(1) The legislature finds that:

(a) Recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions, conserves energy and landfill space, provides jobs and valuable feedstock materials to industry, promotes health, and protects the environment;

(b) Washington has long been a leader in sound management of recyclable materials and solid waste;

(c) Waste import restrictions worldwide are having huge implications for state and local recycling programs and operations in Washington state, requiring immediate action by the legislature;

(d) In order to maintain our leadership in recycling and create regional domestic markets, Washington must be innovative and implement best practices for recycling and waste reduction;

(e) Washington's environment and economy will benefit from expanding the number of industries that process recycled materials and use recycled feedstocks in their manufacturing;

(f) Washington recognizes the value of manufacturing incentives to encourage recycling industries to locate and operate in Washington and provide manufacturer incentives to improve the recyclability of their products;

(g) Many local governments and private entities cumulatively affect, and are affected by, the market for recycled commodities but have limited jurisdiction and cannot adequately address the problems of market development that are complex, wide-ranging, and regional in nature;

(h) A sustainable recycling system is one that is economically sustainable, in addition to environmentally sustainable;

(i) The private sector has the greatest capacity for creating and expanding markets for recycled commodities and the development of private markets for recycled commodities is in the public interest; and

(j) Washington must create a center to facilitate business assistance, provide basic and applied research and development, as well as policy analysis, to further the development of domestic processing and markets for recycled commodities.

(2) Therefore, it is the policy of the state to create the recycling development center to research, incentivize, and develop new markets and expand existing markets for recycled commodities and recycling facilities.

Effective date—2019 c 166: "This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect July 1, 2019." [ 2019 c 166 s 10.]