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Welcome to our first Re+ Update Newsletter! This regular newsletter will keep you posted on all of King County’s zero waste efforts.
What is Re+?
Officially launched earlier this year, Re+ is King County's approach to building a healthy environment and economy by reinventing our system of waste management. Nearly 70% of the materials currently brought to our regional landfill could be reused, recycled, or composted, rather than buried as waste that generates potent greenhouse gas emissions. Through Re+, we're deepening our waste prevention and reduction methods, finding innovative ways to match materials with end markets, and, in doing so, we're reducing climate emissions and helping create new opportunities in a greener economy. Re+ will mobilize the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to extend producer responsibility, make it more convenient to recycle, reduce food waste, and invest in new technologies that recover valuable materials.
Check out the Re+ page and StoryMap to learn more about the work we’re doing to achieve this vision.
 King County staff and the Re+ Community Panel.
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Collaboration with and support from King County cities has been one of the early successes of Re+. Work began with cities in early summer of 2022 to present the program to cities and develop a Re+ Pledge. The pledge highlights support for key Re+ actions and is the first formal response to the County’s efforts. Since July 2022, the Re+ team has presented to more than 30 city councils and related groups with 22 cities signing onto or approving the pledge.
The strong, early support from cities highlights the commitment to collaboration on policies that bring us closer to our shared goals of a zero-waste future and circular economy and sends a message to the residents of King County that we are all in this together.
Re+ Pledge cities so far
- Algona
- Auburn
- Bellevue
- Bothell
- Burien
- Carnation
- Clyde Hill
- Covington
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- Issaquah
- Kenmore
- Kent
- Kirkland
- Lake Forest Park
- Maple Valley
- Newcastle
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- Pacific
- Redmond
- Renton
- Shoreline
- Snoqualmie
- Tukwila
- Woodinville
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City Spotlight: Issaquah moves forward on zero waste goals
Issaquah is taking big steps to advance its goal of reducing landfill waste by 70% by 2030, as outlined in the Issaquah Climate Action Plan. The City has mandated recycling and composting service for food service establishments, increased outreach and education efforts, and developed regional partnerships focused on food waste prevention. Issaquah has also included multiple recycling events each year and opportunities for hard-to-recycle items through curbside collection with Recology, its contracted hauler.
“Issaquah is committed to the goals of waste reduction and reuse outlined in Re+. In partnership with King County, we’ll be able to make greater progress in reaching the city's goals of reducing our carbon footprint and creating a more sustainable economy,” said Issaquah Mayor Mary Lou Pauly.
The City works closely with Recology on waste reduction initiatives. To remove financial barriers for diversion, Issaquah and Recology provide recycling and composting services to all single-family, multi-family, and commercial accounts at no additional cost.
Recology has also created a full-time Waste Zero Specialist position focused on recycling, composting and waste diversion outreach at city events, multi-family complexes, and businesses throughout Issaquah. The Waste Zero Specialist provides educational services and uses data to target ideal candidates for diversion outreach, perform waste stream audits and help both residents and businesses reduce waste and lower their monthly bills.
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 King County and Georgia-Pacific staff meet outside Juno facility in advance of their tour
As part of the Re+ plan, the Solid Waste Division is exploring mixed waste processing as a potential technology to recover valuable resources from our garbage here in King County. Mixed waste processing covers a range of existing and developing technologies that sort and divert recyclable and recoverable material, such as metal, paper, or organics from the waste stream. These facilities can act as a last screen for our garbage, working in tandem with municipal recycling and composting programs. It’s estimated that mixed waste processing could divert between 50,000 and 300,000 tons per year from landfill disposal.
This spring, the County partnered with Georgia-Pacific to evaluate their mixed waste processing facility, called Juno. During the three-month pilot project, King County shipped about 750 tons of municipal solid waste from the Renton Recycling and Transfer Station to the Juno facility in Toledo, Oregon. The purpose of the project was to test how much recyclable material could be recovered from garbage that would typically go to the landfill.
In early May, King County staff and partners visited Juno to see the facility in action. “We wanted to see what the future of might look like and discover a pathway to zero waste for King County,” said Pat McLaughlin, King County’s Solid Waste Division Director.
The Re+ plan includes additional steps to evaluate ways to incorporate mixed waste processing into our regional solid waste system, including future tours and evaluations of other facilities.
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A key piece of Re+ is investing in business, non-profit, and government efforts to develop innovative waste prevention, and reuse solutions. Earthwise Architectural Salvage, a recipient of a Re+ Circular Economy Grant, has been collecting and reselling salvage materials from buildings set for demolition since 1991. Their Circular Economy Grant allowed them to open a fourth retail location in Kenmore, expanding the market for salvaged materials in our region. On Saturday, June 24, the Kenmore location opened, kicking off a weekend of public events and celebration. The new store will help keep more material out of the landfill and in the economy, giving new life to salvaged goods from vintage furniture and light fixtures to windows, doors, lumber and more. |
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NextCycle Washington provides support to businesses and communities statewide, helping to promote circular economy efforts through two programs. The Circular Accelerator supports projects with business and technical assistance, pitch development, and matchmaking. Renew Seed Grants provide mini-grants of up to $10,000 for early-stage projects for businesses, community-based organizations, tribal governments and research institutions as well as mentoring and other business resources.
Vashon Care Network received a NextCycle Renew Seed Grant to expand their Vashon Care Closet, which loans durable medical equipment such as crutches and wheelchairs to Vashon-Maury Island residents. The grant funds supported the development of an online ordering system and recruiting a native Spanish-speaking liaison. On Saturday, Aug. 5, the Vashon Care Network hosted an outreach event with Spanish language promotional materials at the Care Closet for the island’s Latino community. The event included a presentation on their equipment loans, refreshments, and free giveaways. With help from NextCycle, the program is furthering waste prevention on Vashon through reuse and sharing and providing valuable medical resources to the community.
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This spring, the Solid Waste Division issued a request for proposals for Re+ City Grants, a new competitive grant program to support cities delivering projects that further Re+ goals and create a more circular economy. Any city in the King County service area that signed the Re+ Pledge was eligible to apply.
Twelve cities submitted five proposals, (four of five were joint proposals) for a total of $450,000. Applications were reviewed by Solid Waste Division staff and the Re+ Community Panel. SWD has begun contract negotiations with cities and plans to announce selected grant recipients later this year.
The high level of participation and collaboration shows that King County cities are committed to Re+ efforts to bring communities together around our shared zero waste of resources goal.
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King County's Solid Waste Division is guided by its vision to achieve zero waste of resources, and to enhance the environment through collaboration and innovation. The division operates eight transfer stations, two rural drop boxes, and the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill – the only operational landfill in the county. Our stakeholders include residents and business owners in unincorporated King County and 37 cities throughout the county. Our mission is to deliver value to our customers and stakeholders, and to continuously improve waste prevention, resource recovery, and waste disposal.
To request this newsletter in alternate formats, contact the Solid Waste Division Customer Service Desk at 206-477-4466 or TTY 711.
For more information on Re+, visit www.kingcounty.gov/re-plus.
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