Wash. Admin. Code § 173-925-030

Current through Register Vol. 24-23, December 1, 2024

Section 173-925-030 - Definitions

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

(1)

(a)"Beverage" means liquid products intended for human or animal consumption sold in a quantity more than or equal to two fluid ounces and less than or equal to one gallon. This includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:

(i) Water and flavored water;

(ii) Beer or other malt beverages;

(iii) Distilled spirits;

(iv) Artificial or nondairy milks and creamers;

(v) Juices, including those derived from concentrate;

(vi) Mineral water, soda water, and similar carbonated soft drinks;

(vii) Dairy milk; or

(viii) Wine;

(b) "Beverage" does not include:

(i) Liquid in a concentrated form that must be reconstituted with water or another liquid to be consumed, or is added to another beverage for flavoring or sweetening;

(ii) Syrup;

(iii) Powder concentrates or instant drink powders;

(iv) Infant formula;

(v) Medical food; or

(vi) Fortified oral nutritional supplements used for persons who require supplemental or sole source nutritional needs due to special dietary needs directly related to cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, or other medical conditions.

(2)"Beverage manufacturing industry" means an association that represents beverage producers.

(3)"Biomedical waste" means, and is limited to, the following types of waste:

(a) "Animal waste" is waste animal carcasses, body parts, and bedding of animals that are known to be infected with, or that have been inoculated with, human pathogenic microorganisms infectious to humans.

(b) "Biosafety level 4 disease waste" is waste contaminated with blood, excretions, exudates, or secretions from humans or animals who are isolated to protect others from highly communicable infectious diseases that are identified as pathogenic organisms assigned to biosafety level 4 by the centers for disease control, national institute of health, biosafety in microbiological and biomedical laboratories, current edition.

(c) "Cultures and stocks" are wastes infectious to humans and includes specimen cultures, cultures and stocks of etiologic agents, wastes from production of biologicals and serums, discarded live and attenuated vaccines, and laboratory waste that has come into contact with cultures and stocks of etiologic agents or blood specimens. Such waste includes, but is not limited to, culture dishes, blood specimen tubes, and devices used to transfer, inoculate, and mix cultures.

(d) "Human blood and blood products" is discarded waste human blood and blood components, and materials containing free-flowing blood and blood products.

(e) "Pathological waste" is waste human source biopsy materials, tissues, and anatomical parts that emanate from surgery, obstetrical procedures, and autopsy. "Pathological waste" does not include teeth, human corpses, remains, and anatomical parts that are intended for final disposition.

(f) "Sharps waste" is all hypodermic needles, syringes with needles attached, IV tubing with needles attached, scalpel blades, and lancets that have been removed from the original sterile package.

(4)"Brand" means a name, symbol, word, logo, or mark that identifies a product and attributes the product to the brand owner.

(5)

(a)"Covered products" means all beverages, trash bags, personal care products, and household cleaning products sold in plastic containers that are subject to, or will become subject to (according to the timeline in WAC 173-925-040 (4)(a)), the requirements of this chapter, including registration, reporting, fee payment, and PCRC minimum percentages.

(b) "Covered products" does not include:

(i) Rigid plastic containers or bottles that are used for the containment, protection, delivery, presentation, or distribution of:

(A) Prescription or nonprescription drugs as defined in RCW 18.64.011(14) and regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration;

(B) Dietary supplements as defined in this section;

(C) Medical devices or medical products required to be sterile, as regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration under 21 C.F.R., Parts 200, 300 and 800;

(D) Aerosols in plastic containers that are subject to 49 C.F.R. Sec. 178.33b;

(ii) Plastic trash bags used for biomedical waste as defined in this section;

(iii) Products in containers sufficiently durable for multiple rotations of their original or similar purpose, and are intended to function in a system of reuse; or

(iv) Liners, caps, corks, closures, labels, and other items added externally or internally, but otherwise separate from the structure of the bottle or container.

