This project entails siting, permitting, designing, and constructing a new transfer and recycling facility to replace the Houghton Transfer Station in Kirkland, which has been in service the mid-1960s. The 2006 Solid Waste and Waste Export System Plan, approved by King County Council in 2007, identified the need to replace the existing Houghton Transfer Station. The County’s 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (County 2019), which was adopted by 24 cities and the Washington State Department of Ecology, also identified the need for a new station to replace the aging Houghton Transfer Station. The new recycling and transfer station is proposed to be located in the northeast part of King County, in or around the cities of Sammamish, Kirkland, Redmond, and Woodinville. A site with an area between 10 and 20 acres is desirable for the station. The new station will include an enclosed solid waste transfer and processing area; solid waste compactor units; a recycling collection and sorting area; employee facility; scale house and weigh station; fueling station; space for on-site customer queuing; and a possible moderate risk waste (MRW) facility. In June 2020, the Solid Waste Division launched a siting process involving the cities of Redmond, Kirkland, Woodinville, and Sammamish, and engaging the public and stakeholders in the initial phase of the project. After design and construction, the new station is scheduled for operation in 2027

The transfer station primarily has two environmental goals. SWD is committed to obtaining either Living Building Challenge or LEED Platinum certification for the facility to achieve a carbon neutral development performance. Additionally, the transfer station supports King County's Clean Water Healthy Habitat initiative by minimizing impervious surfaces, where possible, planting native flora and designing the transfer station to use less toxins during operations, to protect water quality and habitat and create a resilient system that is prepared for climate impacts and population growth.

Project info

Green Bonds: 2017-Series A

2% complete

$1.1m Green Bond Proceeds spent

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CICERO rates King County Green Bonds Deep Green, their best rating.

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Related information

• Recycling & transfer stations, drop box facilities

Related agencies

• Dept. of Natural Resources and Parks
• Solid Waste Division