Washington EPR

Packaging EPR in Washington: what we have verified

This page collects what we have verified about packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) in Washington. 10 of 16 core rule fields are published from primary sources and 6 are not yet published. The dataset was last reviewed on September 29, 2026, and the newest source on this page was retrieved on November 5, 2026.

Regime

Washington Recycling Reform Act, chapter 70A.208 RCW

Regulator

Washington State Department of Ecology

Producers obliged

Yes

System

a single producer responsibility organisation

Registration

Required

Fee schedules

1

Who is the producer in Washington

In Washington, packaging EPR obliges producers to organise or fund the collection and recycling of the packaging they place on the market. The sections below set out who counts as the producer, which thresholds decide whether a business is in scope, and what has to be filed.

The producer hierarchy decides who answers for a pack when several businesses touch it. For Washington, the dataset names the following roles for each packaging level.

Roles matter because an online seller, an importer and a brand owner can each be the producer for the same pack, and a pack is counted once. If you sell into Washington through a marketplace, check whether the marketplace or you are recorded as the obligated party. Confirm who is responsible for reporting.

Thresholds that apply in Washington

Thresholds decide whether a business is in scope, whether it pays fees, or whether it can file a simplified report. Washington publishes 2 verified thresholds.

Basis of the tonnage threshold: covered materials introduced, most recent fiscal year.

Basis of the revenue threshold: global gross revenue, prior fiscal year.

Exemptions in Washington

An exemption removes or reduces a duty for a defined group. Washington lists 2 exemptions in the dataset. Some apply automatically; others only apply if you ask the regulator for them, usually within a window.

Registration and the system in Washington

Registration is where an obligation becomes visible to the regulator. The records below show whether Washington asks producers to register, with whom, and which organisation or scheme carries the collection and recycling system.

Who registers: The producer, with a PRO

Registry (opens the official registry page).

Deadlines in Washington

Washington records 8 deadlines, 8 of them verified. This page gives the summary; every date, the period it covers and what it requires are on the deadlines page for Washington.

The next dated obligation we hold for Washington falls on October 1, 2028. 4 more dated obligations follow it.

See every deadline for Washington, with its period and what it requires, on the Washington deadlines page.

A deadline is a date the regulator published, not a date we set. We can estimate what you may owe and prepare the report file; you sign and submit it in the regulator's own portal.

Fees and reporting in Washington

Washington publishes 1 fee schedule, for fee year 2026. The schedule sets what each kind of packaging costs; the rates themselves are on the fee pages, not here.

• Washington 2026 fees: rates by material for fee year 2026.

The report you file is a defined file or form. Washington records 1 format; we prepare the file to that specification and you upload it yourself.

Washington interim producer supply report by material class is a csv file submitted through CAA producer portal. The customer signs in and submits. The customer reviews, signs and submits it.

Columns, material mapping and the checks a file must pass are on the Washington report format page.

Labelling, languages, targets and penalties in Washington

Labelling, language, target and penalty rules are the parts of a regime that are easiest to miss. A report filed in the wrong language or a pack without a required mark can cost as much as a late payment, so read each of these against your own products.

Washington compared with nearby places

Rules do not stop at a border. A business that sells into Washington usually sells into its neighbours too, and the thresholds and deadlines differ. The table reads Washington against the places closest to it that have verified data.

Washington read against each neighbour

Each paragraph reads Washington against one place from the table above, using only records verified for both. A part is left out when either side is not yet published.

Washington and Oregon both record an obligation for packaging producers. The regulator is Washington State Department of Ecology in Washington and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) next door. Both run a single producer responsibility organisation. Registration is required in both. The first thresholds are measured differently: 1 short ton of tonnage in Washington and $5,000,000.00 of revenue in Oregon, so the figures cannot be compared directly. The earliest recorded deadline is March 1, 2026 in Washington and July 1, 2025 in Oregon, 243 days later here.

Washington and British Columbia both record an obligation for packaging producers. Both run a single producer responsibility organisation. Registration is required in both. The first thresholds are measured differently: 1 short ton of tonnage in Washington and CA$1,000,000.00 of revenue in British Columbia, so the figures cannot be compared directly.

Washington and California both record an obligation for packaging producers. The regulator is Washington State Department of Ecology in Washington and CalRecycle (Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery), through its PEPRS portal next door. Both run a single producer responsibility organisation. Registration is required in both. The first thresholds are measured differently: 1 short ton of tonnage in Washington and $1,000,000.00 of revenue in California, so the figures cannot be compared directly. The earliest recorded deadline is March 1, 2026 in Washington and January 1, 2027 in California, 306 days earlier here.

