Public Comment Form

Organic Materials Management Rulemaking, Chapter 173-350 WAC

Please note that this comment form is for the purpose of submitting a comment to the Washington State Department of Ecology. Providing contact information is necessary if you want to receive future notices or responses related to this topic.


Washington’s organics management laws are driving recovery of more organic material statewide, and the Legislature mandates Ecology to write rules to ensure that physical contamination in organic materials is properly managed. Therefore, Ecology is proposing amendments to the solid waste handling standards related to organic materials management under chapter 173-350 WAC to limit contamination in compost and ensure that as much organic material as possible is recovered and reused.


The proposed rule includes:

  • A contamination limit of 5% by volume for material coming into all organic material management facilities.
  • Changes to handling standards for compost facilities, anaerobic digesters, outdoor piles for storage or treatment, and other forms of organic materials management.
  • New standards for organic material pre-processing facilities that remove excessive contamination in highly contaminated loads. Pre-processing would be required for loads that have contamination above the 5% incoming contamination limit.
  • Stricter contamination limits for finished products leaving organic materials management facilities.
  • Standardized training requirements for all organic materials management facilities.
  • Simplified permit requirements for engineering documents.
  • Clarifications to the coverage of exempt activities at permitted sites.
  • Several new permit exemptions for agricultural and small-scale composting operations.
  • Clarifications to onsite storage and transportation requirements for solid waste.




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Comments are due by 11:59PM (PST) on August 13, 2026
To make a comment, please enter comment(s) in the text area. To submit attachments use the "upload a file" button below. Then hit 'Continue' to review your comments(s).


Next steps:
After the close of the comment period, Ecology will consider and respond to all comments received in what is known as a Concise Explanatory Statement (CES). The Director of the Department of Ecology will consider staff recommendations and will decide on whether to adopt final rules.


We will send out a notice about the next steps to anyone who provided contact information above. Any information (e.g., personal or contact) you provide on this comment form or in an attachment may be publicly disclosed and posted on the Internet.



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