At home, at work, on the move, and in the community, materials and their consumption are at the heart of people’s daily lives. The planet’s raw materials are the basis for all the products used to improve quality of life, the food that nourishes communities, and the services that businesses provide within the economy. These materials, the goods and foods that are produced, are often extracted, manufactured, or provided from outside of King County, but they’re ultimately used and enter the waste stream here. This means consumption decisions made locally reach far beyond the County’s borders.
What's at stake
A systemic shift is needed to transition from a linear “throwaway economy” to a circular economy that prevents waste, makes better use of valuable materials, and centers the communities most affected. Products used on a daily basis consume finite resources and energy to produce and discarding them results in a significant loss of valuable materials and incurs high human, environmental, and climate costs. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production, transportation, use, and disposal of the goods, foods, and services that are consumed in King County are more than double the emissions that occur solely within King County’s geographic boundaries. Up to 70 percent of what goes into the region’s landfill is recyclable. Materials like paper, plastic, metal, and food waste have value that can be accessed through reusing, recycling, or composting. Materials that could be recycled but end up in the landfill also represent missed opportunities for local job creation and preserving the health of King County’s communities, forests, and waterways.
A better outcome
King County’s goal for a circular economy is to achieve zero waste of resources by reducing consumption and waste generated, and increasing reuse, recycling, and composting. The County is committed to achieving a circular economy where waste is minimized, and materials remain in use longer. This approach reduces GHG emissions and regenerates natural systems. It encompasses not only the principles of reducing, reusing, and recycling but also improvements during the design and production phases, guiding purchasing decisions, reducing consumption, and transforming how products are treated at the end of their lifecycle.
What we've done to get here
- Launched King County’s Re+ Strategic Plan—an ambitious effort to reach zero waste and create a circular economy. Since then, several Re+ actions have been implemented including to establish the Re+ Community Panel; fund Re+ City Grants and Circular Economy Grants; collaborate to help pass impactful statewide organics legislation; and sign King County cities on to support the Re+ campaign.
- Furthered development of new recycling infrastructure and options such as the South County Recycling and Transfer Station (planned to open in 2026) and to increase recycling of key materials such as Construction and Demolition (C&D) materials at transfer stations through customer outreach, regulatory improvements, and staff support.
- Increased focus and progress to reduce food waste, through efforts such as the “Food: Too Good to Waste” program; work on statewide organics policies; and internal actions and policy to increase compost use by King County agencies.