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King County to support more ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste through $1.8 million in innovation grants
Summary
King County’s Solid Waste Division will distribute up to $1.8 million for local recycling, reuse, and waste reduction projects through its new Re+ Circular Economy Grant Program. Applicants are eligible for $20,000 to $300,000 per project. A virtual information session is set for April 6, and the application deadline is May 6.
Story
Businesses, community-based organizations, tribal governments, colleges and universities, and self-employed individuals within King County’s 37-city service area that includes unincorporated areas are invited to apply for $20,000 to $300,000 in grant funding for each project. Projects can be located outside of the service area as long as they demonstrate an impact on King County’s solid waste stream.
The grant program is focused on two key objectives to reduce the amount of waste going to King County’s Cedar Hills Regional Landfill:
• Prevention and reuse: Projects that support reducing the overall amount of materials an organization or community uses or purchases; using or developing infrastructure for handling or managing reusable products and materials; and sharing or donating reusable items or materials.
• Recycling: Projects that are designed to create new markets or expand existing markets for materials currently generated in the King County solid waste system, which excludes the cities of Seattle and Milton as these cities operate separate solid waste systems.
King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks values diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its work. Because equity and social justice (ESJ) drives how the Solid Waste Division delivers public programs and services, grant proposals will need to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to King County’s ESJ principles, including how their projects advance ESJ goals.
King County's new Re+ Program is a roadmap for a healthy environment and economy that is reinventing the current waste management system and finding new purposes for the nearly 70% of recyclable materials that mistakenly end up in the landfill each day.
King County is working instead to find ways to keep more of those materials in use longer, to secure more markets for reusable materials, and identify new and innovative methods to prevent and reduce waste. These efforts will support regional goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help create new jobs in a green economy.
Re+ Circular Economy Grants are a companion element of NextCycle Washington, a public-private partnership launching in June to support funding for organizations and businesses diverting materials and using recycled materials in manufacturing.
Grant-funded projects must be completed by Dec. 30, 2023. Proposers can complete and apply for grant funding through an online application portal until the deadline at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 6.
The Re+ Circular Economy Grant virtual information session will be held Wednesday, April 6 from 1-3 p.m.:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82020495177
Meeting ID: 820 2049 5177
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+12532158782,82020495177# US (Tacoma)
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For more information on Re+ Circular Economy Grants and the application process, including requesting accommodations for people with disabilities, or to request in-language interpretive services free of charge, contact King County Solid Waste Division Project Manager Emily Coleman at 206-477-0249, 711 TTY Relay, or circulargrants@kingcounty.gov.
RELEVANT LINKS
• Re+ Circular Economy Grants Application
• King County's Re+ plan
• April 6 Re+ Circular Economy Grants Information Session (via Zoom)
• King County 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan
• King County Strategic Climate Action Plan
• NextCycle Washington
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Annie Kolb-Nelson, Solid Waste Division, 206-477-5373
About the King County Solid Waste Division
The 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 bring the best people together to deliver value our customers and stakeholders, and to continuously improve waste prevention, resource recovery, and waste disposal.