The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "City" means every incorporated city and town.

(2) "Commission" means the utilities and transportation commission.

(3) "Composted material" means organic solid waste that has been subjected to controlled aerobic degradation at a solid waste facility in compliance with the requirements of this chapter. Natural decay of organic solid waste under uncontrolled conditions does not result in composted material.

(4) "Department" means the department of ecology.

(5) "Director" means the director of the department of ecology.

(6) "Disposal site" means the location where any final treatment, utilization, processing, or deposit of solid waste occurs.

(7) "Energy recovery" means a process operating under federal and state environmental laws and regulations for converting solid waste into usable energy and for reducing the volume of solid waste.

(8) "Functional standards" means criteria for solid waste handling expressed in terms of expected performance or solid waste handling functions.

(9) "Incineration" means a process of reducing the volume of solid waste operating under federal and state environmental laws and regulations by use of an enclosed device using controlled flame combustion.

(10) "Inert waste landfill" means a landfill that receives only inert waste, as determined under RCW 70A.205.030, and includes facilities that use inert wastes as a component of fill.

(11) "Jurisdictional health department" means city, county, city-county, or district public health department.

(12) "Landfill" means a disposal facility or part of a facility at which solid waste is placed in or on land and which is not a land treatment facility.

(13) "Local government" means a city, town, or county.

(14) "Modify" means to substantially change the design or operational plans including, but not limited to, removal of a design element previously set forth in a permit application or the addition of a disposal or processing activity that is not approved in the permit.

(15) "Multiple-family residence" means any structure housing two or more dwelling units.

(16)(a)(i) "Organic materials" means any solid waste that is a biological substance of plant or animal origin capable of microbial degradation.

(ii) Organic materials include, but are not limited to, manure, yard debris, food waste, food processing waste, wood waste, and garden waste.

(b) "Organic materials" does not include any materials contaminated by herbicides, pesticides, pests, or other sources of chemical or biological contamination that would render a finished product of an organic material management process unsuitable for general public or agricultural use.

(17) "Organic materials management" means management of organic materials through composting, anaerobic digestion, vermiculture, black soldier fly, or similar technologies.

(18) "Person" means individual, firm, association, copartnership, political subdivision, government agency, municipality, industry, public or private corporation, or any other entity whatsoever.

(19) "Recyclable materials" means those solid wastes that are separated for recycling or reuse, such as papers, metals, and glass, that are identified as recyclable material pursuant to a local comprehensive solid waste plan. Prior to the adoption of the local comprehensive solid waste plan, adopted pursuant to RCW 70A.205.075(2), local governments may identify recyclable materials by ordinance from July 23, 1989.

(20) "Recycling" means transforming or remanufacturing waste materials into usable or marketable materials for use other than landfill disposal or incineration.

(21) "Residence" means the regular dwelling place of an individual or individuals.

(22) "Sewage sludge" means a semisolid substance consisting of settled sewage solids combined with varying amounts of water and dissolved materials, generated from a wastewater treatment system, that does not meet the requirements of chapter 70A.226 RCW.

(23) "Soil amendment" means any substance that is intended to improve the physical characteristics of the soil, except composted material, commercial fertilizers, agricultural liming agents, unmanipulated animal manures, unmanipulated vegetable manures, food wastes, food processing wastes, and materials exempted by rule of the department, such as biosolids as defined in chapter 70A.226 RCW and wastewater as regulated in chapter 90.48 RCW.

(24) "Solid waste" or "wastes" means all putrescible and nonputrescible solid and semisolid wastes including, but not limited to, garbage, rubbish, ashes, industrial wastes, swill, sewage sludge, demolition and construction wastes, abandoned vehicles or parts thereof, and recyclable materials.

(25) "Solid waste handling" means the management, storage, collection, transportation, treatment, utilization, processing, and final disposal of solid wastes, including the recovery and recycling of materials from solid wastes, the recovery of energy resources from solid wastes or the conversion of the energy in solid wastes to more useful forms or combinations thereof.

(26) "Source separation" means the separation of different kinds of solid waste at the place where the waste originates.

(27) "Vehicle" includes every device physically capable of being moved upon a public or private highway, road, street, or watercourse and in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a public or private highway, road, street, or watercourse, except devices moved by human or animal power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.

(28) "Waste-derived soil amendment" means any soil amendment as defined in this chapter that is derived from solid waste as defined in this section, but does not include biosolids or biosolids products regulated under chapter 70A.226 RCW or wastewaters regulated under chapter 90.48 RCW.

(29) "Waste reduction" means reducing the amount or toxicity of waste generated or reusing materials.

(30) "Yard debris" means plant material commonly created in the course of maintaining yards and gardens, and through horticulture, gardening, landscaping, or similar activities. Yard debris includes but is not limited to grass clippings, leaves, branches, brush, weeds, flowers, roots, windfall fruit, vegetable garden debris, holiday trees, and tree prunings four inches or less in diameter.

Reviser's note: The definitions in this section have been alphabetized pursuant to RCW 1.08.015(2)(k).

Findings—Intent—Scope of authority of chapter 180, Laws of 2022—2022 c 180: See notes following RCW 70A.205.007.

Effective date—2010 1st sp.s. c 26; 2010 1st sp.s. c 7: See note following RCW 43.03.027.

Intent—1998 c 36: See RCW 15.54.265.

Short title—1998 c 36: See note following RCW 15.54.265.

Finding—1991 c 298: "The legislature finds that curbside recycling services should be provided in multiple-family residences. The county and city comprehensive solid waste management plans should include provisions for such service." [ 1991 c 298 s 1.]

Solid waste disposal—Powers and duties of state board of health as to environmental contaminants: RCW 43.20.050.