Washington – Organics Diversion and Funding

In 2022, Washington State passed House Bill 1799, which updated several provisions related to organic materials disposal and management. The bill also addresses compost purchasing, siting of processing facilities, and food recovery. Through this legislation, Washington established new funding and financial incentives, the Center for Sustainable Food Management (housed within the Department of Ecology), business waste management regulations, and new regulations for organic material facilities to ensure sufficient capacity to process organics. Two targets were set with the enactment of the legislation: one, to reduce organic waste disposal by 75% by 2030, and two, to increase the volume of edible food recovery by 20% by 2025:

“(1)(a) The state establishes a goal for the landfill disposal of organic materials at a level representing a 75 percent reduction by 2030 in the statewide disposal of organic material waste, relative to 2015 levels. (b) The state establishes a goal that no less than 20 percent of the volume of edible food that was disposed of as of 2015 be recovered for human consumption by 2025.”

— Revised Code of Washington § 70A.205.007

In the following years, two bills, HB 2301 (2024) and HB 1497 (2025) built upon the initial legislation to provide funding opportunities to communities and strengthen previously established regulations by including requirements to help meet the goals established in 2022. HB 2301 established grant programs through the Center for Sustainable Food Management to support composting infrastructure and projects, and required businesses producing 96 gallons or more of organics per week to arrange for organic materials management services. Additionally, HB 1497 standardized container requirements and expanded organics collection requirements to certain multifamily residential buildings.

Organics Diversion Requirements

HB 1799 established organics diversion targets for both the commercial and residential sectors. Starting January 1, 2024, businesses generating 8 cubic yards or more of organics waste per week were required to set up organic waste collection services, with the threshold lowering to 4 cubic yards or more starting January 1, 2025. 

When did the business requirements established in HB 1799 go into effect?¹

Through the subsequent HB 1497, residential requirements, state-funded collection services, and container collection were established. Beginning January 1, 2028, several jurisdictions are required to provide customers with containers smaller than 101 gallons for organics collection services in multifamily, commercial, government, public spaces, institutional, and curbside residential settings. Furthermore, owners or operators of new or existing multifamily residential buildings must provide adequate space for organic waste and recycling containers, ensure containers are accurately labeled with appropriate signage and colors, and offer waste sorting educational materials to residents annually.

“The governing body of each county or city may require the owners or operators of new or existing multifamily residential buildings to do any combination of the following: (1) Provide adequate space for the colocation of organic materials waste and recycling collection containers with garbage containers, or if colocation is not possible, requiring the posting of signage notifying residents of where organic materials waste and recycling containers are located; (2) Identify organic materials waste collection containers with appropriate and accurate signage and color to differentiate between organic materials waste, recycling, and garbage collection containers; or (3) Annually provide waste sorting educational material to building residents.”

— Revised Code of Washington § 70A.205.760

Funding for Waste Reduction

In 2024, HB 2301 included provisions to help entities implement HB 1799 requirements by establishing grant programs for farmers, schools, and organizations. It also increased the ongoing Waste Not Washington waste reduction and recycling school awards, from $5,000, to $10,000 per school starting in 2026. According to the House Bill Report by the Environment & Energy Committee, the legislature declared intent to allocate at least $1 million per biennium toward Waste Not Washington Awards. These awards allow schools to develop and expand waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting programs and lessons.²

“(1) The department, through the center, must develop and administer grant programs to support activities that reduce emissions from landfills and waste-to-energy facilities through the diversion of organic materials and food waste prevention, rescue, and recovery.”

— Revised Code of Washington § 70A.207.040

A $10,000 per fiscal year limit on compost reimbursement for farmers was also increased to $20,000 for large farms. Washington’s 2023 Climate Commitment Act has since allocated $1.6 million to help offset harvesting and transportation costs for Washington growers to move unsold produce to areas affected by food insecurity.

Through state funding as a result of the passage of these laws, the Center for Sustainable Food Management has established several initiatives. Two of those are Use Food Well Washington and Washington Food Rescue Map. The Food Rescue Map is a tool designed to help communities support hunger relief and reduce food waste. Features such as a “near me” search and customizable data layers connect restaurants with hunger relief organizations and identify areas where food rescue and food insecurity are highest. Additionally, Food Well Washington promotes community-level efforts to reduce food waste by offering meal planning tips, food donation locations, composting instructions, and a video series called “No Scraps Left Behind” that educates participants on how to minimize food waste at home. 

Regulatory Compliance

The third legislation, HB 1497 in 2025, established penalties for businesses that fail to implement a composting strategy as part of their waste management. In addition, the Department of Ecology must create and publish on its website a list of businesses that are likely to require organic material management collection services. The law also established standardized bin labeling and collection bin colors: grey/black for landfill, blue for recycling, and green/brown for compost. 

“After being issued at least the notification letter and at least one notice of violation without the imposition of a penalty under (a) of this subsection, beginning July 1, 2026, a business in violation of the requirements of this section is subject to a minimum civil penalty, imposed by a jurisdiction implementing a plan under this chapter or a jurisdictional health department, in an amount of: 

(i) $500 for each day of violation for a first violation by a business that results in a penalty under this section

(ii) $750 for each day of violation for a second violation by a business that results in a penalty under this section

(iii) $1,000 for each day of violation for a third or subsequent violation by a business that results in a penalty under this section”

— Revised Code of Washington § 70A.205.545

Advocacy for HB 1799 and Resulting Impacts

Pre-2022, Washington had not yet set targets for landfill methane emissions and organic materials composted. Inspired by California’s 2016 SB 1383, a landmark climate legislation aimed at reducing methane emissions from landfills, Washington began to develop its own policies. Similarly, legislation from Vermont and New York influenced Washington’s current food diversion requirements for food generators.³ Zero Waste Washington interviewed technical experts, composters, agency staff and community stakeholders, and created a report which included 37 policy recommendations.⁴ This complemented a report on the topic produced by the State Department of Ecology. Zero Waste Washington then convened a months-long stakeholder process in 2021, which included key state legislators, culminating in the development of HB 1799 for the 2022 legislative session. 

Support for the bills mostly came from legislators concerned about methane emissions from landfills and about using food that would otherwise be wasted to feed hungry people. The successful passage of HB 1799 was bolstered by its connection to Washington food banks and the testimony of Washington’s first lady in support of the bill.

As of March 2026, Washington State faces a budget crisis, which has delayed the allocation of some of the state funds to implement the three laws to the initiatives planned for 2026-2027. Despite this setback, private funding has actually increased access to lending. Banks have become more willing to extend loans to compost and other organic management businesses and support the expansion of composting facilities.⁵ Additionally, some local municipalities have allocated funds toward ensuring all single-family residents have a compost bin by 2030.

More Information

• Washington Composting Rules – ILSR
• Use Food Well – Washington Department of Ecology
• Compost Market Study – Washington Department of Ecology
• House Bill Report HB 2301 – Washington House Committee on Environment & Energy Appropriations

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Original post from March 13, 2026