HomeMy WebLinkAboutDraft Zero Waste Plan - Jan. 2025
Zero Waste Plan
CITY OF RENTON
JANUARY 2025
PREPARED BY CA SCADIA CONSULTING GROUP
Zero Waste Plan
Contents
Zero Waste Plan | ii
Contents
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 1
Plan Background ...................................................................................................................... 1
Zero Waste Planning ................................................................................................................. 2
Goals and Strategies ................................................................................................................ 3
Zero Waste Plan Organization ................................................................................................... 6
Renton’s Current Efforts ...................................................................................................... 7
Existing Policies, Programs, and Infrastructure .......................................................................... 7
Current Successes and Future Opportunities .......................................................................... 24
Best Management Practices Assessment ................................................................................ 26
Waste Generation in Renton ............................................................................................... 32
Overview ................................................................................................................................ 32
Key Findings ........................................................................................................................... 33
Current and Historic Trends .................................................................................................... 34
The Future: 15 Year Growth Projections ................................................................................... 57
Goals and Strategies .......................................................................................................... 59
Goals ..................................................................................................................................... 59
Strategies ............................................................................................................................... 60
Tracking Progress ............................................................................................................... 90
Appendices ........................................................................................................................ 94
Appendix A: Key Terms and Definitions .................................................................................... 94
Appendix B: Waste Prevention Public Education Campaigns .................................................... 96
Appendix C: Strategy Prioritization Analysis ............................................................................. 98
Appendix D: Current Data and Metrics................................................................................... 103
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List of Figures and Tables
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List of Figures and Tables
Table 1. King County Waste Targets and Renton Metrics as of December 2023 ............................... 9
Table 2. Minimum Area Requirements for Waste Storage at Commercial Properties ..................... 10
Table 3. Minimum Area Requirements for Waste Storage at Multifamily Properties in Seattle ........ 11
Table 4. Collection Container Sizes and Colors ........................................................................... 15
Figure 1. Appliances from May 2024 Special Collection Event ...................................................... 16
Figure 2. Residents Browsing Items at Stop & Swap ..................................................................... 17
Table 5. 2025 Commercial Customer Rates for Non-Compacted 1 to 2 Cubic Yard Containers ..... 23
Table 6. Meaning of Icons Used in Best Practices Assessment ..................................................... 26
Figure 3. 2023 Waste Tons by Sector and Collection Stream ........................................................ 36
Figure 4. 2023 Estimated Capture Rates ..................................................................................... 37
Table 7. 2002-2023 Single-family Tons by Stream ........................................................................ 38
Figure 5. 2002–2023 Single-family Tons by Stream, with Population Estimates ............................. 39
Table 8. 2002–2023 Single-family Population and Estimated Pounds per Capita by Stream ........... 40
Figure 6. 2002–2023 Single-family Estimated Pounds per Capita by Stream ................................. 41
Figure 7. 2002–2023 Single-family Recovery Rates ...................................................................... 42
Figure 8. 2023 Single-family Garbage Recoverability Potential ..................................................... 43
Figure 9. 2023 Single-family Capture Rates ................................................................................. 43
Table 9. 2002-2023 Multifamily Tons by Stream ........................................................................... 44
Figure 10. 2002–2023 Multifamily Tons by Stream ....................................................................... 45
Table 10. 2002-2023 Estimated Multifamily Pounds per Capita per Stream .................................. 46
Figure 11. 2002–2023 Multifamily Pounds per Capita by Stream................................................... 47
Figure 12. 2002–2023 Multifamily Recovery Rates ....................................................................... 48
Figure 13. 2023 Multifamily Garbage Recoverability Potential ...................................................... 49
Figure 14. 2023 Multifamily Capture Rates by Stream .................................................................. 50
Table 11. 2002-2023 Commercial Tons by Stream ....................................................................... 51
Figure 15. 2002–2023 Commercial Tons by Stream, with Population and Employment Estimates . 52
Table 12. 2002-2023 Commercial Pounds per Employee per Stream ............................................ 53
Figure 16. 2002–2023 Commercial Pounds per Employee by Stream ............................................ 54
Figure 17. 2002–2023 Commercial Recovery Rates ..................................................................... 55
Figure 18. 2023 Commercial Garbage Recoverability Potential .................................................... 56
Figure 19. 2023 Commercial Capture Rates ................................................................................ 56
Figure 20. 2025–2040 Projection of Overall Residential Annual Tons ............................................ 57
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List of Figures and Tables
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Figure 21. 2025–2040 Projection of Commercial Annual Tons ...................................................... 58
Table 13. Types of Strategies in the Zero Waste Plan .................................................................... 60
Table 14. King County Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan Targets ........................... 105
Zero Waste Plan
Executive Summary
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Executive Summary
Plan Background
The City of Renton's Sustainability and Solid Waste Section provides a responsible and robust
program for residents and commercial customers to reduce waste, recycle and compost, and
dispose waste responsibly. The section also works to advance solid waste elements of citywide
priorities, such as the city's climate action plan: the Clean Economy Strategy (CES) 2.0. Adopted in
2023, the CES 2.0 includes the following goal and action to minimize waste and adopt and
implement a sustainable materials management plan:
Renton’s Clean Energy Strategy 2.0 Consumption & Materials Management Goal:
Extend the lifecycle of materials, reduce new consumption, and improve city-wide
recycling and composting.
Action CM 1.1: Formalize the Sustainable Materials Management Plan and implement
key provisions.
The CES 2.0 identified several community priorities for consumption and materials management:
● Reduce waste generation and increase waste diversion, especially organic waste
● Practice sustainable purchasing and promote a circular economy
● Expand and improve recycling opportunities
This 2025 Zero Waste Plan contains goals, strategies, and actions for sustainable materials
management aligned with those community priorities that Renton can implement over the next ten
years to move toward zero waste. Renton intends to implement this Plan in alignment with its city
Business Plan goal to “Build an inclusive, informed, and hate-free city with equitable outcomes for
all in support of social, economic, and racial justice.”1 The strategies build on the strengths of
Renton’s current programs while remaining adaptable to new innovations, best practices, county
policies, and state regulations.
1 City of Renton Business Plan, 2024-2029 Goals. https://www.rentonwa.gov/city_hall/mayor/business_plan
(Accessed November 2024)
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Zero Waste Planning
While there are many definitions of zero waste, Renton’s definition focuses on source reduction
and keeping materials with economic value out of landfills. As a result, this Plan focuses on
increasing waste prevention and reuse and on improving recycling and composting.
Zero waste means eliminating waste through reducing consumption and promoting
reuse, recycling, and composting.
Renton’s Sustainability and Solid Waste Section will use this Plan to guide its solid waste activities
over the next ten years. This Plan is intended to offer clear guidance but also be flexible so Renton
can adapt to rapid changes in products and packaging, waste management technologies and
systems, and waste-related policies and regulations.
The strategies and actions in this Plan reflect areas where the Sustainability and Solid Waste
Section has the most power to create the most change. The section’s solid waste work centers on:
● Contracting for garbage, recycling, and organics collection services for residents and
commercial customers in Renton
● Providing customer education and outreach on waste prevention and management
● Collaborating with and supporting other city departments on sustainable purchasing, waste
prevention, reuse, recycling, and composting
● Advocating for policy changes and collaborating with other communities in King County and
the state of Washington
The Sustainability and Solid Waste Section partnered with Cascadia Consulting Group (Cascadia)
to develop this Zero Waste Plan. The planning process began in 2018 with the development of four
memos describing Renton’s (1) waste infrastructure and programs, (2) waste generation trends, (3)
metrics for measuring success, and (4) remaining opportunities for improvement. In 2024,
Renton’s section staff and Cascadia updated and combined the memos to form the base 2025
Plan. Together they assessed the city’s current performance and opportunities against best
practices commonly implemented by leading high-recovery jurisdictions.
The city developed a set of eight goals, listed in the following section. Because litter, hazardous
waste, and construction and demolition debris are beyond the scope of this Plan, the goals do not
address these waste streams. The next iteration of this Plan will incorporate goals and strategies
related to these waste streams.
Cascadia worked closely with city staff to develop and evaluate strategies and actions that provide
a path forward for each goal. Each strategy was assessed against a set of criteria to gauge its likely
impact and the resources that would be needed to implement it.
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Executive Summary
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Goals and Strategies
The Zero Waste Plan outlines actions for 40 strategies across eight goals that provide a roadmap
for Renton to work toward zero waste over the next ten years. The goals are:
1. Ensure sustainable funding for waste prevention and management programs
2. Lead by example
3. Maximize waste prevention and reuse
4. Ensure clean and marketable recyclables and organic waste
5. Maximize participation in curbside recycling and organics collection programs
6. Increase recycling of non-standard recyclable items
7. Minimize and mitigate emissions associated with waste collection
8. Manage programs using high-quality data
Further information on the goals, strategies, and actions are in the “Goals and Strategies” section
on page 59.
Goal 1: Ensure sustainable funding for waste prevention and management programs
Strategy Begin
1.01. Fund all ongoing aspects and mandates of the waste program through
customer rates.
Years 1-2
1.02. Maintain awareness of Renton’s current and pending state-mandated
requirements and plan for implementation.
Years 1-2
1.03. Use grant funding for discrete one-time or time-limited activities and
pilot programs.
Years 3-6
Goal 2: Lead by example
Strategy Begin
2.01. Advocate for product stewardship and extended producer
responsibility policies and programs.
Years 1-2
2.02. Require best practices for waste prevention and zero waste in city
facilities.
Years 3-6
2.03. Implement and enhance the sustainable purchasing policy for the city. Years 3-6
2.04. Maximize recycling and organics captured from city facilities. Years 3-6
2.05. Conduct waste prevention and recycling trainings for city employees. Years 3-6
2.06. Recover edible food from internal and city-sponsored events. Years 7-10
2.07. Capture recycling from city parks and outdoor facilities. Years 7-10
2.08. Inform the public of the city’s zero waste practices. Years 7-10
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Goal 3: Maximize waste prevention and reuse
Strategy Begin
3.01. Support equitable reuse, repair, and sharing opportunities for
residents.
Years 1-2
3.02. Encourage reuse and require recycling and organics collection at large
public events.
Years 1-2
3.03. Support and increase edible food rescue and donation. Years 1-2
3.04. Require contracted waste collector to use recycled content in billing
statements and waste carts.
Years 1-2
3.05. Educate residents and commercial customers on waste prevention and
reuse topics such as food waste, toxics reduction, and textiles donation.
Years 3-6
Goal 4: Ensure clean and marketable recyclables and organic waste
Strategy Begin
4.01. Standardize the color of garbage and organics collection containers. Years 1-2
4.02. Reduce contamination through collection operations. Years 1-2
4.03. Select a recycling collection method that balances ease for the
generator, collection cost, and contamination potential.
Years 1-2
4.04. Ensure recyclables are going to responsible end markets. Years 1-2
4.05. Reduce contamination through regional partnerships. Years 1-2
Goal 5: Maximize participation in curbside recycling and organics collection programs
Strategies for all customers
Strategy Begin
5.01. Implement a rate structure that incentivizes recycling and organics
separation and disincentivizes disposal.
Years 1-2
5.02. Require subscription to recycling collection service for all customers. Years 1-2
5.03. Require subscription to organics collection service for all customers. Years 1-2
5.04. Require customers to recycle or compost target materials (or
implement disposal bans).
Years 1-2
5.05. Develop and implement a broad multi-year education campaign for
waste reduction, recycling, and organics collection.
Years 3-6
5.06. Conduct education and outreach to ensure food waste is not landfilled. Years 3-6
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Strategies for only multifamily and commercial customers
Strategy Begin
5.07. Require new and improved multifamily and commercial properties to
provide sufficient space for recycling and organics collection.
Years 1-2
5.08. Provide technical assistance, targeted education, and toolkits for
multifamily and commercial customers.
Years 3-6
Strategies for only commercial customers
Strategy Begin
5.09. Provide technical assistance to schools for recycling, organics
collection, and waste reduction.
Years 3-6
5.10. Coordinate outreach with city utilities and departments to provide
integrated customer assistance for commercial customers.
Years 7-10
5.11. Explore partnerships to connect with the business community. Years 7-10
5.12. Develop and implement commercial recognition programs. Years 7-10
Goal 6: Increase recycling of non-standard recyclable items
Strategy Begin
6.01. Expand and support collection opportunities of non-standard
recyclables for residents. Recycle recoverable material collected through
bulky curbside collection.
Years 3-6
Goal 7: Minimize and mitigate emissions associated with waste collection
Strategy Begin
7.01. Reduce vehicle emissions from waste collection. Years 1-2
Goal 8: Manage programs using high-quality data
Strategy Begin
8.01. Require independent waste collector registration and reporting. Years 1-2
8.02. Obtain Renton-specific contamination data from contracted waste
collector.
Years 1-2
8.03. Track and report waste generated by city operations. Years 1-2
8.04. Track and report compost procurement activities. Years 1-2
8.05. Develop annual zero waste report to track progress. Years 3-6
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Zero Waste Plan Organization
This Plan is organized as follows:
● Renton’s Current Efforts presents an overview of Renton’s solid waste policies, collection
system, waste reduction programs, and funding mechanisms. The section highlights
Renton’s current successes and future opportunities and informs this Plan’s strategies and
actions by assessing best management practices for minimizing waste and maximizing
recovery.
● Waste Generation in Renton presents an analysis of existing tonnage data for garbage,
recycling, and organics per customer sector. The section highlights historic, current, and
projected recovery and waste generation rates. This section also identifies key materials,
sectors, and data gaps that informed the strategies and actions.
● Goals and Strategies presents goals, strategies, and actions to help Renton work toward
zero waste over the next ten years. Strategies are organized by goal, sequenced by start
year, and presented with a list of actions that support them.
● Tracking Progress describes recommended measures and methods to help Renton track
progress on its Zero Waste Plan and goals, focusing on using data that are currently
available.
● Appendix A: Key Terms and Definitions lists definitions for key terms used in this Plan.
● Appendix B: Waste Prevention Public Education Campaigns summarizes past public
education campaigns led by the city.
● Appendix C: Strategy Prioritization Analysis presents the detailed criteria and matrix
analysis used to prioritize the strategies in this Plan.
● Appendix D: Current Data and Metrics presents a list of the current waste-related data
and metrics available to the city.
Zero Waste Plan
Renton’s Current Efforts
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Renton’s Current Efforts
To inform this Plan’s zero waste strategies, Cascadia and city staff reviewed Renton’s solid waste
services. This section of the Plan presents an overview of Renton’s solid waste policies, collection
system, and waste reduction programs based on available documents and information from city
staff.
Existing Policies, Programs, and Infrastructure
Policies and Regulations
State Solid Waste Laws
The state of Washington has laws establishing extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs for
products such as electronics, medicine, and paint.2 These product stewardship laws require
producers to help fund and manage the end-of-life of their products. Washington’s EPR laws have
established free recycling or collection programs for the following products:
● Batteries, with statewide collection starting in 2027 (RCW 70A.555)3
● Electronics, specifically computers, monitors, TVs, e-readers and portable DVD players
(RCW 70A.500)4
● Medication (RCW 69.48)5
● Mercury-containing lights (RCW 70.275)6
● Paint (RCW 70A.515)7
● Solar panels (RCW 70A.510.010)8
Washington does not have EPR for packaging, but the following laws and bills reflect efforts to
adopt such legislation:
● Plastic Packaging Evaluation and Assessment Act (RCW 70A.520) – Directed the
Washington State Department of Ecology to study how plastic packaging is managed in
Washington, resulting in a series of reports published in 2020.9
2 State of Washington Department of Ecology. Our Recycling Programs. https://ecology.wa.gov/waste-
toxics/reducing-recycling-waste/our-recycling-programs (Accessed July 2024).
3 https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=70A.555&full=true
4 https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=70A.500
5 https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=69.48
6 https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/dispo.aspx?cite=70.275
7 https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=70A.515
8 https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=70A.510.010
9 https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=70A.520
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● The Washington State Recycling and Packaging (WRAP) Act (HB1131/SB5154) – This
legislation to adopt EPR for consumer packaging and paper products was introduced but
not passed by the state legislature during the 2023-2024 session. Legislative sponsors
report planning to re-introduce the bill during the 2025 session.10
Washington also has laws that limit or prohibit the following single-use products:
● Food serviceware and some expanded polystyrene, also called Styrofoam (SB 5022 – 2021-
2022)11
● Plastic carryout bags (RCW 70A.530)12
● Plastic foam docks and single-use toiletries (SHB 1085)13
New State Organics Management Laws
In 2022 and 2024, the state passed two laws to reduce the amount of methane produced from
organic materials decomposing in landfills. The laws are known as Organics Management Law 1.0
(House Bill 1799 – 2021-22) and Organics Management Law 2.0 (House Bill 2301 – 2023-24).14 The
laws require organic waste collection from residents and businesses in certain areas, establishes
new grants related to reducing food waste, requires some cities and counties to create compost
procurement ordinances, and standardizes compostable product labeling, among other things.
The laws will require businesses in Renton to separate their organics, phased in by the volume of
organics they generate per week:
● By January 1, 2024 – 8 cubic yards or more
● By January 1, 2025 – 4 cubic yards or more
● By January 1, 2026 – 96 gallons or more
Subsequently, the laws will also require following the customers in Renton to participate in
organics collection
● By January 1, 2027 – all single-family and commercial customers that generate more than
0.25 cubic yards of organics per week must be provided year-round organics collection.
● By April 1, 2030 – all single-family and commercial customers must be provided organics
collection. These customers cannot dispose of organics in the garbage.