(6)"Dairy milk" means a beverage made exclusively or principally from milk obtained from one or more milk-producing animals. Dairy milk includes, but is not limited to:

(a) Whole milk, low-fat milk, skim milk, cream, half-and-half, condensed milk; or

(b) Cultured or acidified milk, kefir, or eggnog.

(7)

(a)"De minimis producer" means a person that annually sells, offers for sale, distributes, or imports in or into the country for sale in or into Washington state:

(i) Less than one ton in aggregate of a single category of covered product each calendar year; or

(ii) A single category of a covered product that in aggregate generates less than $1,000,000 each calendar year in gross revenue from sales of covered products into Washington state.

(b) These thresholds are to be calculated at the level of the "person" as defined in subsection (15) of this section.

(c) Meeting the qualifications of de minimis producer in one single category of covered products does not preclude a producer from meeting requirements for other covered product categories for which they are above the de minimis threshold.

(8)"Department" means the Washington state department of ecology.

(9)"Dietary supplement" as defined by RCW 82.08.0293 means any product, other than tobacco, intended to supplement the diet that:

(a) Contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients:

(i) A vitamin;

(ii) A mineral;

(iii) An herb or other botanical;

(iv) An amino acid;

(v) A dietary substance for use by humans to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake; or

(vi) A concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of any ingredient described in this subsection;

(b) Is intended for ingestion in tablet, capsule, powder, soft-gel, gel-cap, or liquid form, or if not intended for ingestion in such form, is not represented as conventional food and is not represented for use as a sole item of a meal or of the diet; and

(c) Is required to be labeled as a dietary supplement, identifiable by the "supplement facts" box found on the label as required pursuant to 21 C.F.R. Sec. 101.36, as amended or renumbered as of January 1, 2003.

(d) "Dietary supplements" does not include a product labeled with both a "supplement facts" box and a "nutrition facts" box.

(10)

(a)"Household cleaning products" means products labeled, marketed, or otherwise indicating that the purpose of the product is to clean, freshen, or remove unwanted substances, such as dirt, stains, and other impurities from possessions, objects, surfaces, interior or exterior structures, textiles, and environments associated with a household. These items include:

(i) Liquid soaps, laundry soaps, detergents, softeners, surface polishes, and stain removers;

(ii) Textile cleaners, carpet and pet cleaners, and treatments; or

(iii) Other products used to clean or freshen areas associated with a household.

(b) "Household" when used in the term "household cleaning products" denotes products marketed at least in part for residential or individual consumer use, but does not include products marketed solely for use in institutions such as hospitals and schools, or in commercial or industrial settings.

(11)"Household cleaning and personal care product manufacturing industry" means an association that represents companies that manufacture household cleaning and personal care products.

(12)"Infant formula" means a food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use solely as a food for infants by reason of its simulation of human milk or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk.

(13)"Medical food" means a food which is formulated to be consumed or administered enterally under the supervision of a physician and which is intended for the specific dietary management of a disease or condition for which distinctive nutritional requirements, based on recognized scientific principles, are established by medical evaluation.

(14)"Oral nutritional supplement" means a manufactured liquid, powder capable of being reconstituted, or solid product that contains a combination of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals intended to supplement a portion of a patient's nutrition intake.

(15)"Person" means an individual and any form of business enterprise, including all legal entities that are affiliated by common ownership of 50 percent or greater, including parents, subsidiaries, and commonly owned affiliate companies.

(16)"Personal care product" means a product intended or marketed for use to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance, including:

(a) Shampoo, conditioner, styling sprays and gels, and other hair care products;

(b) Lotion, moisturizer, facial toner, and other skin care products;

(c) Liquid soap and other body care products; or

(d) Other products used to maintain, improve, alter, or enhance personal care or appearance.

(17)

(a)"Plastic beverage container" means a factory-sealed bottle or other rigid container that is:

(i) Capable of maintaining its shape when empty;

(ii) Comprised of one or multiple plastic resins; and

(iii) Designed to contain a beverage in a quantity more than or equal to two fluid ounces and less than or equal to one gallon.

