Business waste boosts Seattle recycling

Seattle, also known as the Emerald City, became a bit greener in 2006 when the city set a record for recycling. According to a recent release from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), 47.5 percent of the city’s waste stream was diverted from landfills and sent to recycling facilities instead.

Commercial recycling played a huge role in reaching the record. The sector recycled more than it wasted by diverting 51.7 percent of its waste from landfills—5.1 percent more than in 2005. Single-family homeowners recycled 2.6 percent more of their waste to reach a whopping 64 percent recycling rate.

According to SPU, Mayor Greg Nickels’ 60 Percent Recycling Plan, which aims for the city to recycle 60 percent of its waste by 2012, is a major force behind the record. To start the process, Nickels instituted a range of new recycling services in 2003 when the city’s recycling percentage dipped to a low point of 38.2 percent. The services were aimed at residents and businesses alike and included commercial food scrap collection, more frequent collection of yard waste, adding vegetable food waste to yard waste, new public place recycling containers and free curbside recycling for businesses. Following the success of those efforts, in 2006, the city passed a law prohibiting recyclable paper, cardboard and yard waste in commercial garbage and recyclable paper, cardboard, cans and bottles in residential garbage.

In 2009, all single-family homes will be offered weekly pickup of curbside yard waste and food scrap bins to allow the inclusion of meat and dairy along with vegetable scraps. That move will cut in half the amount of food waste in the city’s waste stream. Currently, food scraps account for 45,000 tons of waste each year in Seattle. Other changes in 2009 will include putting all recyclable material into one bin, allowing more kinds of plastic will to be recycled.