OLYMPIA, Wash. — A proposed bill aims to deter illegal dumping in the state by changing the penalty to a civil infraction and lowering costs at waste stations.
House Bill 2207, proposed by Rep. Bill Ramos, D-Issaquah, would change illegal dumping from a criminal penalty to a civil infraction, similar to parking ticket fines. This would allow officials to levy fines against people who illegally dump trash.
"It’s time to address the increase we’ve seen in illegal dumping of trash," Ramos said in a Facebook post. "Landowners face significant cleanup costs, especially for hazardous waste, and the current system creates incentives for illegal dumping."
HB 2207 would fine those caught illegally dumping up to $250 for less than 500 pounds, up to $750 for more than 500 pounds and up to $1,000 for more than 1,000 pounds. It would also fine people four times the cost of clean-up if caught dumping more than 50 pounds.
Half of the restitution would go toward a waste reduction, recycling and litter control account and the other half would go to the law enforcement agency investigating.
According to Ramos, the goal of the bill is to reduce illegal dumping by lowering costs at waste transfer stations on certain days and by providing vouchers.
The bill is currently in the House Committee on Environment & Energy.
Washington state has seen an uptick in illegal dumping since 2020. The city of Seattle spent more than $1.7 million addressing illegal dumping in 2022, collecting more than 1.9 million pounds of trash.
According to a 2022 Washington State Department of Ecology study, 37.8 million pounds of trash is littered per year, which is around 4.8 pounds per person per year.
The study found roadways get the most pounds of litter per year, nearly 18.5 million pounds. High-use state and county parks get around 3.4 billion pieces of litter per year.