Under these laws, the state will provide cities with a model ordinance that they can adopt to
establish a financial disincentive for organic waste disposal in landfills. The organics management
laws also require cities, including Renton, to annually report to the Department of Ecology on the
10 https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?billnumber=1131&year=2023
11 https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2021-22/Pdf/Bills/Session Laws/Senate/5022-S2.SL.pdf#page=1
12 https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=70A.530
13 https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2023-24/Pdf/Bills/Session Laws/House/1085-S.SL.pdf#page=1
14 https://apps.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?year=2022&billnumber=1799 and
https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=2301&Year=2023&Initiative=false
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city’s volume of collected organics and compost procurement activities beginning on March 31,
2025.
King County Policies
Renton has adopted King County’s 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, which
sets goals, policies, and recommended actions to achieve zero waste.15 Adopting that Plan
commits Renton to work toward the County’s targets by 2030, listed in Table 1 along with Renton’s
comparable metrics in December 2023.
Table 1. King County Waste Targets and Renton Metrics as of December 2023
Waste Goal
2030
Target
2023
Renton
Decrease residential generation per capita (pounds per week) 20.4 15.0
Decrease non-residential generation per employee (pounds per week) 42.2 NA*
Decrease residential garbage per capita (pounds per week) 5.1 7.0
Decrease non-residential garbage per employee (pounds per week) 4.1 13.5
Increase recovery rate 70% NA*
* Comparable metrics are not available because Renton does not have data on recycling and
organics collected by non-contracted waste collectors. King County’s non-residential waste
includes construction and demolition debris.
Supplementing King County’s Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, the Re+ Plan is King
County’s approach to keeping valuable materials out of the landfill and reducing climate impacts.16
The Re+ Plan includes actions on the following topics:
● Extended producer responsibility for packaging and paper products
● Grants for cities and organizations
● Statewide organics policy legislation
● Single-family organics collection
● Non-residential food waste recycling
● Mixed waste processing (a “last screen” for capturing recoverable materials from garbage)
● Community advisory panel implementation
● City/county collaboration
● Salvaged lumber
15 King County, 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, 2019. https://cdn.kingcounty.gov/-
/media/king-county/depts/dnrp/waste-services/garbage-recycling-compost/solid-waste-planning-
monitoring/comprehensive-solid-waste-management-plan/2019-comp-
plan.pdf?rev=50638e7e133e471890d46e9009df75dc&hash=F1B6056DD36B5739C569B5E8B40C9827.
16 King County, Re+ Strategic Plan, 2022. https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/waste-services/garbage-
recycling-compost/solid-waste-programs/re-plus
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In May 2023, the Renton City Council adopted Resolution 4496 authorizing the mayor to sign the
Re+ Pledge, expressing support of the Re+ Plan.
Mandatory Garbage Service
The city requires all customers to subscribe to garbage service through the city’s contracted waste
collector. Each customer is charged for at least the minimum level of service, and customers are
not allowed to self-haul the day-to-day garbage they generate to transfer stations (Renton
Municipal Code [RMC] 8-1).17 Other cities in King County that require all customers to subscribe to
garbage service are Auburn, Covington, Kent, and Kirkland.
Standards for Garbage and Recycling Collection Infrastructure
The city requires multifamily and commercial properties to dedicate a certain amount of space for
garbage and recycling collection (RMC 4-4-090).18 At commercial properties, the total building floor
area determines the minimum amount of space that must be allocated for garbage and recycling
collection:
Table 2. Minimum Area Requirements for Waste Storage at Commercial Properties
Development Type Minimum Area for Garbage
(Per 1,000 Square Feet)
Minimum Area for Recycling
(Per 1,000 Square Feet)
Office, Educational, and
Institutional
4 square feet 2 square feet
Manufacturing or Other
Nonresidential Development
6 square feet 3 square feet
Retail Development 10 square feet 5 square feet
The city also requires multifamily properties to provide at least one collection point for garbage and
recycling for every 30 units and encourages commercial and multifamily properties to co-locate
recycling with garbage collection to make recycling more convenient.
At multifamily properties, the city requires a minimum of 1.5 square feet for recycling and 3 square
feet for garbage per unit, but this space allocation is not adequate based on research in other
cities. A 2018 review of multifamily recycling code in King County found that storage space
allocated for recycling in high-recovery properties averaged 2.1 square feet per unit (compared to
17 https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Renton/#!/Renton08/Renton0801.html
18 https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Renton/#!/Renton04/Renton0404/Renton0404090.html
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Renton’s 1.5 square feet). Properties with high recovery rates had an average of nearly 6 square
feet per unit for storing all waste generated.19
Seattle has achieved higher multifamily recovery rates than Renton through a variety of policies.
These policies include requirements for residents to recycle and compost as well as requirements
for builders and property managers to provide adequate waste collection space. Seattle’s
municipal code requires a minimum area for shared storage space at residential developments
(Seattle Municipal Code [SMC] 23.54.040).20 The requirements are effectively higher than Renton’s
combined 4.5 square feet per unit, and are listed in Table 3. For example, a development in Seattle
with 8 dwelling units would be required to provide 10.5 square feet of space per unit, while a
development with 50 units would be required to provide 7 square feet.
Table 3. Minimum Area Requirements for Waste Storage at Multifamily Properties in Seattle
Residential Development Minimum Area for Shared Storage Space
2-8 dwelling units 84 square feet
9-15 dwelling units 150 square feet
16-25 dwelling units 225 square feet
26-50 dwelling units 375 square feet
51-100 dwelling units 375 square feet plus 4 square feet for each additional unit
above 50
More than 100 dwelling units
575 square feet plus 4 square feet for each additional unit
above 100, except as permitted in subsection SMC
23.54.040.C 21
19 Cascadia Consulting Group. Multifamily Recycling Code and Ordinance Research and Best Practice
Recommendations. 2018. High-recovery multifamily properties in this study were defined as those that had a
minimum of 50 percent of its solid waste collection service capacity dedicated to recycling or compost and
for which solid waste staff or the property manager reported good resident participation in available recycling
programs.
20
https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT23LAUSCO_SUBTITLE_IIILAUS
RE_CH23.54QUDESTACOREPASOWAST_23.54.040SOWAREMASTAC
21
https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT23LAUSCO_SUBTITLE_IIILAUS
RE_CH23.54QUDESTACOREPASOWAST_23.54.040SOWAREMASTAC
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Recycled Product Procurement Policy
In 1993, Renton adopted Ordinance 4408, establishing a recycled product procurement policy.22
This policy states that, whenever practical, the city shall use recycled products and require
contractors and consultants to do the same in fulfilling contractual obligations where possible. The
policy also allows Renton’s Solid Waste Utility (managed by staff of the city’s Sustainability and
Solid Waste Section) to establish a preferred price for any designated recycled product, if doing so
will significantly increase procurement of the product.
The city’s 2017-2027 waste collection contract with Republic Services requires the waste collector
to use certain levels of recycled content in its waste carts and billing statements. All garbage,
recyclables, and organics carts provided by Republic Services must be manufactured from a
minimum of 15% post-consumer recycled plastic. Customer bills must be printed on paper that is
at least 50% recycled content, of which at least 30% must be post-consumer recycled paper. The
waste collector, however, has not been able to meet this standard for recycled content in billing
statements.
Material Collection System
The City of Renton uses a sole-contractor system for waste collection. The city’s contracted waste
collector is the sole authorized collector for all garbage. Commercial customers, including
multifamily properties, may subscribe to recycling or organics services through the contracted
waste collector, or these customers may contract independently with other waste collection
companies. Residents and commercial customers must use the city’s contracted waste collector
for the regular collection of garbage; however, they may self-haul incidental or excess garbage to
King County’s transfer stations. Customers may not self-haul their regularly generated garbage in
lieu of participating in the city’s collection program.
Republic Services is the current waste collector and began serving Renton customers on February
1, 2017. The contract with Republic Services will sunset in 2027, but the city has the option to
extend it. The transition to Republic Services from the previous contracted waste collector, WM
(formerly called Waste Management), included the early assumption of approximately 5,000
customers in the Benson Hill annexation who were previously served by Republic Services under a
separate franchise agreement.
Republic Services delivers approximately 60% of garbage collected in Renton to the Renton
Transfer Station and the remaining 40% to the Bow Lake Recycling and Transfer Station (as of
2024). These facilities are owned and operated by King County. Recycling collected by Republic
Services is processed at their facility in Seattle. This recycling facility accepts common
recyclables—such as aluminum and steel cans; cardboard; mixed paper; and plastic cups, jugs,
and bottles—as well as small-to-medium pieces of scrap metal. Any non-recoverable material
22 City of Renton, Ordinance 4408: An Ordinance of the City of Renton, Washington, Adopting the Renton
Recycled Product Procurement Policy to Promote the Development of Markets for Recycled Products and
Recyclable Product,
https://edocs.rentonwa.gov/Documents/DocView.aspx?id=570823&dbid=1&repo=CityofRenton&cr=1
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remaining after processing is disposed of in King County’s Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, along with
all garbage collected in Renton. Renton’s organics program accepts food scraps, yard debris, food-
soiled paper, and compostable packaging. Collected organics are processed by Cedar Grove
Composting’s facility near Maple Valley (as of 2024).
Curbside Collection
In 1989, Renton started single-family curbside collection programs for source-separated
recyclables and yard waste. Renton was one of the first three cities in King County’s solid waste
system to start curbside recycling. In 1993, the city embedded recycling in multifamily waste
services, but collection was limited to no more than 200% of the garbage service level. Organics
carts also became available by subscription that year.
In 2009, the city made many changes to its collection programs. Renton became the first city in
King County to make every-other-week garbage collection the standard for single-family
customers. These customers have their garbage and recycling collected on alternating weeks and
their organic material collected weekly. Garbage, recycling, and organics collection occur on the
same regularly scheduled day of the week. Customers may also pay an additional fee to have their
garbage collected weekly. In 2009, single-family customers also transitioned to standardized
contractor-owned garbage carts—instead of assorted customer-owned cans—and commingled
recycling, where all recyclables are collected in one contractor-owned cart instead of three
stacked bins open to the elements. Food waste was incorporated into organics collection, and
unlimited recycling was embedded into commercial services. Multifamily recycling also expanded
to unlimited service for no extra cost. Now, all customers have unlimited recycling, but only single-
family customers have unlimited organics service.
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Since 2009, the contracted waste collector has been responsible for providing garbage, recycling,
and organics collection containers to all Renton customers. Collection containers are available in
the sizes listed in Table 4.
The city’s current contract with Republic Services requires the waste collector to provide
customers with color-coded containers. All recycling containers must be blue, but the colors for
garbage and organics containers depend on the customer type, as noted in Table 4. The colors for
single-family garbage and organics containers are not the regional standard, as stated in the state
Recycling Contamination Reduction and Outreach Plan (CROP).24 The CROP recommends gray or
black for garbage and green for organics.
23 The cities of Seattle and Milton do not send their garbage through King County’s waste system, so these
cities were not included in the comparison of garbage generated per single-family household.
24 Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Recycling Contamination Reduction and
Outreach Plan, 2020. https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/SummaryPages/2007021.html
Renton leads with every-other-week garbage collection
In 2007, the City of Renton piloted multiple collection models with the goal of increasing
recycling, improving air quality via emissions reduction, reducing collection impacts to
neighborhoods and city streets via a reduction in truck trips, and reducing costs associated with
collection. The pilot, which was conducted for five months, demonstrated that single-family
customers would accept and were satisfied with every-other-week collection of garbage and
recycling. During the pilot, the city observed no negative environmental or health impacts. In
addition, the study found that garbage quantities generated in every-other-week garbage pilot
areas significantly decreased from the previous year. Next steps included:
• Following the success of the pilot, the city fully implemented every-other-week garbage
collection for all single-family residents in 2009.
• By 2013, Renton’s garbage disposal per household dropped by 23%, compared to an 8%
drop for residents in other cities in King County.
• In 2023, King County reported that Renton single-family households generated the least
garbage per household in the county at 17.5 pounds per week.23
• Every-other-week garbage collection—for which the City of Renton was one of the leaders—
is now widely considered a best management practice.
• As of 2024, Renton remains the only city in King County to have adopted the every-other-
week schedule.
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Table 4. Collection Container Sizes and Colors
Stream
Single-family
Container Size Color
Multifamily and Commercial
Container Size Color
Garbage 20-, 32-, 45-, 64-, and
96-gallon carts Green
20-, 32-, 45-, 64-, and 96-gallon carts
or
1-8 cubic yard dumpsters or 10-40
cubic yard drop boxes
Green
or
Gray
Recycling 32-, 64-, or 96-gallon
carts Blue 32-, 64-, or 96-gallon carts or 1-8 cubic
yard dumpsters Blue
Organics 32-, 64-, or 96-gallon
carts Gray 13-, 32-, or 64-gallon carts
Gray
or
Green
“Clean Sweep” Extra Garbage Collection
The city’s contract with Republic Services allows each single-family customer to schedule one
annual curbside collection of extra garbage at no extra cost. Customers may set out up to 1.5 cubic
yards of garbage and two non-appliance bulky items such as mattresses, sofas, and chairs. To
schedule the pickup, customers contact Republic Services. This service is funded through
customer rates. Because all items accepted through this program go to the landfill, the city highly
encourages customers to use this program for broken or otherwise unusable items that cannot be
donated, recycled, or sold.
Fee-based Bulky Item Collection
On-call collection of large appliances and bulky waste is available to all customers for a fee.
Republic Services must recycle all large appliances collected and make an effort to recycle all
other material collected. Rates for this service range from $83.29 to $99.60 per item, depending on
what is collected.
Self-Haul Waste Options
Residents and commercial customers may self-haul incidental waste to any King County transfer
station. The Renton Transfer Station is the nearest station for most Renton customers.25 Self-
hauling is used by residents and commercial customers for occasional cleanup activities or to
dispose of occasional excess volumes of material. Self-hauling of regular garbage may not be used
in lieu of the city’s mandatory garbage collection program.
25 According to Renton city staff, the Renton Transfer Station may be redeveloped into another type of solid
waste facility in the future.
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Specialized Material Collection Programs
Special Collection Events for Non-Standard Recyclables
For over 25 years, the city has organized special collection events for recyclable materials not
typically collected through its curbside program (Figure 1). Some of the materials collected over
the years through these events include concrete, textiles, tires, and used motor oil. The events are
funded through King County's Waste Reduction and Recycling Grant, so recycling most items
through these events is free to customers, although the city charges $30 per mattress and box
spring. Recycling events are limited to King County residents. Private contractors may not drop off
items at the collection events.
Figure 1. Appliances from May 2024 Special Collection Event
The city historically hosted these events twice per year (spring and fall) but has offered three
smaller-scale events per year since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Of the 27 material
types that the city has historically collected, only 8 are now collected: automotive tires, bubble
wrap, cardboard, mattresses and box springs, paper for shredding, expanded polystyrene peanuts
and blocks (Styrofoam), scrap metal, and donated food. Two to three material types are now
collected at each event. The following items are no longer accepted: appliances with refrigerants,
batteries (alkaline, automotive, and NiCad), bicycles, bulky yard waste, clean wood, concrete,
hazardous waste (fluorescent lights, used motor oil, used antifreeze, and used oil filters),
household goods and textiles, plastic bags, plastic containers, plastic plant pots, phones, and
porcelain. At the June 2024 event, the city partnered with the Furniture Repair Bank to collect 75
pieces of damaged furniture for refurbishment and donation to families in need, and the city plans
to continue partnering with the Furniture Repair Bank at future collection events.
Between 1997 and 2024, Renton’s recycling events collected 4,115 tons of material from over
25,980 participating vehicles. In 2024, the city’s three collection events received 24.2 tons of
material (not including donated food) from 906 vehicles.
“Reuse it! Renton Stop & Swap” Event
From 2005 to 2019, the city organized an annual material reuse event for residents. During the one-
day event, known as Stop & Swap, residents would drop off and pick up reusable household items
for free (Figure 2). City staff managed the event with support from volunteers and staff from the
city’s waste collector. Staff and volunteers organized items by type and placed them out for
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residents to take freely, while higher value items were given away through a no-fee lottery.
Examples of items donated and taken home by residents include books, electronics, furniture,
small appliances, toys, and yard and garden tools. Stop & Swap accepted most items that were
reusable and in good condition except for appliances with refrigerants, computers, mattresses and
box springs, TVs, and windows.
Figure 2. Residents Browsing Items at Stop & Swap
From 2005 to 2019, at least 6,475 people attended Stop & Swap. Each year, attendance ranged
from 400 to 450 people. While data on the quantity of material donated and reclaimed through Stop
& Swap is not available, the city tracked the amount of material remaining at the end of each event,
which ranged from 1.27 to 3.95 tons. At the end of the 2019 event, two 30-cubic-yard roll-off
containers of unclaimed material were collected for disposal.26
The final Stop & Swap event was held in 2019. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19
pandemic. The city has stopped hosting these reuse events because strong reuse networks are
now available to residents (such as Facebook’s Buy Nothing groups, Facebook Marketplace, Offer
Up, and Craigslist) and most unclaimed materials at the end of the events were landfilled.
Separately, King County has held five repair events in Renton (two in 2016 and one each in 2017,
2018, and 2023).27
Battery Recycling
In 2013, the city implemented a battery recycling program for city employees and the public. Public
collection sites for batteries include the city hall lobby, the Renton Community Center, and the
Don Persson Renton Senior Activity Center. City staff also collect batteries used in city operations
at several other city hall locations and at the city’s maintenance shops. The battery recycling
26 City of Renton, 2019 Waste Reduction and Recycling Grant Report.
27 King County Solid Waste Division, “Repair Events” https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/dnrp/solid-
waste/programs/ecoconsumer/repair-events.aspx (accessed April 2024).
