King County announces second-annual ‘Best Workplaces for Recycling’ list

King County’s Solid Waste Division has named 50 local companies for the second-annual “Best Workplaces for Recycling” list – more than twice as many companies as last year. These businesses are being recognized for strong internal recycling programs and for their commitment to making recycling a priority for their companies.

The list encompasses a wide array of businesses in King County – companies as big as Google and Coca Cola, and some businesses that are just starting out. This year’s list has seen growth in companies that have reduced waste through successful food scrap recycling programs such as The Herbfarm in Woodinville and the Seattle Airport Marriott Hotel.

“Food scrap recycling is an easy way for our business to reduce waste, save money and help the environment,” said Carrie Van Dyck at The Herbfarm restaurant. “Now that we have a system in place, recycling is easy for employees and a source of pride for our business.”

Each year, businesses in King County send more than 240,000 tons of recyclable materials to the landfill. By providing a recycling-friendly workplace, companies can dramatically increase their recycling rate, ultimately saving money on their garbage bill. For example, in some businesses, just providing desk-side recycling containers has increased recycling rates from 25 percent to more than 80 percent.

“As a call to action, we make every effort to educate and inform our employees of the advantages of recycling and the options available to them,” said Mike Nolan, facilities manager at Google. “The ultimate goal is to empower the individual to make an informed decision.”

To qualify as a Best Workplace for Recycling, companies must meet at least 10 criteria out of a list of 33 good business recycling practices—choices that range from placing recycling bins by every desk, to collecting food scraps for on or off-site composting.

List members share secrets to their recycling success on the King County Web site. Many cite the same fundamental practices that make their workplaces great recyclers:

· Educating employees on how to properly use the established recycling system

· Setting recycling goals

· Making it just as easy, if not easier, to recycle instead of throwing away used materials

· Designating a recycling coordinator to monitor and maintain recycling efforts

“It is encouraging to see more restaurants and hotels on the list this year. These businesses prove that you don’t have to be a traditional office to be a business that is good at recycling,” said Sharon Aller, King County program manager for the campaign.

“Incorporating environmentally friendly practices into the workplace means finding opportunities to conserve wherever possible – that means at desks, in kitchens, break rooms, warehouses and anywhere else where employees generate recyclable materials,” Aller said.

This year’s list of 50 local businesses is more than double the number from 2007. King County releases the “Best Workplaces for Recycling” list annually, and expects it will continue to grow. The goal of the list is to recognize the top recyclers and help motivate others in the local business community to improve recycling practices.

The “Best Workplaces for Recycling” list is part of a larger county educational outreach campaign to encourage businesses and residences alike to recycle more. To learn more about what these businesses are doing to improve recycling programs, visit www.metrokc.gov/recyclemore.

The 2008 King County “Best Workplaces for Recycling” are:

Accents et cetera

Allyis

American Classic Homes Real Estate

AtWork!

Cartridge World Issaquah

Chameleon Technologies

Champagne’ Design

CH2M Hill

City of Bellevue

Coca Cola Bottling Company of Washington

Corporate Express

Covington Water District

CRISTA Ministries

Dave’s Diner & Brew

ECO Cartridge Store

Emerald Heights

Expedia, Inc.

Google

The Green Car Company

HDR Engineering, Inc.

The Herbfarm, LLC

Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center

The Home Depot

Honeywell

IKEA

In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes

Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Inc.

Microsoft

MulvannyG2 Architecture

Northshore Utility District

Otak, Inc.

Outsource Marketing

Overlake Hospital Medical Center

PCC Natural Markets

Philips Oral Healthcare

Poggemeyer Design Group

Port of Seattle – SeaTac Airport

REI Kent

REI Issaquah

REI Southcenter

Reprographics Northwest

Roth Hill Engineering Partners, LLC

Rowley Properties, Inc.

Seattle Airport Marriott Hotel

Shoreline Community College

Summit at Snoqualmie

Tailor Made Software, Ltd.

TOPICS Entertainment

WA State Parks and Recreation Commission, Puget Sound Region Office

Yoga Centers

Related Information

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King County Solid Waste