The number of activities, both regional and national, that staff have been invited to participate in has grown dramatically. It is supported for one year by Massachusetts, then will be seeking funding from other states. Staff from Ecology are actively involved in the formation of this institute. Ecology staff are on the steering committee and sub-committees of this group. Ecology staff were invited to participate in this group since Washington was seen as being ready to take this next step in reducing waste and the waste burden in our state.
Ecology is on the steering committee.
Midwestern Work Group on Carpet Recycling recently signed an signed an MOU with the Carpet and Rug Institute to initiate the creation of an industry funded third-party organization responsible for the collection and recycling of carpet. The next step of the workgroup is to ensure that the outcomes of the workgroup are applicable nationally. Internally, Ecology's CRT Workgroup is working on waste management issues related to cathode ray tubes. The Solid Waste Program is in the process of updating the State Solid Waste Plan , and is exploring product stewardship as one of the issues. Because of the many activities, a Product Stewardship Task Force has formed.