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program accepts alkaline, carbon zinc, lithium, and rechargeable batteries.28 The program is
funded through a grant from King County's Hazardous Waste Management Program. From 2013 to
2024, the city collected 5,653 pounds of batteries from these sites, with 585 pounds collected in
2024 alone.29
Single-family customers can also recycle their alkaline, button, and rechargeable batteries for no
extra cost if the batteries are placed in clear sealed bags next to their curbside recycling carts.
Curbside Recycling of Non-Standard Recyclables
In addition to batteries, single-family customers can have other non-standard recyclables
collected by Republic Services for no extra cost. On their regularly scheduled collection day,
single-family customers may place fluorescent bulbs and tubes near their recycling carts. These
customers may also contact Republic Services to schedule the curbside collection of large scrap
metal, rigid plastics, small household appliances, and untreated wood waste on their regular
collection days.
Customer Education, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Programs
Multifamily Customers
As of September 2024, Renton had 395 multifamily properties encompassing 19,401 households.30
Past and current waste collection contracts require outreach to these customers. In 2014, WM (the
city’s former waste collector) reported visiting all multifamily properties to update property
managers and staff on the free recycling education resources available to them.31 As part of this
effort, WM distributed fliers and recycling guides. WM’s education team also conducted door-to-
door outreach to over 1,200 multifamily units, directly engaging residents and answering questions
about recycling and waste prevention. In 2016, WM reported reaching out to all Renton multifamily
properties, a total of 453, by phone.32 Customers were notified of embedded recycling services and
offered printed or emailed educational materials.
Republic Services is currently required to contact the property manager or owner of each
multifamily property every year to encourage recycling participation and provide information about
the educational resources available to them and their residents (such as fliers, technical
assistance, and door-to-door outreach). The waste collector can contact multifamily properties by
phone or through site visits. From 2017 to 2020, Republic Services reported that staff:
28 City of Renton, 2013 LHWMP Grant Report.
29 Per RCW 70A.555, battery producers must create a statewide collection system for portable batteries by
2027.
30 Office of Financial Management, 2023 Estimate Review Worksheet: Jurisdiction: Renton County: King.
31 WM, Annual Report to the City of Renton, 2014.
32 WM, Annual Report to the City of Renton, 2016.
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● 2017: Engaged 77 properties with 64 site visits and meetings with property managers,
conducted one outreach event for residents, made five calls to property managers, sent one
email to property managers, and left 17 voicemails.
● 2018: Engaged eight properties with nine site visits and one tabling event.
● 2019: Engaged 32 properties with 13 site visits, made ten calls to property managers, sent
two emails to property managers (one with educational materials attached), and left five
voicemails.
● 2020: Engaged 65 properties with 49 site visits, made 18 calls to property managers, sent
one email with a flier attached, and left 14 voicemails.
Republic Service did not report any multifamily engagement in 2021, 2022, or 2023. In 2024,
Republic Services reported calling seven multifamily properties (as of September 2024).
2018 Outreach Pilot
To provide additional support to multifamily customers, the city conducted a recycling
improvement pilot in 2018 with 14 multifamily properties. The goals were to test different outreach
strategies and increase the volume and quality of recyclables generated by multifamily properties.
The city developed the following tools for the project:
● Website for property managers
● Printed waste sorting guides for residents
● Printed move in/move out guides about how to manage waste generated when moving
● Multilingual dumpster labels
● Multilingual signs to post near exterior waste containers and interior containers in common
areas such as laundry rooms
The pilot also tested three outreach strategies:
● Just technical assistance with improving on-site waste infrastructure
● Technical assistance plus slotted lids on recycling dumpsters
● Technical assistance plus door-to-door outreach where tote bags for storing and
transporting recyclables were delivered
To measure the effectiveness of the outreach strategies, consultants conducted monthly visual
audits of waste containers at each pilot site and measured waste generation, recycling
contamination, and garbage recoverability rates (how much of the garbage could have been
recycled or composted). None of the three outreach strategies clearly stood above the rest, but the
door-to-door strategy appeared to have had the most impact, as all properties receiving this type of
assistance experienced the largest decrease in garbage generation (9.3 gallons per week), largest
increase in recycling generation (5.8 more gallons of recyclables per unit per week), and largest
increase in recycling rate (11.5 percentage points).33 At participating properties, the service level
changes also increased overall recycling capacity by 53.76 cubic yards per week, decreased
33 City of Renton Solid Waste Utility, Multifamily Recycling Improvement Pilot, 2019, unpublished draft.
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overall garbage service capacity by 17 cubic yards per week, and decreased customer bills by
$16,813.92 per year.34
In 2019, the city developed new multilingual recycling guides and signs, but staffing changes and
the COVID-19 pandemic halted outreach.
Commercial Customers
As of September 2024, Renton had 1,369 commercial customers.35 Past and current waste
collection contracts require outreach to these customers. In 2014, WM reported calling all
commercial customers in Renton to follow up on a 2013 door-to-door campaign and provide
information about the free recycling education resources available to them, such as fliers, service
level audits, and employee trainings.36 Calls resulted in 19 site visits and waste audits, distribution
of 54 educational fliers and 35 recycling guides, and 30 emails with electronic versions of
educational fliers.
In 2016, WM reported contacting 1,148 commercial customers by phone to provide updates on
embedded recycling services and to offer in-person recycling presentations and waste audits.37
WM also provided printed and electronic educational materials.
The city’s 2017-2027 contract with Republic Services requires that the waste collector contact
each commercial customer every two years to encourage recycling participation and provide
information about the educational resources available to them. The waste collector can contact
these properties by phone or through site visits. Commercial outreach activities reported by
Republic Services include:
● 2017: Conducted 1 site visit to relabel recycling dumpsters at Boeing.
● 2020: Engaged with 457 customers by sending 81 fliers and making 972 phone calls (354 of
the calls went to voicemail, had no answer, or were for a wrong or disconnected number).
Republic Services did not report any commercial engagement in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, or
2024 (as of September 2024).
Grant-Funded Commercial Technical Assistance
In 2024, the city started to provide tailored recycling and organics technical assistance to
commercial customers. Outreach prioritizes businesses that serve, are staffed by, or are owned by
Spanish and Vietnamese speakers. The technical assistance includes right-sizing waste service
levels; educating staff in English, Spanish, or Vietnamese about sorting recyclables and organics
properly; providing additional interior recycling or organics containers; and posting multilingual
34 City of Renton Solid Waste Utility, Multifamily Recycling Improvement Pilot, 2019. Unpublished draft.
35 Note: commercial customers are non-residential customers such as businesses, governmental agencies,
non-profits, schools, and places of worship.
36 WM, Annual Report to the City of Renton, 2014.
37 WM, Annual Report to the City of Renton, 2016.
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signs near interior and exterior waste containers. The program is funded by grants from King County
and the Department of Ecology. As of November 2024, 138 commercial customers were visited and
offered technical assistance, and 43 customers have initiated assistance.
Other Public Education Campaigns
The city has led several other waste-related public education campaigns, including:
● Natural yard care classes from 2001 to 2016, 2020-2022, and in 2024
● School workshops from the mid-1990s through 2008
● An environmental film series in 2016 and 2017
● A "Bring Your Own Bag ” campaign in 2018 to encourage people to bring reusable bags when
shopping
For details on these programs, see “Appendix B: Waste Prevention Public Education Campaigns”
on page 96.
Funding Mechanisms and Financial Incentives
Funding Mechanisms
Solid Waste Rates
Curbside collection in Renton is funded through customer retail rates set by the city. The city’s
Solid Waste Utility, managed by staff at the Sustainability and Solid Waste Section, is an enterprise
fund that supports itself through retail rates billed to customers and any grant funds received. The
contracted waste collector’s wholesale rates, which are invoiced to the city, are established in the
collection contract. Every other year, the city adopts retail customer rates. These rates include the
costs of collection (the waste collector’s wholesale rates), garbage disposal, state and city taxes,
Hazardous Waste Management Program fees, administrative and maintenance costs for the city’s
solid waste programs, and the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index.
King County Grant Funding
The city’s education and special collection programs have historically been funded with grants
from the King County Solid Waste Division and King County Hazardous Waste Management
Program. These grants are partially funded by the Department of Ecology. Grant funding from the
following programs varies from year to year for a variety of factors.
• King County Solid Waste Division provides Waste Reduction & Recycling (WRR) grants to
cities that have adopted the county’s comprehensive solid waste management plan. These
grants fund programs that develop, implement, and enhance waste prevention and recovery, in
alignment with the county’s solid waste plan. Renton has used WRR grants to fund its annual
special collection events, Stop & Swap, and periodic public education efforts on waste
prevention and recovery. Starting in 2023, King County began to offer cities competitive grant
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funding through its Re+ city grant program. The city was awarded one of the inaugural Re+
grants and intends to seek further funds through this program, as available.
• King County’s Hazardous Waste Management Program (HWMP) provides grants to cities and
tribes in King County for hazardous waste collection and education events. Projects using this
funding must align with HWMP priorities. Renton uses HWMP grants to fund the annual special
collection events, the in-house battery recycling program, and periodic public education on
how to manage and dispose of household hazardous waste.
In 2023, Renton was also awarded funding from the Department of Ecology’s Local Solid Waste
Financial Assistance (LSWFA) program. These funds are being used to support tailored recycling
and organics technical assistance to commercial customers through 2025.
Financial Incentives
Embedded Recycling and Organics Collection
The city does not require customers to subscribe to recycling or organics services, but these
services are incentivized through customer retail rates. The city’s primary incentive for single-
family waste reduction is through embedding the cost of recycling and organics into the cost of
garbage service. Single-family customers may also set out unlimited amounts of recycling and
organics at no extra cost, which further incentivizes these customers to divert recyclables and
organics from their garbage.
The cost of recycling is also embedded into garbage rates for multifamily and commercial
customers. Like single-family customers, multifamily and commercial customers are also able to
divert unlimited amounts of recycling without paying more. Multifamily and commercial customers
who subscribe to cart-based service may request a 13-gallon organics cart serviced weekly for no
additional fee, but any additional organics collection requires them to pay. These customers may
also use either the contracted waste collector or other waste collectors, such as Cedar Grove
Composting, for organics collection for additional fees.38
The state’s new organics management laws passed in 2022 and 2024 require an increase in the
quantity and quality of organics collected.39 By April 1, 2030, all customers must have organics
service. By January 1, 2025, the state will provide optional model ordinances that cities and
counties can adopt to establish a financial disincentive for organic waste disposal in landfills.
38 City of Renton, Organics Collection.
https://rentonwa.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=7922741&pageId=13063916 (Accessed June 2018).
39 State of Washington Department of Ecology. Organics Management Law. https://ecology.wa.gov/waste-
toxics/reducing-recycling-waste/organics-and-food-waste/2022-organics-management-law (Accessed
August 2024).
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Variable Rate Structure
The City of Renton has a variable rate structure for waste collection. The customer rate varies
according to a customer’s garbage container size and collection frequency. The customer rate
increases with the volume and frequency of garbage service. Customers who want large or
frequently collected garbage containers pay higher rates for service, while customers with smaller
garbage containers serviced less frequently pay less, as shown in Table 5. This rate structure
applies to all customers, but the actual rates vary substantially by sector (single-family,
multifamily, and commercial). This rate model, commonly known as pay-as-you-throw,
incentivizes customers to generate less garbage and separate their recyclables and organics.
Table 5. 2025 Commercial Customer Rates for Non-Compacted 1 to 2 Cubic Yard Containers
2025 Rate Monthly
1 cubic yard, 1 pickup/week $139.33
1 cubic yard, 2 pickups/week $261.64
1 cubic yard, 3 pickups/week $384.02
1 cubic yard, 4 pickups/week $506.33
1 cubic yard, 5 pickups/week $628.67
1.5 cubic yards, 1 pickup/week $190.98
1.5 cubic yards, 2 pickups/week $365.00
1.5 cubic yards, 3 pickups/week $538.99
1.5 cubic yards, 4 pickups/week $713.00
1.5 cubic yards, 5 pickups/week $886.98
2 cubic yards, 1 pickup/week $240.78
2 cubic yards, 2 pickups/week $464.56
2 cubic yards, 3 pickups/week $688.35
2 cubic yards, 4 pickups/week $912.13
2 cubic yards, 5 pickups/week $1,135.93
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Current Successes and Future Opportunities
Renton’s current waste system has both strengths to build on and opportunities to improve. The
strengths of Renton’s current waste system include:
• Wide access to recycling and organics collection services for all customers. For no extra
cost, unlimited recycling service is available to all customers, and unlimited organics service is
available to all single-family customers. Multifamily and commercial customers subscribing to
cart-based garbage service have up to 13 gallons of weekly organics service provided for no
extra cost, and multifamily and commercial customers with larger garbage containers may
subscribe to organics service for an additional fee. In 2023, Renton’s residential waste
generation per capita was 15.0 pounds per week, which is better than King County’s target of
decreasing residential waste generation per capita to 20.4 pounds per week by 2030.
• Curbside collection of bulky waste and non-standard recyclable material. Single-family
customers can have batteries, fluorescent lights, large scrap metal, rigid plastics, small
household appliances, and wood waste collected from the curb for no extra cost. Large
appliances and bulky items can be collected for a fee. These collection options help residents
recycle more materials and offer disposal options for customers who cannot self-haul their
bulky waste to a transfer station.
• Every-other-week garbage collection for single-family customers. This practice has been
shown to promote participation in recycling and organics collection services and to reduce
overall waste generation.
• Engaged single-family residents who recycle and separate organics at high rates while
producing relatively small quantities of garbage. Single-family residents in Renton achieved
a waste recovery rate of 65% in 2023, which is close to the county target of 70% by 2030.40 In
2023, King County reported that Renton single-family households generated the least garbage
per household in the county at 17.5 pounds per household per week.
• A contracting system that allows the city to define key desired program elements, such as
contamination monitoring, customer outreach, and technical assistance.
Opportunities to increase waste prevention and recovery include:
• Identifying and implementing more sustainable funding sources for waste prevention and
recycling education programs. While the waste collection contract enables the city to include
provisions for customer education through its waste collector, the city currently relies almost
entirely on grant funding for its recycling and waste prevention programs, such as outreach to
commercial customers, recycling collection events, and hazardous waste education for the
public. To secure sustainable funding for more robust waste prevention and recycling
40 Republic Services, City of Renton Annual Report, 2023.
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programs, the city could choose to develop customer rate scenarios that provide more waste
prevention and recycling funding.
• Implementing dedicated efforts to increase multifamily and commercial recycling.
Achieving high recovery rates among multifamily and commercial customers is a common
challenge for jurisdictions in King County and elsewhere. The recovery rates for the multifamily
and commercial sectors are significantly lower than those of single-family residents in Renton.
Furthermore, Renton’s multifamily housing stock is increasing rapidly, so the multifamily
sector will generate greater amounts of waste.
• Promoting the use of reusable products to decrease the use of single-use items. To save
resources, lower environmental impacts, and decrease costs associated with managing single-
use items, the city can promote the use of reusables within residential and business
communities.
• Harmonizing garbage and organics container colors. While recycling containers are
consistently blue in Renton, the inconsistent color-coding for garbage and organics containers
may make the system more confusing to users and may contribute to contamination of the
waste streams.
• Reviewing and updating building and waste codes to require adequate building space for and
convenient access to recycling and organics containers, subscription to adequate recycling
and organics collection service, and appropriate container signage. Code updates should
include clear definitions and may require provisions and funding for monitoring and
enforcement.
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Best Management Practices Assessment
The following section assesses Renton’s waste programs against the best zero waste practices for
cities. Table 6 illustrate which of these zero waste practices Renton has in place. Practices already
used by the city, some with opportunities for improvement, are noted in the tables. The best
practices that the city has yet to fully implement are addressed in fuller detail in the “Goals and
Strategies” section of this Plan on page 59.
Table 6. Meaning of Icons Used in Best Practices Assessment
Icon Meaning
In use by City of Renton
In use, but with room for improvement
Not currently in use
MF Multifamily
SF Single-Family
Comm Commercial
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Policies
Policies: Practice In use? Sector Notes
Require customers to subscribe to garbage
collection service All Garbage subscription is mandatory. Requiring all customers to
subscribe to garbage service through the city’s contracted waste
collector decreases service costs for customers and provides
sustainable funding for the city’s waste programs.
Implement every-other-week garbage
collection SF Single-family garbage collection has been every-other-week
since 2009.
Require customers to subscribe to
recycling and organics All Single-family and commercial customers will be required to
subscribe to organics service by 2030, per the state’s Organics
Management Law.
Ban the disposal of highly recoverable
materials All King County has a disposal ban on yard waste in curbside
garbage. By 2030, single-family and commercial customers will
not be able to dispose of any organic materials in the garbage,
per the state’s Organics Management Law. Individuals who use
the Renton Transfer Station are prohibited from disposing of
cardboard as garbage.
Require commercial and multifamily
properties to have sufficient recycling
collection infrastructure
MF,
Comm
Renton’s building code requires some space dedicated to
recycling collection (see “Standards for Garbage and Recycling
Collection Infrastructure” on page 10), but this space is not
always sufficient for the quantity of recycling generated.
Require commercial and multifamily
properties to have sufficient organics
collection infrastructure
MF,
Comm
Renton’s building code does not require these properties to
dedicate any space to organics collection.
Require recycling and organics collection
at city-sponsored events Comm The city’s waste collector must provide recycling and organics
collection at all city-sponsored events and request city
permission to provide garbage-only service at them. Currently,
organics collection is provided only to vendors at the city-
sponsored farmers market and annual Renton River Days festival.
