King County announces ‘best workplaces for recycling’

First-annual list recognizes local companies with exemplary recycling practices

King County's Solid Waste Division has named 21 local companies to its first-annual "Best Workplaces for Recycling" list. These King County businesses are being recognized for strong internal recycling programs and their commitment to making recycling easy for employees.

The list includes companies of all sizes and from a variety of business sectors, including The Home Depot, IKEA, Philips Oral Healthcare and CH2M Hill.

"We are pleased to recognize the efforts made by these companies to fight global warming by providing workplaces that promote and encourage recycling," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "These local businesses are taking a leadership role by minimizing waste and embracing recycling as a company value."

Each year, businesses in King County send more than 250,000 tons of recyclable materials to the landfill, with an estimated value of more than $18 million. By providing a recycling friendly workplace, companies can dramatically increase their recycling rate, ultimately saving money on their garbage bill. For example, some businesses that provided desk-side recycling containers have seen recycling rates increase from 25 percent to more than 80 percent.

To qualify as a Best Workplace for Recycling, companies completed an online application providing information on how they promote recycling in the workplace. The business must be located in King County and fulfill at least 10 out of 27 recycling criteria, such as offering recycling bins at every employee's workstation, purchasing recycled content products and offering employees tips on how to recycle more.

"King County companies are embracing the recycling ethic and gaining financial savings," Sims said. "Recycling is a win-win for these businesses and for the environment."

King County plans to release the "Best Workplaces for Recycling" list annually, and expects the list to grow each year. 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 list will help illustrate steps that other companies are taking to reduce waste and save money.

The "Best Workplaces for Recycling" list is part of a larger county educational outreach campaign: "Recycle more. It's easy to do," which encourages residents and businesses to step up their recycling efforts and reduce the amount of material going to Cedar Hills Regional Landfill.

King County's "Best Workplaces for Recycling" in 2007 are:

American Classic Homes Real Estate
Auburn School District
Bellevue Arts Museum
CDM
CH2M Hill
Covington Water District
ECO Cartridge Store
Emerald Heights
HDR Engineering
The Home Depot
IKEA
Julia's Restaurants
Kennedy / Jenks Consultants, Inc.
MulvannyG2 Architecture
Outsource Marketing
PCC Natural Markets
Philips Oral Healthcare
Port of Seattle - SeaTac Airport
REI Southcenter Store
Reprographics Northwest
Yoga Centers

For more information about recycling in King County, visit www.metrokc.gov/recyclemore.