23.

Mike Liftyak, public works director for Friday Harbor and a member of the statewide advisory work, described new producer-responsibility organizations (PROs) selected to handle specific streams. He said Interchange360 will run a lubricant-container program and the Circular Action Alliance was named the broader PRO overseeing other materials in Washington. Liftyak emphasized the need for operators to collect reliable volume data because reimbursement formulas will depend on it: "The pro is gonna wanna see very good, clear, clean, trustworthy data on the volumes that we're handling."

Committee members also focused on battery stewardship. Katie (program lead) and other members reviewed the Battery EPR timeline: portable batteries and most rechargeable consumer batteries will be covered and free to dispose of beginning Jan. 1, 2027, while collection for medium-format batteries is targeted for 2029. The committee discussed negotiating contract terms with the battery network and flagged vendor payments per pound as a potential problem for islands that face high ferry and barge costs.

"Everyone has to look at that before you sign any kind of agreement with the battery network," said Moe, who cautioned that the initial collection contract draft drew criticism for low per-pound payments. Carolyn Moulton, who operates at Lautenbach Recycling and runs the San Juan transfer station, said the battery network has been responsive to questions about archipelago logistics and plans to visit island facilities.

Jane Fuller, San Juan County Council member and council liaison to the advisory committee, told operators the county is working on legislative priorities for 2027 and exploring "priority loading" with state lawmakers to improve supply and equipment movement on the ferries. "Senator Lovelitt is quite aware of Councilmember Paulson's ongoing efforts," Fuller said, urging operators to stay engaged on the topic.

Members repeatedly returned to data collection and implementation risk: operators said they must record current volumes and costs so the PROs' per-pound payments will cover island-specific hauling and handling expenses. Several members recommended caution before signing statewide contracts until payment terms account for ferry logistics.

The committee plans to follow PRO visits and upcoming rule deadlines closely and to host follow-up discussions; next committee meeting is scheduled for Aug. 27.