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Collection System
Collection System: Practice In use? Sector Notes
Provide universal access to recycling
service All All customers have unlimited recycling.
Provide universal access to organics
service All All customers may subscribe to organics service. The cost of
service is embedded for single-family customers and cart-based
multifamily and commercial customers.
Standardize collection container colors
and labeling All All recycling containers in Renton are blue. Color-coding
requirements for garbage and organics vary between customer
sectors and container types. See “Curbside Collection” on page
13.
Provide drop-off or collection
opportunities for non-standard recyclables All See “Specialized Material Collection Programs” on page 16.
Recycle non-standard recyclables
collected curbside All The city’s waste collector must recycle all collected large metal
appliances.
Policies: Practice In use? Sector Notes
Require contracted waste collector to use
recycled content All The city requires the waste collector to use recycled content in its
billing statements and waste carts, but other cities, such as
Bellevue, require 100% recycled content for billing statements.
Waste carts made of 100% recycled content are on the market
and have the same warranties as carts made from virgin plastic.
Promote product stewardship All The Renton City Council has supported state product
stewardship policies.
Implement a sustainable purchasing policy SF, MF The city has a sustainable purchasing policy (see “Recycled
Product Procurement Policy” on page 12), but it should be
reviewed and enhanced.
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Collection System: Practice In use? Sector Notes
Provide extensive public-space recycling
using clearly labeled, color-coded
containers co-located with garbage
containers
Public Recycling is offered at public city facilities such as the Renton
Community Center. Past attempts at outdoor public-space
recycling have been unsuccessful due to high levels of
contamination.
Waste Reduction and Reuse
Waste Reduction and Reuse: Practice In use? Sector Notes
Organize and host reuse/material
exchange events SF, MF See ‘“Reuse it! Renton Stop & Swap” Event’ on page 16.
Create, promote, and/or participate in
online forums for material exchange All There are several online material exchange forums that cities
and/or their customers can participate in.
Promote reusable serviceware in public
and commercial settings Comm Other cities in King County have developed campaigns or policies
to promote reuse, such as the “Bring Your Own Cup” campaign
led by Bellevue, Bothell, Kirkland, and Redmond.
Customer Education and Outreach
Customer Education and Outreach:
Practice
In use? Sector Notes
Educate customers on proper waste and
recycling sorting All The city is working on a campaign to reduce contamination in
single-family recycling carts. The current waste collector can
provide multilingual recycling guides to residents in up to ten
languages upon request. See “Appendix B: Waste Prevention
Public Education Campaigns” on page 96, for details on past
education campaigns.
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Customer Education and Outreach:
Practice
In use? Sector Notes
Educate customers on specific waste
prevention and reuse topics (e.g., food
waste, home composting, toxics reduction,
textiles donation, etc.)
SF, MF The city has an active campaign to support safe practices for
managing used motor oil and filters and to reduce the use of toxic
cleaners in multifamily households. The city developed a move-
in/move-out brochure for multifamily property managers. See
“Appendix B: Waste Prevention Public Education Campaigns” on
page 96 for details on past education campaigns.
Recruit resident champions to promote
recycling in their communities and
volunteer for local events (e.g., Master
Recycler/Composter programs)
SF, MF From 2018-2019, the city interviewed community waste
prevention leaders and published profiles of them in the Solid
Waste Utility’s newsletter and through social media.
Provide commercial technical assistance Comm See “Commercial Customers” on page 20.
Provide multifamily technical assistance MF See “Multifamily Customers” on page 18.
Provide youth education on waste
prevention, recycling, and composting SF, MF The city has conducted workshops for elementary school
students on managing household hazardous waste in the past
(see “Appendix B: Waste Prevention Public Education
Campaigns” on page 96). Currently, the city relies on King
County’s Green School program for youth education.
Customer Incentives and Rates
Customer Incentives and Rates: Practice In use? Sector Notes
Implement pay-as-you-throw rates All See “Variable Rate Structure” on page 23.
Embed cost of recycling service in garbage
collection All See “Embedded Recycling and Organics Collection” on page 22.
Embed cost of organics service in garbage
collection All See “Embedded Recycling and Organics Collection” on page 22.
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Customer Incentives and Rates: Practice In use? Sector Notes
Develop and implement customer award
and recognition programs All Past Solid Waste Utility newsletters have featured recycling
success stories of Renton businesses. From 2018-2019, the city
interviewed community waste prevention leaders and published
profiles of them in the Solid Waste Utility’s newsletter and
through social media.
Provide free or low-cost recycling and
organics collection for privately organized
events
Comm The city’s waste collector must offer recycling and organics
collection, bundled with garbage service at set rates, to
organizations hosting special events. Organizations must request
city permission to provide garbage-only service at events.
Actions for addressing the gaps identified above between best practices and Renton’s current waste programs are addressed in the
“Goals and Strategies” section of this Plan on page 59.
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Waste Generation in Renton
Overview
An effective zero waste plan relies on a thorough understanding of a jurisdiction’s current and
historic waste streams, so Cascadia performed an in-depth review of Renton’s waste collection
data. This analysis highlights historic trends in the recovery and waste generation rates by sector to
connect trends to past innovations in Renton’s waste programs, policies, and infrastructure. This
section also analyzes current disposal data to identify key streams and sectors to focus on during
future strategy development. Finally, this section uses estimates of Renton’s population and
employment growth to develop 15-year projections if the status quo is maintained.
The analysis examined tonnage data from 2002 to 2023 for garbage, recycling, and organics in
Renton’s single-family, multifamily, and commercial sectors. Because there are no
Renton-specific waste characterization data, waste composition data in this section are based on
the most recent characterization studies completed for King County.41 Tonnage data are also not
available for materials collected by non-contracted waste collectors, so commercial sector
recycling and organics quantities underestimate the true total produced by Renton.
Key Terms
In this section, three distinct but interrelated measurements are used to examine how well Renton
recycles:
● Capture rate: This measures how much recyclable or compostable material is put in the
right container. The rate is calculated by dividing the tons of recyclable and compostable
material collected for recycling or organics (excluding contamination) by the tons of all
recyclable and compostable materials placed in any waste container.
● Recovery rate: This measures how much material is placed in recycling and organics
containers. The rate is calculated by dividing the tons of any material collected for recycling
and organics by the tons of all waste collected.
● Recoverability Potential: This describes how much recyclable or compostable material
could be captured if it were placed in the right container. The potential is calculated by
dividing the tons of recyclable or compostable material placed in the garbage container by
the tons of all materials collected as garbage.
41 King County Solid Waste Division, 2022 Report: Waste Characterization and Customer Survey; 2020
Report: Materials Recovery Facility Assessment: Recyclables Characterization; and 2022 Report: Organics
Characterization available at https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/waste-services/garbage-recycling-
compost/solid-waste-planning-monitoring/solid-waste-monitoring
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Key Findings
Data Availability and Quality
The data available for analysis has some important limitations. The significant disruptions of
the COVID-19 pandemic mean that data from 2020 and 2021 are generally anomalous and must be
removed for trend analysis. Two other weaknesses are more avoidable and could be improved
going forward. First, there is a notable data break in 2017, when Renton’s waste collection contract
switched from WM to Republic Services. It is likely that these waste collectors use different
definitions of single-family versus multifamily or used different ways to estimate the proportion of
waste came from multifamily customers on routes that collect from both multifamily and
commercial customers. Second, only the city-contracted waste collector provides tonnage data,
meaning that significant waste tonnages that are collected by private waste collectors are missing
from the analysis.
Recovery Rates
For all waste collected through Renton’s waste collection contract, 37% of waste in 2023 was
collected for recovery (recycling or organics), up from 24% in 2002. However, this recovery rate
is likely underestimated as it does not include recycling or organics from multifamily and
commercial customers that were collected by non-city contracted waste collectors. All curbside
waste from single-family customers is collected by the contracted waste collector, and this
sector’s recovery rate was 65% in 2023.
Capture Rates
Renton captured 49% of all recyclable and compostable materials collected through city-
contracted collection, ranging from 74% for single-family customers to 22% and 23% for
multifamily and commercial customers.
Recoverability Potential: Lost Recoverables
In 2023, an estimated 54% of material disposed of in the garbage could have been recovered.
Combined, curbside recyclable materials made up 23% of the city’s garbage. Food and
compostable paper are the largest opportunity for recovery (22% of garbage). Comprehensive
historic data are not available, but for single-family residents alone in 2017, approximately half
(51%) of their garbage could have been recovered, compared to 57% in 2023.
Residential Total Annual Tons and Pounds per Capita
Compared to 2002, total residential tons in 2023 were nearly double (up from 22,797 tons), but
per-capita generation decreased slightly (down from 2.27 pounds per person per day). In 2023,
Renton’s single-family and multifamily residents generated 42,100 tons of waste, or approximately
2.15 pounds per person per day.
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Commercial Total Annual Tons and Pounds per Capita
Compared to 2002, commercial tons in 2023 decreased slightly (down from 32,632 tons), and
per-capita generation decreased by one-third (down from 3.42 pounds per employee per day).
In 2023, Renton’s waste collector picked up 30,847 tons of waste from the commercial sector, or
approximately 2.27 pounds per employee per day.
Projected Growth
Residential waste tons are projected to increase to approximately 52,500 in 2040, when
applying average per-capita generation rates for the past five years (excluding two COVID-19
pandemic years that were anomalies) to the projected population growth of 26%. Similarly, based
on projected employment growth of 33%, commercial waste tons collected through the city’s
contract are projected to increase to over 48,000 tons in 2040.
Current and Historic Trends
This section presents Renton’s current and historic waste trends, overall and by sector (single-
family, multifamily, and commercial). The section concludes with a 15-year projection of the city’s
single-family, multifamily, and commercial waste generation under assumed population growth
and no system changes.
Overall Trends
Current recycling and organics recovery rates were estimated based on information reported from
Renton’s contracted waste collector and waste characterization studies conducted on behalf of
King County. This recovery rate underreports Renton’s true levels of waste generation and recovery
as the rate only includes standard garbage, recycling, and organics collected by the city’s
contracted waste collector. The 37% recovery rate excludes:
● Recycling and organics collected from multifamily and commercial customers by non-
contracted private waste collectors such as Cedar Grove Composting and Seadrunar
Recycling.
● Garbage, recycling, and organics that Renton customers self-hauled to transfer stations.
● Recyclables collected at city-sponsored special recycling collection events.
● Batteries and polystyrene collected by the city.
● Bulky waste, large appliances, and recyclables that the contracted waste collector
collected from single-family customers but that are not processed at the waste collector’s
recycling facility (such as batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, and small appliances). For
instance, in 2023, 478 single-family customers requested garbage bag pick up and 1,077
customers requested bulky waste pick-up through Renton’s Clean Sweep program.
● Specialty streams such as hazardous waste, industrial and automotive metal recycling, or
construction debris.
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Customer data for commercial and multifamily organics illustrate how some of the city’s waste
generation and recovery data are underreported. In 2023, the city’s waste collector reported an
average of 58 commercial and 26 multifamily organics customers for the year, for a total of 84
customers. Cedar Grove, a private organics waste collector, reported to the city that it had 104
organics customers in Renton in 2023, meaning that at least 55% of all organics produced by
Renton’s commercial and multifamily sectors is not accounted for in the city’s overall recovery
rate.
Total Annual Tons and Recovery Rate
In 2023, 27,248 tons of material were placed in recycling or organics containers provided by the
contracted waste collector, while 45,699 tons of material were placed in the contracted waste
collector’s garbage containers, for a citywide recovery rate of 37%. Figure 3 shows the city’s 2023
waste generation and recovery rates by sector based on data from the waste collector’s monthly
reports. The reported recovery rates and tonnages varied significantly by sector.42
● 65% for the single-family sector (20,951 tons of recycling and organics recovered).
● 15% for the multifamily sector (1,544 tons of recycling and organics recovered).
● 15% for the commercial sector (4,753 tons of recycling and organics recovered).
This rate underestimates citywide commercial recovery because it does not include
privately collected materials. Based on recent waste composition studies, King
County’s commercially collected recovery rate, which includes privately collected
materials, was 41% in 2022. 43
42 Another way to compare recovery rates across sectors, though not considered here, is to remove organics
from the comparison, since multifamily and commercial customers do not generate yard waste the same
way that single-family customers do and typically generate much less organic waste.
43 King County Solid Waste Division, 2022 Report: Waste Characterization and Customer Survey; 2020
Report: Materials Recovery Facility Assessment: Recyclables Characterization; and 2022 Report: Organics
Characterization available at https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/waste-services/garbage-recycling-
compost/solid-waste-planning-monitoring/solid-waste-monitoring
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Figure 3. 2023 Waste Tons by Sector and Collection Stream
In comparison to Seattle, Renton’s recovery rates are lower. In 2022, Seattle had a 49% overall
recovery rate, with 68.1% single-family and 32.9% multifamily recovery rates. However, Seattle
receives data from private recyclers, so it can include estimates for commercial recycling and
organics collected outside the city’s contracts.44
Capture Rates
In the absence of Renton-specific waste composition data, Cascadia applied data from three
composition studies performed recently in King County 45 to Renton’s 2023 waste tonnages to
estimate recoverability and capture rates for recycling and organics generated in the city. Overall,
in 2023, an estimated 68% of waste collected in Renton by Republic Services consisted of material
that was recoverable. This estimate includes recyclable and organic materials that were placed in
the correct containers as well as recyclables and organics placed in the garbage.
Republic Services captured an estimated 53% of all recyclable materials and 47% of all
compostable materials that were collected through curbside recycling and organics service, as
shown in Figure 4. When considered together, an estimated 49% of all curbside recoverable
materials were captured in the correct collection stream. The remaining recyclable and
compostables materials—approximately 24,700 tons—were disposed of in the garbage stream.
44 Seattle Public Utilities. MSW Tonnage Quarterly Report.
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/city.of.seattle.seattle.public.utilities.solid.waste/viz/SeattlePublicUt
ilitiesMSWTonnageQuarterlyReport/HomePage
45 King County Solid Waste Division, 2022 Report: Waste Characterization and Customer Survey; 2020
Report: Materials Recovery Facility Assessment: Recyclables Characterization; and 2022 Report: Organics
Characterization available at https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/waste-services/garbage-recycling-
compost/solid-waste-planning-monitoring/solid-waste-monitoring
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Figure 4. 2023 Estimated Capture Rates
Single-family
Total Annual Tons Generated
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, total single-family waste generation spiked to 36,521 tons
as people spent more time at home. In 2023, waste collected decreased to 32,092 tons, closer to
the annual tons generated in 2019. Table 7 reports total annual tons of garbage, recycling, and
organics collected from single-family customers through the city’s curbside collection program,
based on records from Renton’s contracted waste collectors.
Large shifts in the tonnage data between 2016 and 2017 indicate that WM and Republic Services
use different definitions of single-family and multifamily. The single-family tonnage jumped
considerably right after the switch to Republic Services in 2017 (see Table 7). Although the city also
annexed 5,000 new single-family customers at the time of the transition, the citywide total
tonnages did not change, suggesting that annexation did not contribute to the discrepancies. This
data break may cause projections based on modeled historic trends to over- or under-estimate
total tons of waste generated when calculated by sector.
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Table 7. 2002-2023 Single-family Tons by Stream
Figure 5 presents total single-family waste tons alongside the estimated population living in single-
family housing. The method for estimating single-family population is provided in the next section.
As illustrated in Figure 5, total waste generation increased 96% from 2002 to 2023. After jumping
dramatically in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, total generation declined to a 2023
level that was just 2.2% above 2019. Since 2002, both generation and population have increased,
with generation increasing slightly slower (up 96% since 2002) than population (up 108%).
Single-family Annual Tons
Year Garbage Recycling Organics Generation
2002 7,713 4,075 4,624 16,412
2003 7,784 3,412 4,527 15,723
2004 9,295 4,039 4,964 18,298
2005 7,637 3,911 5,595 17,142
2006 7,637 3,911 5,595 17,142
2007 7,303 4,117 6,152 17,572
2008 7,514 4,417 6,898 18,830
2009 6,703 5,494 8,890 21,088
2010 6,570 5,602 9,953 22,125
2011 6,756 5,427 9,962 22,144
2012 7,031 5,491 10,595 23,116
2013 7,088 5,430 9,445 21,963
2014 7,027 5,568 9,158 21,754
2015 7,042 5,675 9,216 21,933
2016 7,227 5,902 10,029 23,158
2017 9,429 7,152 13,139 29,720
2018 9,955 7,792 13,113 30,859
2019 10,197 7,376 13,815 31,388
2020 11,224 7,893 17,404 36,521
2021 10,941 7,719 15,404 34,064
2022 11,196 7,561 14,428 33,185
2023 11,141 7,054 13,897 32,092
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Figure 5. 2002–2023 Single-family Tons by Stream, with Population Estimates
Annual Pounds Per Capita
Single-family garbage, recycling, and organics tonnage, as well as population data from 2002 to
2023, were used to estimate per-capita trends for garbage, recycling, organics, and overall waste
generation. Population data separating single-family from multifamily residents are not available,
so for each year, the analysis divided the total population between the single-family and
multifamily sectors in proportion to their total waste generation—essentially assuming that an
individual generates the same amount of total waste per year whether they are a single-family or
multifamily resident.46 As a result, in Figure 5, the estimated single-family population appears to
shift dramatically in 2017 when Republic Services took over collection from WM, commensurate
with the shift in how tonnage was calculated.
In 2023, the average single-family Renton resident generated 271 pounds of garbage, 172 pounds
of recycling, and 338 pounds of organics. Since 2002, the disposal rate for garbage has decreased
by 30% and organics increased by 45%. Recycling has also decreased but to a lesser degree (17%).
