Honored for recycling: Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, North City Water District

Photo courtesy City of Shoreline

Businesses small and large across King County are being honored for their commitment to recycling and waste prevention - diverting tons of recyclable materials from the landfill and saving resources.

The King County Solid Waste Division and Executive Dow Constantine are honoring 112 Best Workplaces for Waste Prevention and Recycling this year, recognizing businesses and organizations that are going the extra mile to reduce waste and increase recycling.

The list recognizes businesses with exceptional recycling programs and for their commitment to reducing the amount of waste their company produces. 

On the list:

City of Shoreline

North City Water District

City of Lake Forest Park

“These companies deserve special recognition for demonstrating their ingenuity and commitment in preventing waste,” said Executive Constantine. “From composting in lunchrooms to reusing packing materials, they’re showing that sustainability can be simple and rewarding.”

The “Best Workplaces” list has been celebrating waste prevention and recycling in local businesses for nine years and features a wide array of businesses in King County, including hospitality, medical services, professional services, technology, retail, finance, government, arts and entertainment and others.

The organizations on the list this year developed innovative ways to be eco-friendly and sustainable, including Shoreline's method of helping people know what to recycle at events.

According to Shoreline's Environmental Programs Coordinator Rika Cecil, “Since we use compostable ware at all of our city events, Council meetings, etc., we usually provide some version of the photo display (above) to ensure that it all gets appropriately recycled. If for some reason the event has some garbage or recycling, too, we attach the pieces to the top of the compost container.”

Last year, businesses in King County sent more than 200,000 tons of recyclable materials to the landfill.

All businesses operating in King County outside the City of Seattle are eligible for the list. To qualify, businesses must meet five basic criteria, as well as 10 additional waste reduction and recycling criteria.