Washington Democrats’ recycling scheme is just another tax grab

When Olympia says "recycling," they really mean "give us more of your money."

Washington Democrats, led by Rep. Monica Stonier (D-Vancouver), are pushing House Bill 1607, a mandatory "recycling refund" program that forces consumers to pay a 10-cent deposit on every beverage container at checkout. They claim you’ll get your money back when you return the bottles, but in reality, this is a tax hike disguised as environmental policy.

Here’s what HB 1607 really does:

• Charges a deposit on every bottle and can, but makes it harder to get your money back.

• Creates a massive new bureaucracy to control recycling.

• Forces businesses to comply with costly new regulations.

• Lets the state keep unclaimed deposits as a new revenue stream.

This isn’t about protecting the environment. It’s about expanding government control while making life more expensive.

HB 1607 won’t improve recycling

Washington already has a struggling curbside recycling program, yet this bill diverts attention and funding away from improving it. Instead, it focuses only on beverage containers, leaving out the vast majority of recyclable materials.

Meanwhile, Michigan—where a similar bottle deposit system has existed for decades—has seen recycling rates decline significantly. Their return rate has dropped from nearly 100% in the 1990s to below 75% today because the system is inefficient and unpopular.

If this system really worked, recycling rates would be going up, not down.

A bureaucratic nightmare for businesses

HB 1607 forces retailers, distributors, and beverage companies to:

• Register with the state and submit data on every bottle sold.

• Comply with new tracking and reporting regulations.

• Set up collection and redemption systems at their own expense.

These costs will be passed on to consumers, making everything more expensive without any clear benefit to the environment.

A fraud-ridden system leading to overcriminalization

States with bottle deposit programs have struggled with rampant fraud as people smuggle in out-of-state containers to cash in.

• Michigan has had to prosecute bottle return fraud as a felony, with individuals facing up to five years in prisonfor attempting to redeem non-eligible containers.

• Even with harsh penalties, fraud remains widespread because the incentive to game the system is so high.

Washington lawmakers are setting up a similarly flawed system that will be expensive to police, costly to maintain, and easy to exploit.

The state keeps the money if you don’t return your bottles

One of the biggest red flags in HB 1607 is that unclaimed deposits won’t be returned to consumers—they’ll go to the state.

If you don’t go out of your way to return your containers, the government pockets the money instead of using it to fund recycling improvements.

Washington already spends $12 million per year on litter cleanup, yet can’t keep trash out of public spaces. Now, they want to double down on failure and force you to pay for it.

What’s next?

If HB 1607 passes, expect:

• Higher prices on every beverage purchase.

• Fewer places to return bottles and cans.

• Millions in unclaimed deposits funneled to the state instead of back to consumers.

• More bureaucracy and government waste.

They’re selling this as "environmental policy," but it’s really just another way to make you pay more.

What can you do?

• Call your legislators. Tell them no to HB 1607.

• Demand real recycling reform. Washington’s system needs fixing, but this isn’t the answer.

• Stay informed. Subscribe to The Steelhead Alliance and help fight back against Olympia’s endless tax schemes.

Washington Democrats are forcing you to pay more under the guise of "recycling."

Are you okay with that?