Table 8 reports estimated per capita annual pounds of garbage, recycling, and organics collected
from single-family customers based on records from Renton’s contracted waste collector and the
estimated portion of the population in single-family housing.
The per-capita estimates during the COVID-19 pandemic are less reliable because of changes in
waste disposal behavior. During those two years (2020-2021), there was a known increase in home
46 U.S. Census Bureau data was provided by Renton.
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remodeling and clean-outs, meaning total waste generation may have been different for people
living in single-family housing and multifamily housing.
Table 8. 2002–2023 Single-family Population and Estimated Pounds per Capita by Stream
As illustrated in Figure 6, the estimated 2023 per capita waste generation rate for single-family
residents has decreased by 6% since 2002, from 828 to 780 annual pounds per capita.
Single-family Annual Pounds per Capita
Year Population Garbage Recycling Organics Generation
2002 39,622 389 206 233 828
2003 40,983 380 166 221 767
2004 37,285 499 217 266 981
2005 39,455 387 198 284 869
2006 40,847 374 191 274 839
2007 41,193 355 200 299 853
2008 48,160 312 183 286 782
2009 55,935 240 196 318 754
2010 58,977 223 190 338 750
2011 60,833 222 178 328 728
2012 62,741 224 175 338 737
2013 62,665 226 173 301 701
2014 62,845 224 177 291 692
2015 64,807 217 175 284 677
2016 67,518 214 175 297 686
2017 80,100 235 179 328 742
2018 81,597 244 191 321 756
2019 81,170 251 182 340 773
2020 85,214 263 185 408 857
2021 83,436 262 185 369 817
2022 82,280 272 184 351 807
2023 82,251 271 172 338 780
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Figure 6. 2002–2023 Single-family Estimated Pounds per Capita by Stream
Recovery Rate
From 2002 to 2023, the weight-based recovery rate for single-family residents in Renton increased
from 53% to 65%. Trends varied by stream, with the recycling rate decreasing by 3% and the
organics recovery rate increasing from 28% to 43%. Figure 7 presents the annual recycling and
organics recovery rates for Renton’s single-family sector. The recovery rate is based on the total
quantity collected through curbside services and does not correct for contamination present in
these streams.
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Figure 7. 2002–2023 Single-family Recovery Rates
Recoverability Potential of Current Garbage
An estimated 57% of all garbage disposed by Renton single-family residents in 2023 could have
been recovered through existing curbside recycling or organics collection (Figure 8). This estimate
is based on recent garbage characterization studies completed for King County. The largest
recoverable waste category is Food and Compostable Paper, accounting for 27% of the disposed
tons.
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Figure 8. 2023 Single-family Garbage Recoverability Potential
Capture Rates
Based on recycling and organic tons reported to Renton and composition data for King County,
Republic Services captured 74% of recyclable materials and 74% of compostable materials from
single-family customers through curbside recycling and organics service, as shown in Figure 9.
While single-family customers generated about twice as much compostable material as recyclable
material, the combined capture rate for overall curbside recoverable materials is also 74%.47
Overall, 24% of all recoverable materials were recyclables put in the recycling container, 50% of
them were compostables put in the organics container, and the remaining curbside recoverables
were lost to landfill.
Based on recent composition studies, the capture rate for curbside recyclables from single-family
residents in Renton (74%) is comparable to that for the city of Seattle (78%). The single-family
capture rate for compostable material is higher for Renton (74%) than Seattle (50%).
Figure 9. 2023 Single-family Capture Rates
47 Cascadia conducted additional quality control steps to confirm this coincidence.
4,773 tons (43%)
2,961 tons (27%)
1,316 tons (12%)
2,091 tons (19%)
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Not Recoverable
Food and Compostable Paper
Compostable Yard Waste
Curbside Recyclable
Garbage Recoverability Rate
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Multifamily
Total Annual Tons Generated
Multifamily waste generation has increased since 2002 for all streams, including 58% more tons of
garbage and 47% more tons of recycling. Table 9 presents total annual tons of garbage, recycling,
and organics collected from multifamily households, based on records from Renton’s contracted
waste collectors.
Table 9. 2002-2023 Multifamily Tons by Stream
As noted in the single-family section, large shifts in the tonnage data indicate that WM and
Republic Services may use different definitions for single-family and multifamily or they may have
used different methods to estimate the multifamily share of routes that collect from both
multifamily and commercial customers. As a result, multifamily tonnages dropped suddenly in
2017, at the time of the switch in contracted waste collectors. This data break may cause
projections based on modeled historic trends to over- or under-estimate total tons of waste
generated.
Multifamily Annual Tons
Year Garbage Recycling Organics Generation
2002 5,341 1,045 0 6,386
2003 4,940 977 0 5,917
2004 8,950 882 13 9,844
2005 7,673 932 0 8,604
2006 7,673 932 0 8,604
2007 8,750 887 0 9,637
2008 12,403 979 0 13,381
2009 10,866 1,096 1 11,964
2010 10,834 1,151 1 11,986
2011 10,376 1,181 3 11,560
2012 10,170 1,306 8 11,484
2013 10,091 1,413 18 11,522
2014 10,491 1,358 19 11,868
2015 9,969 1,415 9 11,393
2016 10,051 1,526 10 11,587
2017 7,146 1,227 13 8,386
2018 7,300 1,200 11 8,510
2019 7,844 1,239 15 9,099
2020 7,896 1,330 19 9,245
2021 8,220 1,426 15 9,661
2022 8,498 1,549 125 10,172
2023 8,463 1,532 12 10,008
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As shown in Figure 10, multifamily total waste generation has increased since 2002, as Renton’s
population has grown, although the 57% increase in tonnage between 2002 and 2023 is less
reliable given the data break between waste collectors. Both multifamily waste generation and
population have increased, with waste generation increasing slightly slower (up 57% since 2002)
than population (up 66%). As noted in the single-family section, because population data specific
to single-family and multifamily are not available and population was distributed in proportion to
total waste tonnage by sector, the estimated multifamily population also appears to drop
considerably in 2017, influenced by the shift in tonnage data.
Figure 10. 2002–2023 Multifamily Tons by Stream
Annual Pounds Per Capita
Multifamily garbage, recycling, and organics tons, as well as estimated population data from 2002
to 2023, were used to estimate per-capita trends for garbage, recycling, organics, and total waste
generation. The population living in multifamily housing in Renton each year was estimated as
described previously by multiplying the total population of Renton by the percentage of waste
generation attributed to the multifamily sector in each year.
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From 2002 to 2023, estimated per capita pounds of multifamily waste fluctuated but decreased
overall by 6%. In general, all streams saw a drop in generation, with estimated per capita garbage
decreasing by 5%, per capita recycling decreasing by 12%, and per capita organics recovery
generally unchanging over the period (nearly zero throughout the period). Table 10 and Figure 11
present estimated per capita annual pounds of garbage, recycling, and organics collected from
multifamily households, based on records from Renton’s contracted waste collectors.
Table 10. 2002-2023 Estimated Multifamily Pounds per Capita per Stream
Multifamily Annual Pounds per Capita
Year Population Garbage Recycling Organics Generation
2002 15,416 693 136 0 828
2003 15,424 641 127 0 767
2004 20,060 892 88 1 981
2005 19,804 775 94 0 869
2006 20,503 748 91 0 839
2007 22,592 775 79 0 853
2008 34,224 725 57 0 782
2009 31,733 685 69 0 754
2010 31,950 678 72 0 750
2011 31,757 653 74 0 728
2012 31,169 653 84 1 737
2013 32,875 614 86 1 701
2014 34,285 612 79 1 692
2015 33,663 592 84 1 677
2016 33,782 595 90 1 686
2017 22,600 632 109 1 742
2018 22,503 649 107 1 756
2019 23,530 667 105 1 773
2020 21,571 732 123 2 857
2021 23,664 695 121 1 817
2022 25,220 674 123 10 807
2023 25,649 660 119 1 780
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Figure 11. 2002–2023 Multifamily Pounds per Capita by Stream
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Recovery Rate
From 2002 to 2023, the recovery rate for material generated by multifamily residents has
fluctuated, decreasing between 2002 and 2008 and hovering around 15% for the past seven years.
The recycling recovery rate accounted for almost all recovery while the organics recovery rate was
virtually zero throughout the period. Figure 12 presents the recycling and organics recovery rates
for multifamily customers, based on Renton’s contracted waste collectors’ records.
Figure 12. 2002–2023 Multifamily Recovery Rates
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Recoverability Potential of Current Garbage Composition
Extrapolation from King County data suggests that more than half (56%) of garbage disposed by
Renton multifamily residents in 2023 could have been recovered through existing curbside
recycling or curbside organics collections (Figure 13). There is no independent, robust
characterization data for the city, so compositions throughout this document are based on recent
characterizations of landfilled waste completed for King County.
Figure 13. 2023 Multifamily Garbage Recoverability Potential
3,751 tons (44%)
1,989 tons (23%)
691 tons (8%)
2,033 tons (24%)
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Not Recoverable
Food and Compostable Paper
Compostable Yard Waste
Curbside Recyclable
Garbage Recoverability Rate
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Capture Rates
Based on recycling and organic tons reported to Renton and composition data for King County,
Republic Services captured 39% of recyclable materials and nearly zero (0.4%) of compostable
materials from multifamily customers through curbside recycling and organics service, as shown in
Figure 14. The overall curbside capture rate for recyclable and compostable materials combined is
22%, meaning that 22% of all recoverable materials were recyclables put in the recycling
container, nearly zero compostable materials were put in composting containers, and the
remaining 88% of recyclable and compostable materials were lost to landfill. Landfilled
recoverables included more than 2,600 tons of curbside compostables and more than 2,000 tons
of curbside recyclables.
Figure 14. 2023 Multifamily Capture Rates by Stream
Commercial
Total Annual Tons Generated
From 2002 to 2023, total tons of commercial waste managed through Renton’s contract increased
by 2%. Trends varied by waste stream, with garbage tons decreasing by 3% and recycling tons
increasing by 69% during this period. One reason for the increase in recycling may be that in 2009
the city started embedding unlimited recycling in commercial customer rates. Organics tons have
always been relatively small (less than 520 tons per year). However, without data from private
recycling and organics collectors, it is not possible to assess total generation tons, recovery rates,
or capture rates in Renton. Table 11 and Figure 15 present total annual tons of garbage, recycling,
and organics collected from commercial customers, based on Renton’s contracted waste
collectors’ records.
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Table 11. 2002-2023 Commercial Tons by Stream
Recycling was embedded into commercial garbage service in 2009, accounting for the substantial
increase in reported recycling tons since that year. More tons are likely recovered from the
commercial sector than are reflected in this chart (particularly in 2004–2007) because private
waste collectors are not required to report tonnages to the city. In addition, the change in the
contracted waste collector in 2017 may have affected either tons collected or reported for 2017.
Garbage tonnage also dropped in 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, returning
closer to 2019 levels in 2023.
Commercial Annual Tons
Year Garbage Recycling Organics Generation
2002 27,008 2,794 519 30,322
2003 28,663 2,977 386 32,026
2004 26,899 0 0 26,899
2005 32,837 0 0 32,837
2006 32,837 0 0 32,837
2007 32,553 0 0 32,553
2008 26,922 2,510 0 29,432
2009 25,484 3,063 4 28,551
2010 24,332 5,674 327 30,334
2011 23,405 5,958 373 29,735
2012 24,068 6,713 483 31,264
2013 24,083 6,772 371 31,226
2014 24,786 7,067 36 31,889
2015 24,126 8,128 21 32,275
2016 23,646 10,418 20 34,084
2017 28,244 8,708 282 37,234
2018 28,435 5,084 106 33,625
2019 26,256 4,693 28 30,977
2020 23,156 4,186 27 27,369
2021 24,414 4,557 25 28,996
2022 25,546 4,698 35 30,279
2023 26,094 4,726 27 30,847
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Figure 15. 2002–2023 Commercial Tons by Stream, with Population and Employment
Estimates
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Annual Pounds Per Employee
Commercial garbage, recycling, and organics tons as well as total employment data from 2002 to
2023 (provided by the city) were used to model per employee trends for garbage, recycling,
organics, and waste generation. Table 12 and Figure 16 present per-employee annual pounds of
garbage, recycling, and organics collected from commercial accounts, based on Renton’s
contracted waste collectors’ records.
Table 12. 2002-2023 Commercial Pounds per Employee per Stream
From 2002 to 2023, employment in Renton increased by 42% and per-employee pounds of
commercial waste handled by the city’s contractor fluctuated but decreased overall by 28%.
Trends varied by waste stream, with per-employee garbage decreasing by 32%, per-employee
recycling increasing by 19%, and per-employee organics decreasing by 96% during this period.
King County has set a disposal target of 4.1 pounds per employee per week by 2030. In 2023,
Renton businesses disposed of 700 pounds per employee, or approximately 13.5 pounds per
employee per week. Because Renton has only partial data on tons recovered from Renton
business, it is not possible to evaluate progress toward to the County’s generation goal of 42.2
pounds per employee per week.
Commercial Annual Pounds per Employee
Year Employment Garbage Recycling Organics Generation
2002 52,351 1,032 107 20 1,158
2003 48,955 1,171 122 16 1,308
2004 46,266 1,163 0 0 1,163
2005 48,097 1,365 0 0 1,365
2006 50,194 1,308 0 0 1,308
2007 51,438 1,266 0 0 1,266
2008 56,391 955 89 0 1,044
2009 55,446 919 110 0 1,030
2010 54,050 900 210 12 1,122
2011 54,997 851 217 14 1,081
2012 58,287 826 230 17 1,073
2013 59,909 804 226 12 1,042
2014 61,721 803 229 1 1,033
2015 61,185 789 266 1 1,055
2016 62,451 757 334 1 1,092
2017 61,920 912 281 9 1,203
2018 64,018 888 159 3 1,050
2019 66,117 794 142 1 937
2020 68,215 679 123 1 802
2021 70,314 694 130 1 825
2022 72,412 706 130 1 836
2023 74,510 700 127 1 828
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Figure 16. 2002–2023 Commercial Pounds per Employee by Stream
Recovery Rate
From 2002 to 2023, the recovery rate for commercial customers fluctuated between zero and 31%
but has remained stable at around 15% for the most recent six years. Recycling has accounted for
virtually all of the recovery. The organics recovery rate has occasionally reached 1% to 2% but has
remained at approximately 0% in the most recent six years. Data on recovery through private
collections is not available but could be significant if Renton’s commercial customers are similar
to those countywide. Figure 17 presents the recycling and organics recovery rates for commercial
customers, based on Renton’s contracted waste collectors’ records.
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Figure 17. 2002–2023 Commercial Recovery Rates
Recoverability Potential of Current Garbage
Extrapolating from King County data, a little more than half (52%) of waste disposed by Renton
commercial customers in 2023 was recoverable through curbside recycling or organics collection
programs (Figure 18). There is no independent, robust characterization data for the city’s waste, so
compositions throughout this document are based on recent characterizations of landfilled waste
completed for King County.
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Figure 18. 2023 Commercial Garbage Recoverability Potential
Capture Rates
As shown in Figure 19, commercial customers place less than one-quarter (23%) of their recyclable
and compostable materials in the appropriate container, meaning that 77% of curbside
recoverable materials are lost to disposal. Lost recoverables included more than 7,400 tons of
curbside compostables and more than 6,200 tons of curbside recyclables. The capture rate for
recyclable materials is much higher than for compostable materials (40% and 0%, respectively).
Figure 19. 2023 Commercial Capture Rates
12,448 tons (48%)
4,905 tons (19%)
2,535 tons (10%)
6,206 tons (24%)
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Not Recoverable
Food and Compostable Paper
Compostable Yard Waste
Curbside Recyclable
Garbage Recoverability Rate
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The Future: 15 Year Growth Projections
To help Renton consider the impacts of population growth on waste generation, Cascadia
developed tonnage projections for 2025, 2030, 2035, and 2040. The projection model used the
2002-2023 collection tonnages that appear in the previous section, as well as population and
employment projections from the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Data Portal. 48
Cascadia used the following calculations to estimate future tons of material generated. First, the
average pounds of waste generated per resident and per employee in 2023 were calculated to
show the most recent data set as a starting point for the projection. Second, an average per-capita
waste generation rate was calculated and applied to total population and employment projections.
Data quality from the most recent five-year period is generally affected by the severe disruptions of
the COVID-19 pandemic. To address this, 2020 and 2021 data were removed and only data from
2019, 2022, and 2023 were used in calculating the average. Tons by stream were also estimated
based on the average recovery rates in 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Projected Change in Tons Collected
Figure 20 projects tons per year collected from all Renton residents from 2025 to 2040. Holding the
per-capita waste generation rate steady, overall waste generated is projected to increase by more
than 10,400 tons because Renton’s population is projected to increase by approximately 26% over
that period. Residential includes single-family and multifamily combined.
Figure 20. 2025–2040 Projection of Overall Residential Annual Tons
Figure 21 projects tons per year collected from commercial customers from 2025 to 2040, based
on tons currently collected by the contracted waste collector. Holding the per-employee waste
48 Puget Sound Regional Council’s Data Portal: https://psrc-psregcncl.hub.arcgis.com
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disposal and recycling rates steady, garbage is projected to increase by more than 14,600 tons and
recycling is projected to increase by over 2,700 tons because employment is projected to increase
by approximately 33% over that period. Composted tons are too low to be visible on the bar chart.
