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Version: December 2007

The State of Washington has enacted legislation to establish comprehensive statewide programs for solid waste handling and solid waste recovery and/or recycling. The purpose of these requirements is to prevent land, air, and water pollution, and to conserve the natural, economic, and energy resources of the state. The statutory requirements to support these programs are contained in chapter 70.95 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).

Each county in the state is required by RCW 70.95.080 to prepare a comprehensive solid waste management plan (SWMP). According to Section 173-304-011 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), ―the overall purpose of local comprehensive solid waste management planning is to determine the nature and extent of the various solid waste categories and to establish management concepts for their handling, utilization, and disposal consistent with the priorities established in RCW 70.95.010 for waste reduction, waste recycling, energy recovery and incineration, and landfill.

Cowlitz County (the County) previously satisfied the state requirements with a comprehensive SWMP dated July 1993. RCW 70.95.110 requires that each plan be reviewed and revised, if necessary, at least every five years. Changes in the solid waste field, developments in the county, changes in the regulatory guidance, and the need for updated plan information dictate that the County’s 1993 SWMP be revised.