(b) Plastic beverage container does not include bladders or pouches that contain a beverage.

(18)"Plastic household cleaning container and plastic personal care product container" means a rigid bottle, jug, tube, or other container capable of maintaining its shape when empty and with a neck or mouth narrower than the base of the container, and:

(a) A minimum capacity of eight fluid ounces or its equivalent volume;

(b) A maximum capacity of five fluid gallons or its equivalent volume;

(c) Comprised of one or multiple plastic resins; and

(d) Containing a household cleaning or personal care product.

(19)

(a)"Plastic trash bag" means a bag that is made of plastic, is at least 0.70 mils thick, and is designed and manufactured for use as a container to hold, store, or transport materials for disposal or recycling. "Plastic trash bag" includes, but is not limited to, a garbage bag, recycling bag, lawn or leaf bag, can liner bag, kitchen bag, or compactor bag.

(b) "Plastic trash bag" does not include compostable bags meeting the requirements of chapter 70A.455 RCW and plastic carryout bags meeting the requirements of chapter 70A.530 RCW.

(20)"Plastic trash bag manufacturing industry" means an association that represents companies that manufacture plastic trash bags.

(21)

(a)"Post-consumer recycled content (PCRC)" means the plastic resin incorporated into plastic packaging or bags for a PCRC product, that is derived specifically from recyclable material generated by households or by commercial or institutional facilities in their role as end users of plastic products and packaging which is no longer used for its intended purpose.

(b) "PCRC" includes returns of material from the distribution chain.

(c) "PCRC" does not include plastic that is separated from the waste stream during manufacturing, such as scrap or other materials that are generated and reused during the same process.

(22)"PCRC products" means items in the following categories which are actively required to meet and report PCRC minimum requirements in the product packaging for a given year according to the timeline in WAC 173-925-040 (4)(a):

(a) Beverages in plastic beverage containers;

(b) Plastic trash bags; or

(c) Household cleaning products and personal care products in plastic containers.

(23)

(a)"Producer" means the following person responsible for compliance with minimum postconsumer recycled content requirements under this chapter for a covered product sold, offered for sale, or distributed in or into this state:

(i) If the covered product is sold under the manufacturer's own brand or lacks identification of a brand, the producer is the person who manufactures the covered product;

(ii) If the covered product is manufactured by a person other than the brand owner, the producer is the person who is the licensee of a brand or trademark under which a covered product is sold, offered for sale, or distributed in or into this state, whether or not the trademark is registered in this state, unless the manufacturer or brand owner of the covered product has agreed to accept responsibility under this chapter; or

(iii) If there is no person described in (a)(i) and (ii) of this subsection over whom the state can constitutionally exercise jurisdiction, the producer is the person who imports or distributes the covered product in or into the state.

(b) Producer does not include:

(i) Government agencies, municipalities, or other political subdivisions of the state;

(ii) Registered 501(c)(3) charitable organizations and 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations; or

(iii) De minimis producers as defined in subsection (10) of this section.

(24)"Resin" means polymer compounds used to make plastic packaging such as bottles or films.

(25)

(a)"Third-party representative" means a person acting as agent for a producer for the purpose of registering the producer, submitting reports, and paying the fees required of the producer by this chapter.

(b) Third-party representatives do not assume full responsibility for compliance as a producer.

(26)"Ton" means the United States customary short ton, equal to 2,000 pounds.

(27)"Workload analysis (WLA)" means a document posted for public comment each year by January 31st, summarizing the department's estimated costs for the forthcoming fiscal year, July 1st to June 30th of the following year, to implement, administer, and enforce the post-consumer recycled content requirements per RCW 70A.245.020(3).

Wash. Admin. Code § 173-925-030

Adopted by WSR 23-22-102, Filed 10/31/2023, effective 12/1/2023