It is not possible to forecast the impact of new statewide organics management laws on tons
collected without better data on the total commercial organics capture rate. Because the law is
phased in based on how many tons of organics a business generates, details on the sources of
compostables in the garbage would also be needed to forecast yearly impacts. However, 29% of
commercial garbage is estimated to be compostable materials, and garbage compositions could
be affected by the new requirements.
Figure 21. 2025–2040 Projection of Commercial Annual Tons
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Goals and Strategies
This section presents a list of goals and strategies to help the City of Renton work toward zero
waste over the next ten years. This Plan prioritizes effective and actionable strategies that ensure
immediate impact and long-term success.
The strategies were developed by considering the existing conditions in Renton and the overarching
goal of making continual progress toward zero waste. Strategy development was informed by (1)
new legislation adopted since the last zero waste planning process in 2018, (2) knowledge and
resources available from partners including King County and the Department of Ecology, and (3)
best practices such as those identified by the King County Responsible Recycling Task Force.
To prioritize the strategies, Cascadia evaluated the resource needs and the anticipated impacts of
each strategy as high, medium, or low based on a set of quantitative and qualitative criteria.
● Resource needs refer to the staffing, funding, and political capital needed to implement
the actions identified for the strategy
● Impacts include these types of outcomes that can be achieved: waste quantity,
contamination, climate, customers, and waste hierarchy
Cascadia mapped the results of this assessment onto a matrix, which helps visualize the relative
costs and benefits of each strategy. The matrix also highlights strategies that city staff identified as
high or low priority. The methodology for this approach, scoring criteria, and matrix analysis can be
found in "Appendix C: Strategy Prioritization Analysis” on page 98.
Goals
The city identified eight goals that provide a pathway toward the ultimate goal of zero waste:
1. Ensure sustainable funding for waste prevention and management programs
2. Lead by example
3. Maximize waste prevention and reuse
4. Ensure clean and marketable recyclables and organic waste
5. Maximize participation in curbside recycling and organics collection programs
6. Increase recycling of non-standard recyclable items
7. Minimize and mitigate emissions associated with waste collection
8. Manage programs using high-quality data
To pursue each goal, the Zero Waste Plan includes strategies that move the needle through one or
more levers, including:
● Incentives, rate structures, and funding
● Policies and regulations
● Education and outreach
● Collection systems
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Table 13 lists each type of lever, their role in this Plan, and the icons used in the strategies to show
which levers are relevant.
Table 13. Types of Strategies in the Zero Waste Plan
Icon Meaning
Incentives, rate structures, and funding
Rate setting to fund recommendations will be a top priority of this Plan.
Policies and regulations
Foundational policies will be a top priority for this Plan.
Education and outreach
Effective education and outreach will require city staff to take a lead role, build
partnerships, and involve community.
Collection system
Collection systems and contracts can play a key role in operationalizing the
strategies and realizing waste reduction.
Strategies
This Plan is intended to offer the city guidance for the coming ten years. Each strategy in this Plan is
supported by at least one action to operationalize the strategy. This Plan proposes timeframes for
when to start implementing each strategy, with the understanding that most strategies will be
ongoing for the rest of this Plan once they have been started. This Plan assumes that Renton will
establish an annual work plan that includes actions in an appropriate sequence and that reflects
the resources available.
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Goal 1. Ensure sustainable funding for waste prevention and
management programs
Strategy 1.01. Fund all ongoing aspects and mandates of the waste program through
customer rates
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Set rates to fully fund all solid waste programs, including adequate staff and internal resources.
Actions
● Set customer rates to fully fund ongoing programming—including education and outreach,
collection, and special collection—and state mandates, such as the Organics Management
Law.
● Fund adequate dedicated city staff and other internal resources to implement strategies
needed to achieve Renton’s zero waste goals.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Strategy 1.02. Maintain awareness of Renton’s current and pending state-mandated
requirements and plan for implementation
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Be aware of current and pending requirements and plan for implementation.
Actions
● Identify and monitor all current and pending mandated requirements to determine long-
term budgetary needs.
● Plan for implementation and adequate resourcing of pending requirements.
Timeframe
● Begin Years 1 -2
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Strategy 1.03. Use grant funding for discrete one-time or time-limited activities and
pilot programs
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Identify appropriate activities and funding sources, then apply for grant programs and funds
accordingly.
Actions
● Identify any discrete short-term activities that could be funded with grants and strategically
pursue this funding as staffing levels allow. Do not rely on grants as the funding source for
perennial education, outreach, and special collection due to uncertainty, potential
reductions in grant funding, and restrictions in uses.
● Monitor the availability of grant programs that could be appropriately used for strategic
short-term activities and pilots.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
Goal 2. Lead by example
Strategy 2.01. Advocate for product stewardship and extended producer
responsibility policies and programs
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Actively and visibly advocate for state legislation for extended producer responsibility (EPR) and
product stewardship.
Actions
● Actively and visibly advocate for product stewardship and EPR legislation at the state level.
Include product stewardship and EPR in annual legislative agendas.
● Join and support the Northwest Product Stewardship Council and participate in emerging
programs.
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Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Strategy 2.02. Require best practices for waste prevention in city facilities
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Adopt internal zero waste policies such as digitization, requiring the separation of recycling and
organics, and encouraging sharing of resources.
Actions
● Implement a zero waste policy for internal events.
● Require staff to recycle and separate organics at city facilities.
● Provide resources for internal meetings and staff events to be zero waste.
● Reduce paper use, when possible, by storing files digitally, using two-sided printing, and
posting announcements centrally.
● Maximize reuse and avoid disposal of supplies and equipment with remaining value by
encouraging staff to actively share surplus items between departments. Create internal
structures to support intra- and interdepartmental sharing.
● Use online platforms to surplus supplies and equipment not needed by any city
departments in accordance with the city’s surplus policy (No. 250-10).
● Encourage the use of reusable food serviceware. At a minimum, require the purchase and
use of approved compostable food serviceware at internal city events.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
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Strategy 2.03. Implement a sustainable purchasing policy for the city
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Update the city procurement policy for improved sustainability and monitor to ensure internal
compliance. Continue to implement the city’s compost procurement ordinance.
Actions
● Update the city’s recycled product procurement policy (No. 400-12). Use the King County
sustainable purchasing executive policy as a guideline.
● Implement changes to procurement processes and systems to support sustainable
purchasing (e.g., default purchasing systems to show preferred products first). Ensure that
sustainable purchasing processes and tools discourage the purchase of compostable
products that cannot be processed by facilities serving Renton.
● Continue to implement the city’s compost procurement ordinance (Ord. 6111).
● Actively inform and educate all city staff with purchasing authority about sustainable
purchasing policies and practices.
● Work with relevant divisions and departments to conduct data collection and monitoring to
evaluate and ensure implementation.
● Review and update the purchasing policy as needed, at least every five years.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
Strategy 2.04. Maximize recycling and organics captured from city facilities
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Ensure sufficient recycling and organics collection containers are co-located with garbage
containers and have clear signage. Expand special material collection and increase employee
education.
Actions
● Ensure there are sufficient receptacles for recycling and organics in city facilities.
● Optimize indoor collection containers by co-locating recycling and organics containers with
garbage containers, using clear signage, and standardizing container colors (gray or black
for garbage, green for organics, and blue for recycling).
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● Conduct regular audits of waste containers to assess contamination and educate container
users as appropriate.
● Collect special materials for recycling (e.g., batteries, electronics, expanded polystyrene
[Styrofoam], toner cartridges).
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
Strategy 2.05. Conduct waste prevention and recycling trainings for city employees
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Routinely train staff on waste prevention and establish an interdepartmental “Green Team.”
Actions
● Include waste sorting training in new employee onboarding.
● Routinely train city employees in waste prevention and sorting.
● Work with other departments to establish an interdepartmental “Green Team” to help spur
innovation and spread zero waste practices throughout city operations.
● Continue to support the city’s informal waste prevention “champions” in regularly
educating and encouraging employees in their departments or divisions.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
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Strategy 2.06. Recover edible food from internal and city-sponsored events
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Improve food recovery at the farmers market, catered events, and the annual employee
appreciation lunch.
Actions
● Work with Renton Farmers Market to recover edible food from vendors through programs
such as Renton Roots - Farm to You.
● Solicit donations from food vendors at the Renton Farmers Market and donate the food to
the senior activity center and local food banks.
● When contracting with caterers, require the caterer to plan for edible food recovery.
● Collaborate with the planning team for the annual employee appreciation lunch to provide
containers for taking leftovers.
Timeframe
Begin Years 7-10
Strategy 2.07. Capture recycling from city parks and outdoor facilities
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Pilot a co-located recycling and garbage collection system at select outdoor facilities.
Actions
● Pilot recycling collection in select city parks and outdoor facilities. Use clear labeling and
proper signage co-located with garbage containers.
● Collaborate with the Parks & Recreation Department to determine the best locations to pilot
or initiate collection service. Work with department staff to maintain collection containers.
Timeframe
Begin Years 7-10
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Strategy 2.08. Inform the public of the city’s zero waste practices
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Use existing communication tools to inform the public of compost use, highlight new or expanded
internal zero waste practices and their results, and spotlight practices that could be emulated or
leveraged.
Actions
● Inform residents and commercial customers of how the city uses compost in its operations,
as required by RCW 43.19A.150, for example when providing education regarding organics
collection or natural gardening.
● Inform residents and commercial customers of new or expanded internal zero waste
practices and their results. Highlight city practices that could be emulated or leveraged by
residents or commercial customers.
Timeframe
Begin Years 7-10
Goal 3. Maximize waste prevention and reuse
Strategy 3.01. Support equitable reuse, repair, and sharing opportunities for
residents.
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Promote sustainable practices by supporting legislative efforts, partnering with local and regional
organizations, and encouraging the use of reusable items through various initiatives, including
lending libraries, reuse and repair programs, and campaigns for reusable food serviceware and
reusable shopping bags.
Actions
● Support legislative efforts at the state level, such as Right to Repair legislation.
● Partner with King County and neighboring cities to expand repair events.
● Establish or partner with regional tool, outdoor gear, and kitchen equipment lending
libraries to expand reuse and sharing opportunities.
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● Partner with local reuse and repair organizations to promote and expand waste prevention,
reuse, and sharing (Buy Nothing, Nextdoor, local repair shops).
● Promote and support the use of milk dispensers, food sharing programs, and reusable food
serviceware in schools.
● Pilot a Bring Your Own Cup campaign in partnership with coffee shops, restaurants, and
local jurisdictions.
● Continue to promote shopping with reusable bags.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Strategy 3.02. Encourage reuse and require recycling and organics collection at large
public events
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Introduce measures to enhance sustainability at public events by mandating recycling and
organics collection, requiring waste reduction plans, setting reporting standards for organizers,
and encouraging the use of reusable items.
Actions
● Create an ordinance requiring recycling and organics collection at all large public events.
● Require events that need city permits and large event venues to develop a waste reduction
and recycling plan that includes organics collection. Provide technical assistance on
developing and implementing event waste reduction plans.
● Develop effective reporting requirements for event organizers to measure implementation
of their waste reduction plans, informed by requirements established by other
municipalities.
● Develop a template for the required plan and implement mechanisms for data
submissions.
● Encourage and support the use of reusable serviceware at public events where beverages
or food are served.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
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Strategy 3.03. Support and increase edible food rescue and donation
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Conduct outreach to learn about current food donation systems and learn how the city can support
and grow edible food collection.
Actions
● Meet with local food recovery organizations to understand food donation needs, current
donors, potential donors, capacity and constraints, and tracking ability. Determine how the
city can best support increased perishable food donations from large and small
commercial generators to local food banks. Activities could include:
− identifying high generators of food waste
− setting up meetings with high generators
− co-promotion of edible food donation opportunities with educational outreach efforts
to commercial customers
− targeted in-person outreach to food waste generators
● Partner with local and regional organizations working on hunger and food donation and food
rescue to build on existing knowledge when developing programs in Renton.
● Work with contracted waste collector or other transportation provider to support starting an
edible food donation route to collect food from businesses and deliver to food recovery
organizations.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
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Strategy 3.04. Require contracted waste collector to use recycled content in billing
statements and waste carts
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
In the waste collection contract, require the waste collector to use recycled content in waste carts
and increase the use of recycled content in printed material.
Actions
● In the next collection contract, increase the amount of recycled content that contracted the
waste collector is required to use in billing statements.
● In the next collection contract, require the contracted waste collector to use recycled paper
in its billing envelopes and other printed or mailed materials.
● In the next collection contract, require the contracted waste collector to use recycled
content in waste carts.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Strategy 3.05. Educate residents and commercial customers on waste prevention and
reuse topics such as food waste, toxics reduction, and textiles donation
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Increase waste prevention by improving messaging, collaborating with King County, marketing
local programs, and conducting targeted outreach campaigns.
Actions
● Work with King County and neighboring jurisdictions to provide harmonized messaging on
waste sorting.
● Collaborate with the King County Hazardous Waste Management Program to expand their
campaigns.
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● Develop localized materials that leverage regional and national campaigns. Such
campaigns include Use Food Well 49, Food Waste Prevention Week, Make Every Thread
Count 50, and Bring Your Own Cup 51.
● Partner with local grocery stores, restaurants, the Renton Farmers Market, schools, and
regional food recovery organizations to promote using food well and hunger prevention.
● Develop Renton-specific hazardous waste prevention campaigns.
● Support natural yard care educational activities.
● Expand the use of social marketing for waste education programs.
● Recruit resident champions to promote recycling in their communities and volunteer for
local events (e.g., Master Recycler/Composter programs).
● Build on the Department of Ecology’s Product Replacement Program 52 to help local
businesses reduce use of toxic materials.
● Promote the concepts of product stewardship and EPR to residents. Explore ways to
partner with local businesses to raise resident awareness of and participation in statewide
product stewardship programs (currently including batteries, electronics, medications,
mercury-containing lights, and paint).
● Organize community tours of the landfill, recycling facility, and compost facility that receive
Renton’s waste.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
49 Washington State Department of Ecology, Use Food Well campaign: UseFoodWell.org
50 Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Waste Prevention Campaigns
https://www.oregon.gov/deq/mm/wpcampaigns/Pages/wpcampaigns.aspx (Accessed October 2018).
51 Eastside (Bellevue, Bothell, Kirkland, Redmond) Bring Your Own Cup campaign: EastsideBYOC.com
52 Washington State Department of Ecology, Product Replacement Program: https://ecology.wa.gov/waste-
toxics/reducing-toxic-chemicals/product-replacement-program
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Goal 4. Ensure clean and marketable recyclables and organic waste
Strategy 4.01. Standardize the color of garbage and organics collection containers
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Change all garbage carts to gray or black and organics carts to green. Educate customers during
the cart transition.
Actions
● Change garbage carts to gray or black and change organics carts to green.
● Provide robust education to customers at the time of cart transition.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Strategy 4.02. Reduce contamination through collection operations
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Update accepted organic materials in collection contract to include only compostables that meet
state requirements and can be composted at organics processing facilities serving Renton.
Educate customers accordingly. Flag contaminated containers and use the contamination data for
targeted education and enforcement. Explore potential performance targets in contracts.
Actions
● Ensure compostables accepted in the city’s waste stream align with state compostability
requirements and can be composted at facilities receiving Renton’s organics.
● Actively educate customers regarding items that appear to be compostable but cannot be
composted locally.
● Educate local retailers (especially small, locally owned stores) on prohibited items under
the Plastic Product Degradability Law (RCW 70A.455), leveraging educational materials
produced by the Department of Ecology, King County, or other King County jurisdictions.
● Develop and deploy container tags, mailers, or other approaches specific to customer
types (i.e., residential tags and commercial tags) that address contamination in customer
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containers. Work with customers to address their contamination issues. Provide positive
reinforcement feedback to customers with clean recyclables and organics.
● Use contamination data collected by the contracted waste collector to implement targeted
behavior change programs.
● Provide oversight of contracted waste collector’s contamination protocol through regular
city solid waste staff ride-alongs with contracted drivers to monitor driver implementation
and performance of agreed-upon procedures.
● Study the potential to set contractual limits on total residue in collected recyclables and
organics, with penalties for waste collectors that exceed the limit. Implement a feasible
approach if found.
● Issue contamination fees or refuse service to customers who are chronic contaminators.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Strategy 4.03. Select a recycling collection method that balances ease for the
generator, collection cost, and contamination potential
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Monitor legislation, recycling markets, and regional practices, then meet changing requirements in
future contracts.
Actions
● Monitor emerging legislative requirements and anticipate program changes needed for
compliance.
● Monitor markets and regional situation regarding recycling collection, including single-
versus dual-stream collection, and changes in accepted materials.
● Actively work to remain well-informed, flexible, and adaptable regarding changing recycling
markets, best practices, and technology. Be responsive in making changes to collection
practices.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
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Strategy 4.04. Ensure recyclables are going to responsible end markets
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Incorporate responsible recycling elements into all collection and processing contracts, such as
using local markets whenever possible, exporting only to OECD countries, or restricting export of
certain hard-to-recycle plastics. Establish material-specific reporting requirements to ensure
compliance and continuously evaluate and improve processes and technologies for documenting
and monitoring the chain of custody for recyclables.
Actions
● Include responsible recycling elements in all recycling and organics collection and
processing contracts and requests for proposals, such as requiring that recyclables go to
facilities that are “fully permitted and properly operated,” maximize recovery of recyclable
materials, and minimize residuals. Reporting requirements in contracts can include
contamination levels, quantity of processing residues landfilled, and quantity of recyclable
materials sold.
● Require contracted waste collector to commit to responsible end markets and zero
exporting of low-value plastic waste. Contracts can require that materials go to “local
markets” or to processing facilities in Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) countries. Develop effective and reasonable material-specific
reporting requirements. Ensure agreements align with the Basel Convention 53.