Washington and Colorado both record an obligation for packaging producers. The regulator is Washington State Department of Ecology in Washington and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Solid Waste and Materials Management Program next door. Washington runs a single producer responsibility organisation, while Colorado runs more than one producer responsibility organisation. Registration is required in both. The first thresholds are measured differently: 1 short ton of tonnage in Washington and $5,000,000.00 of revenue in Colorado, so the figures cannot be compared directly. The earliest recorded deadline is March 1, 2026 in Washington and January 1, 2026 in Colorado, 59 days later here.

Washington and Maine both record an obligation for packaging producers. The regulator is Washington State Department of Ecology in Washington and Maine Department of Environmental Protection next door. Both run a single producer responsibility organisation. Registration is required in both. The first thresholds are measured differently: 1 short ton of tonnage in Washington and $2,000,000.00 of revenue in Maine, so the figures cannot be compared directly. The earliest recorded deadline is March 1, 2026 in Washington and May 31, 2027 in Maine, 456 days earlier here.

Washington and Minnesota both record an obligation for packaging producers. The regulator is Washington State Department of Ecology in Washington and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency next door. Both run a single producer responsibility organisation. Registration is required in both. The first threshold is the same in both, 1 short ton of tonnage. The earliest recorded deadline is March 1, 2026 in Washington and May 31, 2026 in Minnesota, 91 days earlier here.

Washington and Maryland both record an obligation for packaging producers. The regulator is Washington State Department of Ecology in Washington and Maryland Department of the Environment next door. Both run a single producer responsibility organisation. Registration is required in both. The first threshold is the same in both, 1 short ton of tonnage. The earliest recorded deadline is March 1, 2026 in Washington and May 31, 2026 in Maryland, 91 days earlier here.

Washington and United Kingdom both record an obligation for packaging producers. The regulator is Washington State Department of Ecology in Washington and Four environmental regulators (Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA, NIEA); PackUK is the scheme administrator that sets fees next door. Washington runs a single producer responsibility organisation, while United Kingdom runs registered schemes that producers join. Registration is required in both. The first thresholds are measured differently: 1 short ton of tonnage in Washington and 25 tonnes of tonnage in United Kingdom, so the figures cannot be compared directly. The earliest recorded deadline is March 1, 2026 in Washington and October 1, 2026 in United Kingdom, 214 days earlier here.

Where Washington sits among the places we cover

Counted by verified core records, Washington holds 10 of 17 and ranks 19 of 53 places in the dataset. The places just ahead of it are New Brunswick (10), Québec (10), Spain (10), Croatia (10), Latvia (10) and Norway (10). The places just behind it are Nova Scotia (9), Germany (9), Denmark (9), Netherlands (9), Sweden (9) and Maine (9).

Counting every verified record, not only the core fields, Washington holds 22 and ranks 7 of 53. Ahead of it are Ontario (27), Austria (26), Oregon (25), United Kingdom (24), United Kingdom Plastic Packaging Tax (24) and Belgium (22). Behind it are Québec (21), British Columbia (20), California (20), Minnesota (19), Germany (18) and Maryland (18).

All 7 places in this region in the dataset record an obligation, so Washington is not an outlier among its neighbours.

Ordered by earliest verified deadline, Washington comes 7 of 41, on March 1, 2026. Before it come Austria (January 1, 2023, 1155 days earlier), Czechia (January 1, 2023, 1155 days earlier), Nova Scotia (January 1, 2024, 790 days earlier), New Brunswick (June 30, 2025, 244 days earlier), Oregon (July 1, 2025, 243 days earlier) and Colorado (January 1, 2026, 59 days earlier). After it come Ontario (May 31, 2026, 91 days later), Québec (May 31, 2026, 91 days later), Maryland (May 31, 2026, 91 days later), Minnesota (May 31, 2026, 91 days later), Belgium (August 12, 2026, 164 days later) and Bulgaria (August 12, 2026, 164 days later).

Among places whose first threshold is also counted in tonnage, Washington sits 3 of 3 from the lowest. The table sets it beside the places just below and just above.

What is still open for Washington

Washington has 6 of 16 core fields still open, and the reason recorded for each is below.

Transfer of the obligation

Reason recorded: No transfer or delegation rule was found in the definition read. The PRO section allows a producer to designate a PRO, which is membership, not a transfer.

Treatment of affiliates

Reason recorded: The definition does not state whether affiliates aggregate.

The material categories

Reason recorded: Ecology adopts rules by 2028; no reporting categories are published.

Labelling

Reason recorded: No producer on-pack labelling mandate was found. The statute only lists labels as an education tool for the PRO.

Targets

Reason recorded: Performance targets are set through the plan and Ecology rules, which are not yet published.

Filing languages

Reason recorded: No filing language stated.