Washington Department of Ecology

What Washington Department of Ecology does

The Washington State Department of Ecology is a state government agency, established under RCW 43.21A, that regulates environmental protection across air quality, water quality, waste management, and contaminated site cleanup for the State of Washington. It serves Washington residents, local governments, businesses, and packaging producers through a portfolio of regulatory, grant-making, and public service programs. Core service areas include water rights management, environmental permitting, pollution prevention incentives, recycling program administration (E-Cycle Washington, LightRecycle, PaintCare), and cleanup of contaminated sites under the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA). The agency has identified over 13,000 contaminated sites statewide and cleaned up more than 7,000, while overseeing more than 300 wastewater treatment facilities and administering the 2025 Recycling Reform Act.

The agency's technology backbone consists of several proprietary data management and public-facing systems: the Water Rights Tracking System (WRTS) with its Geographic Water-right Information System (GWIS) component for spatial water rights records; the Environmental Information Management (EIM) database aggregating statewide air, water, and land monitoring data; the Environmental Report Tracking System (ERTS) for public environmental issue reporting; the PARIS water quality permits lookup; the Water Right Application Portal (developed with a $163,900 Innovation and Modernization Grant in 2024); the EcoEPay online payment portal; the Coastal Atlas mapping tool; and a network of regional offices across Eastern, Northwest, Central, and Southwest Washington. Sub-brands also include E-Cycle Washington, LightRecycle, and PaintCare Washington. Distribution occurs through the ecology.wa.gov website, regional offices, phone/in-person assistance (1-800-OILS-911), and an active social media presence.

As a public-sector entity, the Department's funding derives from Washington State legislative appropriations, federal grants, and various environmental fees and program-specific charges — it is not a commercial revenue operation. The customer base is structurally diversified across all Washington residents (primary segment), local governments (grants, compliance assistance), Washington businesses (pollution prevention incentives, compliance), and packaging/paper product producers (subject to the Recycling Reform Act's Extended Producer Responsibility). Key partnerships include the Circular Action Alliance (designated producer responsibility organization under the 2025 Recycling Reform Act), Washington Department of Commerce (joint operation of the Recycling Development Center since 2019), Washington Department of Health (inter-agency coordination on shellfish safety and safe medication return), and Washington Technology Solutions (grant provider for digital modernization).

Name

Washington Department of Ecology

Legal name

Washington State Department of Ecology

Website

https://ecology.wa.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Washington State Department of Ecology is a state government agency that regulates environmental protection across air, water, waste, and cleanup programs, serving Washington residents, local governments, businesses, and packaging producers through permits, grants, and digital service portals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Regulatory Services

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Policy, Planning & Regulation (BPAIAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil) (BPAIAMAC), State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL), Environmental Public Health (Food Safety, Water Quality, Sanitation) (BPAIAJAE)

Keywords

• Environmental regulation services
• Water quality monitoring
• Air quality management
• Hazardous waste cleanup
• Pollution prevention programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Tax Revenue: As a Washington State government agency, the Department of Ecology is funded through state budget allocations, federal grants, and fees for services. Revenue supports environmental protection programs, permits, grants, and regulatory activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Washington Department of Ecology is a Washington State government agency that administers environmental laws, issues and enforces environmental permits and licenses, monitors air and water quality, manages water rights, oversees solid and hazardous waste programs, cleans up contaminated sites, and provides environmental education and technical assistance to residents, businesses, and local governments across the state.

Product overview

Washington Department of Ecology operates as a state environmental protection agency offering a portfolio of regulatory, data management, and public service platforms. The agency provides online tools for environmental permitting (Water Right Application Portal, PARIS permits), data resources (Environmental Information Management Database, Water Rights Tracking System), and public-facing recycling programs (E-Cycle Washington, LightRecycle, Recycling Reform Act). Core platforms include the Water Rights Tracking System for record searches, the Coastal Atlas for coastal management data, and various permit and payment portals. These tools serve residents, businesses, and local governments in managing environmental compliance and accessing state environmental data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Water Rights Tracking System: Online portal for searching water rights using various search tools
• Water Right Application Portal
• E-Cycle Washington
• LightRecycle
• PaintCare Washington
• EcoEPay
• PARIS

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced household recycling bills by at least 90% after 2032
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Circular Action Alliance (CAA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Circular Action Alliance is the registered producer responsibility organization under Washington's Recycling Reform Act. Producers of packaging and paper products are required to join CAA, which collects fees based on volume and invests in local recycling infrastructure. CAA will reimburse service providers for recycling collection and processing costs starting in 2030.
• Interchange360coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Interchange360 registered with Ecology to establish an alternative collection program for automotive lubricant packaging under the Recycling Reform Act. Provides specialized recycling services for automotive packaging not covered by the main CAA program.
• Washington Department of Commerce - Office of Economic Development and CompetitivenesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established in 2019 to operate the Recycling Development Center. The Department of Commerce provides business, marketing, and technical assistance to support both public and private sectors in developing markets for recyclable materials.
• Washington Department of HealthcoreOthersCoordination on public health matters related to environmental issues, including shellfish safety advisories, beach closure information, and safe medication return programs.
• Local Health DistrictscoreOthersLocal health districts receive sewage spill reports and issue beach closure information and health advisories. They are the authoritative source for recreational water quality warnings.
• Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Ecology's Central Region in 2017 to host the Eastern Washington Riparian Planting Symposium, focused on restoration challenges unique to Eastern Washington's drier conditions.
• Recycling Development Center Advisory BoardcoreOthers14-member advisory board representing public agencies, private industry, universities, and nonprofits that guides the Recycling Development Center's work on strengthening markets for recyclable materials.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/EcologyWA
• Facebookfacebook.com/EcologyWA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washingtonstatedepartmentofecology
• Instagraminstagram.com/EcologyWA
• Xx.com/ecologywa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington Department of Ecology