● Identify and evaluate current and emerging processes, technologies, and standards to
document chain of custody and monitor for responsible end markets.
● Adjust these requirements and activities as needed to reflect new legislation and evolving
markets, as well as new best practices and technologies.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
53 The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal is a global treaty that aims to protect human health and the environment from the negative impacts
of exporting waste:
https://www.basel.int/TheConvention/Overview/History/Overview/tabid/3405/Default.aspx
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Strategy 4.05. Reduce contamination through regional partnerships
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Harmonize accepted materials (recycling and organics) and messaging with King County and King
County jurisdictions.
Actions
● Harmonize accepted recyclables and organics with other jurisdictions in the King County
waste system.
● Provide messaging about curbside recycling and organics that is unified and consistent with
other jurisdictions in the county system.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Goal 5. Maximize participation in curbside recycling and organics
collection programs
Goal 5 has a total of 12 strategies: six strategies address all customers (5.01 through 5.06), two
strategies address only multifamily and commercial customers (5.07 and 5.08), and four strategies
address only commercial customers (5.09 through 5.12).
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Strategies for all customers
Strategy 5.01. Implement rate structure that incentivizes recycling and organics
separation and disincentivizes disposal
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Reevaluate rates biannually to optimize diversion incentivization while ensuring adequate funding
of all ongoing and mandated waste programs. Increase transparency for customers and require the
contracted waste collector to improve non-compliance reporting.
Actions
● Reevaluate current rates ahead of each biannual rate-setting cycle to obtain additional
revenue needed to support additional programs that prevent waste and divert recoverable
materials.
● Reevaluate current garbage variable rate structure ahead of each biannual rate-setting
cycle to determine need for and best options to incentivize waste reduction and responsible
recycling and composting.
● Consider adopting a model organics ordinance to be developed by the Department of
Ecology after January 2025.
● Increase property manager/business owner education regarding the recycling services they
pay for but may not subscribe to.
● Require contracted waste collector to mail customers an educational city-approved flier
with information on embedded recycling and organics services, the property’s current
service levels, and how to request service changes for all waste streams.
● Require contracted waste collector to document each refusal to subscribe to recycling and
organics as well as the specific reason for the refusal.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
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Strategy 5.02. Require subscription to recycling collection service for all customers
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Adopt an ordinance for universal recycling services with a minimum recycling collection capacity
for each sector (residential, multifamily, and commercial) and mandatory reporting by all waste
collectors. Educate customers about the new requirement, provide sample lease agreement
language to require tenant participation, and monitor compliance. Track trends in single stream
recycling.
Actions
● Adopt an ordinance requiring recycling service for all customers.
● Contact customers without recycling containers and help set them up for service.
● Conduct ongoing enforcement of recycling collection participation.
● Require minimum levels of recycling collection capacity for each sector (such as X% of
garbage collection capacity).
● Require quarterly reporting of recycling collection services not provided through the city-
contracted waste collector.
● Develop sample lease agreement language for multifamily and commercial properties that
requires tenants to participate in recycling programs offered.
● Continue implementation and monitoring to support the ordinance. Review its
effectiveness periodically and update as needed.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Strategy 5.03. Require subscription to organics collection service for all customers
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Prepare for and adopt organics collection requirements by state mandated deadlines. Establish
collection capacity minimums. Increase reporting to capture all services. Educate customers
about the new requirements, support service setup for customers, and monitor compliance.
Actions
● Adopt an ordinance requiring year-round organics service for all single-family and
multifamily customers by April 1, 2027.
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● Adopt an ordinance requiring year-round organics service for all nonresidential customers
that generate more than 0.25 cubic yards per week of organic waste by April 1, 2027.
● Require a minimum level of organics collection capacity (such as X% of garbage collection
capacity).
● Embed a larger minimum level of organics service into multifamily and commercial service,
if not prohibited by legal challenges.
● Contact customers without organics containers and help set them up for service.
● Conduct ongoing enforcement of organics collection participation.
● Require quarterly reporting to document organics collection service not provided through
the city-contracted waste collector.
● Develop sample lease agreement language for multifamily and commercial properties that
requires tenants to participate in organics programs offered.
● Continue implementation and monitoring to support the ordinance. Review effectiveness
periodically and update as needed.
● Develop pre-approved plans for waste enclosures that clearly describe and align with the
city’s development standards. Include examples of potential layouts of waste enclosures
and waste collection rooms.
● Establish organics drop-off sites at city facilities for multifamily residents who do not have
organics collection at their properties due to a lack of space for containers.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Strategy 5.04. Require customers to recycle target materials, or implement disposal
bans
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Adopt disposal bans for readily recoverable materials. Continue to enforce King County’s existing
bans on certain recoverable and hazardous materials in the garbage.
Actions
● Adopt an ordinance to ban certain recyclables, such as cardboard, or food waste from
disposal.
● Conduct ongoing enforcement of King County bans on certain materials, such as yard
waste and rechargeable batteries, in the garbage.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
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Strategy 5.05. Develop and implement a broad multi-year education campaign for
waste reduction, recycling, and organics collection
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Regularly engage residents and commercial customers with clear actions they can take to reduce
waste. Promote the sharing economy. Tailor educational campaigns for communities with unique
needs.
Actions
● Provide educational waste reduction mailings to all residents and commercial customers at
least once a year.
● Educate residents and commercial customers about clear and concrete actions that they
can take to reduce waste. Harmonize the messaging with King County jurisdictions.
● Collaborate with the contracted waste collector to develop a more robust, interactive, and
engaging website.
● Regularly promote the share economy through Buy Nothing, Nextdoor, and other social and
exchange media platforms to reduce landfilling materials with value.
● Identify communities with unique needs and develop educational campaigns to meet those
needs.
● Provide regular training to Sustainability & Solid Waste staff on social marketing and
outreach campaign principles to ensure the effectiveness of the multi-year campaign.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
Strategy 5.06. Conduct education and outreach to ensure food waste is not landfilled
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Create campaigns to educate residents, multifamily property managers, and commercial
customers about food waste collection.
Actions
● Create campaigns for residents about composting certain types of common food waste,
such as coffee grounds and fruit peels.
● Educate property managers and commercial customers about the organics rate structure.
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● Target education at food-generating commercial customers, specifically the largest
generators such as hospitals, schools, and restaurants.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
Strategies for only multifamily and commercial customers
Strategy 5.07. Require new and improved multifamily and commercial properties to
provide sufficient space for recycling and organics collection
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Update municipal code and permit review process to provide adequate space for and equitable
access to recycling and organics collection at multifamily and commercial properties.
Actions
● Update municipal code to provide adequate space for and equitable access to recycling
and organics collection at multifamily and commercial properties. Required space may be
determined by factors such as number of housing units, total square footage, or type of use.
Allow for shared containers as appropriate.54
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
54 Cascadia Consulting Group. Multi-family Recycling Code and Ordinance Research and Best Practice
Recommendations. 2018. This study found that storage space allocated for recycling in high-recovery
properties averaged 2.1 square feet per unit, with total storage space for all material generated of nearly 6
square feet per unit. High-recovery multifamily properties were defined as those that had a minimum of 50%
of its waste collection capacity dedicated to recycling or organics and for which waste staff or the property
manager reported good resident participation in available recycling programs.
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Strategy 5.08. Provide technical assistance, targeted education, and toolkits for
multifamily and commercial customers
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Provide technical assistance and free resources during site visits, assist properties with service
level changes, and develop a property manager toolkit. In the next waste collection contract,
include stronger outreach provisions and establish performance metrics with penalties. Require
the waste collector to engage with multifamily properties once a year and commercial properties
every two years.
Actions
● Require the contracted waste collector to provide technical assistance that uses best
management practices such as social marketing strategies and onsite evaluation of current
collection capacity; container co-location, color, and signage; contamination levels; and
ease of access.
● Develop free resources to offer during site visits such as multilingual signage, container
decals, and indoor collections containers. Make signs available online in multiple sizes as
PDFs.
● Develop a property manager toolkit (including sample lease language).
● In the next waste collection contract, include stronger provisions to ensure contracted
waste collector implements required level of outreach and education.
● Develop technical outreach metrics to measure contracted waste collector’s performance
with associated penalties for not meeting performance goals.
● Create a schedule for visiting all multifamily properties once a year and all commercial
customers every two years to account for property manager, resident, and employee
turnover and ensure properties are receiving ongoing support.
● In the next waste collection contract, consider requiring the waste collector to pay an
education fee to the city to cover all costs of city-provided waste education and outreach.
● Help properties request service level changes from the contracted waste collector.
● Work with property managers to provide site-specific waste prevention and recycling
education materials to residents and tenants upon lease signing and/or at the time of move
in and move out.
● Augment contracted waste collector ’s outreach with city-managed multifamily program
that uses social marketing strategies and best management practices.
● Work with property managers to initiate site-specific improvements such as increased
lighting or locked/controlled access to waste enclosures to discourage illegal dumping and
increase the safety of residents and staff.
● Encourage sharing of organics containers by adjacent commercial customers that have
space constraints.
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Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
Strategies for only commercial customers
Strategy 5.09. Provide technical assistance to schools for recycling, organics
collection, and waste reduction
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Develop a model purchasing guide for schools and offer educational sessions on recycling and
food waste programs for students. Partner with schools and King County’s Green Schools Program
to create effective recycling and food waste initiatives that identify and address barriers on
campus.
Actions
● Develop model purchasing guide or policy for schools that addresses products such as
bagged milk with reusable cups, reusable dishes, and recycled content office paper.
● Offer classroom or assembly-wide education on recycling and using food well. Include
information on the value of compost and how it is used.
● Partner with schools and King County’s Green Schools Program to develop programs on
recycling and using food well. Identify barriers on campus and provide assistance where
needed (potentially in conjunction with the school’s environmental club).55 Consider
collaborating on waste-related grants such as King County’s Re+ grants.
● Share with schools the city’s best practices for sustainable purchasing.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
55 Clark County, Washington can serve as a model program.
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Strategy 5.10. Coordinate outreach with city utilities and departments to provide
integrated customer assistance for commercial customers
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Coordinate outreach with city “pipe” utilities and other departments to provide integrated
assistance to customers, including waste enclosure guidance from the city’s Development
Services Division. Develop a "welcome packet" for new businesses in Renton.
Actions
● Coordinate outreach with relevant city utilities and departments to offer integrated
assistance to customers. One potential partner is Development Services for providing
waste enclosure guidance and review.
● Develop business “welcome packet” for businesses new to Renton, like the move-in/move-
out packet for new multifamily residents.
Timeframe
Begin Years 7-10
Strategy 5.11. Explore partnerships to connect with the business community
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Collaborate with the Renton Chamber of Commerce, other business organizations, and
businesses with strong sustainability programs. Publicize relevant waste-related grants to the
business community.
Actions
● Consider partnerships and collaborations with the Renton Chamber of Commerce, Renton
Downton Partnership, and other business organizations, as well as businesses with well-
established sustainability programs, to engage the business community in sustainable
waste prevention and management.
● Publicize to the business community any relevant waste-related grants, such as King
County’s Re+ Circular Economy grant and the NextCycle Washington grant.
● Consider collaborating with commercial customers and community groups on waste-
related grants such as King County’s Re+ grants.
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Timeframe
Begin Years 7-10
Strategy 5.12. Develop and implement commercial recognition programs
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Promote local waste prevention leaders.
Actions
● Partner with the departments of Communications & Engagement and Community &
Economic Development to promote local waste prevention leaders.
● Consider partnering with the EnviroStars regional green business program to develop case
studies and promote businesses with successful waste reduction and recycling programs.
Timeframe
Begin Years 7-10
Goal 6. Increase recycling of non-standard recyclable items
Strategy 6.01. Expand and support collection opportunities of non-standard
recyclables for residents. Recycle recoverable material collected through bulky
curbside collection.
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Support and expand year-round collection opportunities, including drop-off sites, additional bulky
waste collection, and collection during multifamily moveout. Recycle collected metal and
appliances.
Actions
● Redirect recycling event resources to further promote year-round drop-off opportunities.
Build on King County’s “What Do I Do With” website to add additional locations in Renton
(such as more auto parts stores that accept motor oil for recycling).
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● Reduce but continue support for collection events until drop-off opportunities are widely
used.
● Support product stewardship for recycling bulky items such as mattresses, carpet, and
appliances with refrigerants.
● Explore a pilot program with multifamily property managers and the contracted waste
collector to provide one free bulky/excess waste collection at move-out to multifamily
residents to reduce dumping problems at multifamily enclosures.
● Require the contracted waste collector to recycle the non-standard recyclable items they
collect, such as batteries, small appliances, and mattresses in good condition. Require the
contracted collector to report to the city each month the tonnage of non-standard
recyclable items collected and the recycling processor that received them.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
Goal 7. Minimize and mitigate emissions associated with waste
collection
Strategy 7.01. Reduce vehicle emissions from waste collection
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Require the contracted waste collector to transition to electric collection and service vehicles.
Identify ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to city waste operations and
events.
Actions
● In the next solid waste collection contract, require the waste collector to transition to
electric collection and service vehicles.
● Analyze GHG emissions related to city operations and events and identify ways to reduce
emissions, such as reducing idling at collection events and electrifying city maintenance
vehicles used to collect waste.
● Assess whether one-sided road collection 56 of single-family waste carts is feasible in some
neighborhoods.
56 In Olympia, WA, residents place all waste carts on one side of the street: City of Olympia, Waste ReSources
Management Plan: Toward Zero Waste, 2023-2040.
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Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Goal 8. Manage programs using high-quality data
Strategy 8.01 Require independent waste collector registration and reporting
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Adopt a waste collector registration and reporting ordinance requiring collection companies other
than the city’s contracted waste collector to provide their annual tonnage of recyclables and
organic waste.
Actions
● Implement a waste collector registration and reporting ordinance requiring collection
companies other than the city’s contracted waste collector to provide their annual tonnage
of recyclables and organic waste collected in Renton.57 Ensure that standardized definitions
of waste sectors and streams are used to ensure consistent data across waste collectors
and over time.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
57 The City of Seattle requires all waste collectors operating in the city to report what they collect:
https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/about/reports/solid-waste/recycler-annual-reports.
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Strategy 8.02. Obtain Renton-specific contamination data from contracted waste
collector
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Require waste collector to provide monthly data on its quality assurance program for recyclables
and organics and to analyze the program to enhance outreach efforts. Measure actual recycling
and organics diversion through tracking residuals and contamination levels. Require the waste
collector to conduct periodic Renton-specific waste characterization studies.
Actions
● Require the contracted waste collector to report monthly on contamination in recyclables
and organics. Require reports to include the number of contaminated containers by
customer account, material stream, and contaminant, as well as recurring contamination
issues.
● Analyze and use data collected from the contracted waste collector’s on -board truck
technology to identify customers and neighborhoods with the greatest number of
contamination issues. Develop targeted customer outreach using this data.
● Take steps to measure real recycling and organics diversion such as tracking and
documenting recycling and compost facility residuals, measuring contamination in sorted
bales of recyclables and finished compost, and conducting periodic material
characterization studies of recyclables and organics collected in Renton.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
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Strategy 8.03. Track and report waste generated by city operations
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Use performance fees to ensure the contracted waste collector provides tonnage reports for city
operations and events. Track quantity and capture rates for certain types of city-generated waste.
Actions
● Add performance fees to the next contract waste collection contract for when the waste
collector does not report monthly tonnages from city operations and events.
● Track total quantity and capture rates for other forms of waste generated by city operations,
such as electronics and expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) as well as surplus items.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
Strategy 8.04. Track and report compost procurement activities
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Collect compost procurement data for reporting to the Department of Ecology and for resident
information.
Actions
● Develop practices for collecting data regarding compost procurement for reporting to the
Department of Ecology. Use this data to inform residents about compost use by the city.
Timeframe
Begin Years 1-2
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Strategy 8.05. Develop annual zero waste report to track progress
Incentives and funding Policies and regulations Education and outreach Collection system
Summary
Create a reporting plan that outlines key metrics and data sources. Develop a quality control
approach for waste collector-supplied data. Expand data reporting over time and incorporate
additional waste collector reporting requirements as needed.
Actions
● Develop a reporting plan that identifies key metrics and data sources (both currently
available and in the future).
● Develop an approach to conduct quality control for data provided by the contracted waste
collector.
● Conduct reporting using currently available data.
● Expand progress report as more data become available.
● Include additional reporting requirements in the next waste collector contract as needed.
Timeframe
Begin Years 3-6
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Tracking Progress
This section recommends metrics and methods to help Renton track progress on the goals in this
Zero Waste Plan. The recommendations balance obtaining key tracking information with the cost of
obtaining that information. The city can track progress on many of these goals using data that are
readily available (for data currently available, see “Appendix D: Current Data and Metrics” on page
103). However, to track progress on the other zero waste goals, the city needs to implement the
strategies in Goal 8. Manage programs using high-quality data starting on page 86.
Metrics Using Existing Data
Metric 1: Single-family and multifamily waste generation rate and tonnage
This metric tracks progress against King County’s goal of no more than 20.4 pounds per capita per
week for residential garbage, recycling, and organics combined. Renton can use tonnage data
reported by its contracted waste collector and population data from the city’s Economic
Development Division. As of December 2023, Renton residents generated 15.0 pounds per week.
Metric 2: Single-family and multifamily garbage disposal rate and tonnage
This metric tracks progress against King County’s goal of no more than 5.1 pounds per capita per
week for residential garbage alone. Renton can use tonnage data reported by its contracted waste
collector and population data tracked by Renton’s Economic Development Division. As of
December 2023, Renton residents disposed of 7.0 pounds per week.
