The Washington Department of Ecology fines 23 plastic producers

The department has issued fines totaling $277,000 for not complying with the state’s recycled-content law.

plastic bottles

Bits and Splits | stock.adobe.com

The Washington Department of Ecology has fined 23 plastic producers a combined $277,000 for not complying with a 2021 state law requiring plastic producers use a minimum amount of recycled material in single-use beverage containers and trash bags.

The penalties were based on the amount of plastic each company sold in Washington in 2024 and how far each company was from the minimum recycled-content requirements. Ecology reviews annual reports submitted by the covered product producers to identify those not meeting the minimum recycled-content requirements. 

Fines for the 23 companies ranged from $194 to $54,868. Some producers may receive penalty reductions if they requested and entered into a corrective action plan agreement with Ecology after receiving the first notice of violation, Ecology says.

Since 2022, companies producing plastic trash bags must include a minimum of 10 percent-recycled content, while the producers of beverage containers are required to include at least 15 percent-recycled content. In 2025, the recycled-content minimum for trash bags increased to 15 percent.

By 2036, Washington’s law will cover many types of common consumer packaging and require at least 50 percent-recycled content. 

Last year, Ecology issued its first penalties, totaling more than $416,000 to 35 companies that failed to comply with this law. 

Under the law, plastic packaging producers are required to report the weight of new and recycled-content plastic for covered products sold in Washington. Producers that fell short of the recycled-content requirements were issued penalties based on the minimum requirement, the recycled content achieved, the weight of plastic resin sold in the state and a 20-cent multiplier.

The following companies were issued penalties:

  • Albertsons Cos., $2,943 
  • Amazon.com Services LLC, $3,430 
  • Arcadia Farms LLC, $2,772 
  • Arizona Beverages USA, $54,868 
  • Copra Inc., $1,992 
  • good2grow LLC, $3,726 
  • Harvest Hill Beverage Co., $29,087 
  • HP Hood LLC, $11,177 
  • Jim Beam Brands Co., $2,666 
  • Kraft Heinz Foods Co., $2,499 
  • LODC Group Ltd (doing business as Lily of the Desert), $3,169 
  • Milo’s Tea Co. Inc., $8,159 
  • MPL Brands NV Inc., $3,599 
  • Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., $44,130 
  • Richardson Bottling Co., $723 
  • Sazerac Co. Inc., $37,657 
  • Shamrock Foods & Co. AZ Dairy Division, $1,397 
  • The Kroger Co., $16,849 
  • Tradin Organic, $4,765 
  • Tree Top Inc., $20,508 
  • Uline Inc., $15,801 
  • Unique Beverage Co. LLC, $4,521 
  • Welch Foods Inc., $194

“Several producers made applaudable gains last year increasing their recycled content in spite of not reaching the required minimum amount,” Ecology Solid Waste Program Manager Peter Lyon says. “These, and other producers, will need to expand those efforts in the coming years as the law continues to cover a wider range of products with increased minimum recycled-content requirements."

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