Metric 3: Non-residential garbage disposal rate and tonnage
This metric tracks progress against King County’s goal of no more than 4.1 pounds per employee
per week for non-residential garbage alone. Renton can use tonnage data reported by its
contracted waste collector and labor force data tracked by Renton’s Economic Development
Division. However, King County’s goal includes construction and demolition debris, but Renton
does not have complete data on these tonnages. As of December 2023, Renton businesses using
curbside collection service disposed of 13.5 pounds per week.
Metric 4: Overall recycling rate
This metric tracks progress against King County’s interim goal of a 70% recycling rate. Renton is not
currently able to fully calculate this metric because tonnage data for recycling and organics from
its contracted waste collector only includes tons from Renton’s contracted waste collector and not
privately collected tons from commercial customers. Strategy 8.01 will provide the additional data
needed for this metric.
Currently, Renton has complete data from its contracted waste collector for single-family and
multifamily customers, so the city can calculate a recycling rate for residential customers. As of
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December 2023, the single-family recovery rate was 65% and the multifamily recovery rate was
15%. If the budget allows before implementing Strategy 8.01, Renton could supplement existing
tonnage data with phone surveys of businesses that Renton’s contracted waste collector confirms
are not using its recycling service.
Metric 5: Percentage of customers with recycling and organics containers
Strategies 5.02 and 5.03 propose that the city adopt an ordinance requiring all customers to
subscribe to recycling and organics services. Renton’s single-family customers subscribe to
recycling and organics at high rates (99.9% and 98.5%, respectively), but multifamily and
commercial customers subscribe at much lower rates (94.2% recycling and 6.8% organics
subscription rates for multifamily, and 67.3% recycling and 4.8% organics subscription rates for
commercial).58 This metric tracks the percentage of customers in each sector who have recycling
and organics containers.
The city can use customer billing data reported by its contracted waste collector as well as
mandatory reports from the collector about why each customer without service does not have it.
Once Strategy 8.01 is implemented, the city can also incorporate subscription data from non-
contracted waste collectors.
Metric 6: Percentage of customers who received basic education and outreach
This metric tracks how many customers from each sector receive basic waste education each
year. Renton can use outreach data reported by its contracted waste collector or tracked directly
for city-provided education. Renton’s contract requires its waste collector to contact every
multifamily property at least once per year and every commercial customer at least once every two
years. No multifamily or commercial engagement was reported by Republic Services in 2021, 2022,
or 2023. In 2024, Republic Services reported calling seven multifamily properties (as of September
2024) and did not report any commercial engagement.
Metrics Using New Data or Modeling
Metric 7: Non-residential waste generation rate and tonnage
This metric tracks progress against King County’s goal of no more than 42.2 pounds per employee
per week for non-residential garbage, recycling, and organics combined. Renton is not currently
able to fully calculate this metric because tonnage data for recycling and organics from its
contracted waste collector include only tons from Renton’s contracted waste collector and not
privately collected tons from commercial customers. Implementing Strategy 8.01 will provide the
missing data needed for this metric.
58 Republic Services. City of Renton Monthly Report. September 2024.
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If the budget allows before implementing Strategy 8.01, Renton could supplement tonnage data
with phone surveys of businesses that Renton’s waste collector confirms are not using its recycling
or organics service.
Metric 8: Contamination rates for recycling and organics
This metric reports the overall percentages of unwanted materials in each stream. If data allow,
knowing the composition of contamination can inform future education and outreach.
Renton-specific contamination data are not available. Currently, Renton relies on reports from its
contracted recycling processor (which reflect average contamination across all of the processor’s
customers) and King County’s periodic studies (reflecting average countywide contamination).
Implementing Strategy 8.02 will give Renton more reliable, Renton-specific information.
Metric 9: Capture rates for materials accepted for recycling and organics collection
Recoverable materials with low capture rates present an educational opportunity to increase
recycling. Achieving capture rates of 90% or higher for all materials would mean that the city has
reached a peak and could consider new types of recycling and source reduction programs.
Renton-specific data on the composition of garbage, recycling, and organics are not available.
Instead, Renton can conduct modeling by applying Renton’s tonnage data to composition data
from King County’s periodic countywide study. As part of Goal 8, Renton could contract for
additional sampling during King County’s periodic countywide study to obtain more reliable,
Renton-specific data.
Metric 10: Percentage of garbage made up of recoverable materials
Recoverable materials found in large quantities in the garbage stream present an educational
opportunity to increase recycling. A low percentage of recoverable materials in the garbage would
signify that the city has reached a peak and could consider new types of recycling and source
reduction programs.
Similar to capture rates, Renton-specific data are not available. Instead, Renton could use waste
composition data from King County’s periodic countywide study and consider contracting for
additional sampling during King County’s periodic countywide study to obtain more reliable,
Renton-specific data as part of Goal 8.
Metric 11: Percentage of multifamily and commercial customers with adequate
recycling and organics
This metric tracks whether waste enclosures have adequate recycling and organics capacity,
conveniently co-located waste containers, clearly labeled waste containers, and clear signs about
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what is recyclable and compostable.59 Data could be collected during outreach to these
customers, such as while implementing Strategy 5.08.
Metric 12: City operations waste generation and capture
These metrics track the quantity and capture rates for waste generated by city operations and
events using monthly data reported by the city’s contracted waste collector. These metrics track
total tonnages of garbage, recycling, and organics collected. They also track quantities of specific
waste generated by city operations, such as electronics, expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam), and
surplus items. Obtaining data for these metrics requires implementing Strategy 8.03.
Annual Zero Waste Report
Strategy 8.05 recommends developing an annual zero waste report that tracks progress on
Renton’s Zero Waste Plan. The report should include:
● Updates on implementing each strategy
● Information regarding compliance with any city-adopted waste policies (including the
sustainable purchasing policy and compost procurement ordinance)
● Metrics recommended in this Tracking Progress section
● Any new metrics developed as part of implementation
The annual report could also summarize the waste prevention and management budget and actual
spending (aligned with Goal 1).
59 McKenna Morrigan, “The Path Toward Progress,” Resource Recycling, January 2016.
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Appendices
Appendix A: Key Terms and Definitions
Term or Acronym Definition
Capture rate The percentage of recoverable materials (such as cardboard) that is
successfully sorted into the appropriate container. It is calculated by
dividing the tons of material collected for recycling or organics (minus
contaminants) by the tons of all the recycling or organics placed in any
of the waste containers.
Commercial Businesses, institutions, governmental agencies, and non-residential
customers who generate waste.
Contamination rate The percentage of the recycling or organics stream that is made of
contaminants (such as garbage or plastic bags).
EPR Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a mandatory type of product
stewardship that, at a minimum, extends the manufacturer’s
responsibility for its product to managing that product and its packaging
after the consumer is done with them.
GHG Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,
and fluorinated gases.
Multifamily People living in multifamily properties (residential buildings with three
or more housing units) whose household waste is collected by Renton’s
contracted waste collector.
Organic waste /
organics
Yard waste, food scraps, food-soiled paper, and certified compostable
packaging.
Product stewardship A system where those who produce, sell, use, or dispose of a product
assume responsibility for the product’s environmental, health, social,
and economic costs throughout the product’s life cycle. The producer
has the greatest ability to minimize adverse impacts, but other
stakeholders share responsibility.
Recoverability
potential
The percentage of waste collected as garbage that could have been
recycled or composted. The potential is calculated by dividing the tons
of recyclable or compostable material placed in the garbage container
by the total tons of all materials collected in the garbage container.
Recovery rate The percentage of generated waste that is placed in recycling and
organics containers. The rate is calculated by dividing the tons of
material collected for recycling and organics by the tons of all waste
collected.
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Term or Acronym Definition
Single-family People living in single-family properties (single dwelling units and
duplex homes) whose household waste is collected by Renton’s
contracted waste collector.
Solid waste / waste All materials discarded including garbage, recyclables, and organic
waste.
Waste hierarchy The hierarchy ranks the various management strategies from most to
least environmentally preferred. Washington’s waste hierarchy starts
with waste prevention and source reduction, followed by recycling or
composting, and then responsible disposal.
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Appendix B: Waste Prevention Public Education Campaigns
This appendix summarizes previous public education campaigns led by the City of Renton.
School Workshops on Household Hazardous Waste
From the mid 1990’s through 2008, the city conducted 306 workshops at elementary schools
throughout Renton on how to identify, safely store, and properly dispose of household hazardous
waste. City staff recruited elementary school teachers by asking them if they wanted a workshop
for their class. As part of the workshop, students often received Mr. Yuk stickers to label hazardous
products at home, a handout on proper disposal of household hazardous waste, and a “green
cleaning” recipe card. Over 7,300 elementary school students participated in these workshops.
Natural Yard Care
The city has offered a variety of educational opportunities promoting natural yard care. Natural
yard care is an environmentally friendly approach to lawn and garden care that promotes practices
such as conscientious watering, home composting, and gardening without pesticides, herbicides,
or chemical fertilizers. The following programs occurred between 2001 and 2024:
• 2001 to 2005 – Natural Yard Care Neighborhood Program: Before 2001, the city offered
garden tours and workshops related to natural yard care. In 2001, the city developed a program
for neighbors to learn together about natural yard care. Each year, households in two
neighborhoods were recruited to participate in four to five hands-on workshops. The program
brought 34 to 36 households to learn together each year—often in each other’s homes—about
landscape health, reducing pesticide and herbicide use, and reducing the amount of yard
waste set out for pick up. The program was successful in building supportive communities of
neighbors that could help one another practice natural yard care techniques.
• 2006 to 2012 – Resident Workshops: To educate more residents about natural yard care, the
city shifted to classes that any Renton resident could attend. From 2006 to 2012, the city
hosted 13 natural yard care workshops for over 400 participants. Each workshop covered a
specific natural yard care topic such as gardening with native plants, natural pest control, and
watering wisely. Attendance surveys showed that most attendees learned new information at
the workshops and planned to practice the new natural yard card techniques they learned.
• 2012 to 2016 – Spanish Workshops: In 2012, the city started offering natural yard care
workshops in Spanish. From 2012 to 2016, 19 workshops were offered in English and 9
workshops were offered in Spanish.
• 2016 to current: After 2016, the city shifted to offering other types of educational programming
related to hazardous waste, such as using less toxic cleaning products, instead of natural yard
care classes. In 2020, the city began offering natural yard care classes to residents again.
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Eco Film Series
In 2016, the city organized a three-part film series in partnership with a local non-profit to
showcase three environmental issues: food waste, plastic waste, and stormwater pollution. Each
film showing was followed by a panel discussion with speakers from local agencies and
organizations. In total, 173 attendees attended the three films. The city also conducted informal
surveys of the attendees and encouraged them to submit pledges to do sustainable practices,
such as using shopping bags and reducing food waste.
In 2017, the city’s Solid Waste Utility spearheaded another three-part Eco Film Series focused on
food waste, plastic waste, and textile waste. The goal of the series was to inform, educate, and
inspire Renton residents to take actions regarding waste prevention. Each film screening also
included a talk or hands-on activity that reinforced waste prevention. A total of 81 people attended
the films. The food waste event, featuring a local chef who offered tips on how he reduces food
waste, was the most well attended.60
“Bring Your Own Bag” Campaign
In 2018, the city led a “bring your own bag” campaign to encourage the public to bring reusable
bags when shopping. Businesses could obtain free printed signs to encourage customers to bring
reusable bags. The campaign included outreach events at local retailers, as well as an event at the
local farmers’ market to upcycle a t-shirt into a reusable shopping bag.61 The city also conducted a
public survey of those who shop and live in Renton on their attitudes towards plastics bags and
how they are used or disposed. The city offered a free reusable bag as an incentive for those who
completed the survey.
60 City of Renton, 2017 Eco Film Series.
61 City of Renton. “Bring Your Own Bag.”
https://rentonwa.gov/city_hall/public_works/utility_systems/solid_waste_utility/bring_your_own_bag/
(Accessed June 2018).
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Appendix C: Strategy Prioritization Analysis
The potential impact of each strategy was determined by estimating its effect on five criteria: waste
reduction, contamination reduction, climate mitigation, more or better service for Renton
customers, or movement up the waste hierarchy toward zero waste. These criteria and the three
impact thresholds (low, medium, and high) are provided in the table below.
IMPACTS Low Medium High
Waste
Reduction
Affects a marginal
tonnage of materials
(e.g., only city facilities'
waste)
Affects a moderate
tonnage of materials
(e.g., recyclables from
only some generators)
Affects a high tonnage
of materials (e.g., all
recyclables and
organics, all curbside
collection)
Contamination
Reduction
Marginal reduction in
recycling or organics
contamination
Small reduction in
recycling or organics
contamination
Meaningfully reduces
recycling or organics
contamination
Climate
Mitigation
No appreciable climate
impacts
Focuses on materials
with a moderate GHG
impact (materials other
than those identified for
High impact) or
minimally reduces
climate impacts
Focuses on preventing
or recovering materials
with a high GHG impact
(food, organics,
aluminum) or
meaningfully reduces
climate emissions
associated with waste
collection (e.g., fleet
electrification)
Customer
Service
(all sectors)
No or minimal service
expansion
Expands existing
services or affects only
some per sector (e.g.,
some single family,
some multifamily, or
some commercial
customers)
Provides a new service
to an entire sector (e.g.,
all single family, all
multifamily, or all
commercial customers)
Waste
Hierarchy
Addresses disposal
only
Addresses recycling or
organics
Addresses waste
prevention or likely to
substantially increase
recycling or organics
quantities
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The resource needs for each strategy were estimated by assessing the strategy against four criteria:
staffing, funding, political capital, and any offsetting improvements in efficiency or funding
sources.
RESOURCES Low Medium High
Staffing Can be pursued without
an increase from
current staff levels
< 100 hours in the start-
up year OR < 50 hours
per year ongoing
No specialized staffing
skills
Moderate staff time
needed to start or
consistent staff
allocation needed over
a long period
100-400 hours in the
start-up year OR 50-200
hours per year ongoing
Specialized staffing
skills needed
Requires hiring
additional FTEs
and/or new staff
skillsets
Funding
(Expenses and
Rate Impact)
< $75,000 in startup
year OR
< $50,000 ongoing
annual expenses
No rate impact—can be
covered by non-
competitive local grants
$75,000 - $200,000 in
startup year OR
$50,000 - $100,000
ongoing annual
expenses
Ongoing annual expenses
in this range will increase
rates 0.2 to 0.4% if no
costs are covered by
grants
> $200,000 in startup
year OR
> $100,000 ongoing
annual expenses
Ongoing annual expenses
in this range will increase
rates 0.4%+ if no costs
are covered by grants
Political
Capital
Popular with customers
(education, positive
incentives, new
services), or at least
neutral
Neutral or requires an
investment of some
capital (such as minor
mandatory strategies
like requirements to
subscribe to service).
May also require
ongoing engagement
with another agency or
organization to
implement.
Politically unpopular
(such as major
mandatory strategies
like disposal bans with
enforcement) and/or
requires challenging
ongoing engagement
with another agency or
organization to
implement.
Efficiency
Improvement
or New Funding
Improves city
operations, reduces
costs, or accesses new
funding sources (such
as grants)
Neutral or small
impacts
Neutral or negative
impacts
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Matrix Display
The strategies have been mapped onto the following matrices, which are grouped by estimated
impact level and resource needs. Within each matrix, the strategies are further ordered by their
proposed timeframe.
High Impact Strategies
LOW Resource Needs MEDIUM Resource Needs HIGH Resource Needs
1.02. Maintain awareness of
Renton’s state-mandated
requirements (Years 1-2)
1.01. Fund all ongoing aspects
and mandates of the waste
program through customer
rates (Years 1-2)
3.01. Support equitable reuse,
repair, and sharing
opportunities for residents.
(Years 1-2)
2.01. Advocate for product
stewardship and EPR (Years 1-
2)
3.02. Encourage reuse and
require recycling and organics
collection at large public
events (Years 1-2)
4.01. Standardize colors of
garbage and organics
collection containers (Years 1-
2)
4.03. Select a recycling
collection method that
balances ease for the
generator, collection cost, and
contamination potential (Years
1-2)
3.03. Support and increase
edible food rescue and
donation (Years 1-2)
4.04. Ensure recyclables are
going to responsible end
markets (Years 1-2)
6.01. Expand and support
collection opportunities of
non-standard recyclables for
residents. Recycle recoverable
material collected through
bulky curbside
collection (Years 3-6)
4.02. Reduce contamination
through collection
operations (Years 1-2)
5.01. Implement rate structure
that incentivizes recycling and
organics separation and
disincentivizes disposal (Years
1-2)
8.02. Obtain Renton-specific
contamination data from
contracted waste
collector (Years 1-2)
5.02. Require subscription to
recycling collection service for
all customers (Years 1-2)
5.03. Require subscription to
organics collection service for
all customers (Years 1-2)
5.04. Require customers to
recycle or compost target
materials, or implement
disposal bans (Years 1-2)
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LOW Resource Needs MEDIUM Resource Needs HIGH Resource Needs
5.07. Require new and
improved multifamily and
commercial properties to
provide sufficient space for
recycling and organics
collection (Years 1-2)
7.01. Reduce vehicle
emissions from waste
collection (Years 1-2)
8.01. Require independent
waste collector registration
and reporting (Years 1-2)
5.05. Develop and implement a
broad multi-year education
campaign for waste reduction,
recycling, and organics
collection (Years 3-6)
5.08. Provide technical
assistance, targeted
education, and toolkits for
multifamily and commercial
customers (Years 3-6)
Medium Impact Strategies
LOW Resource Needs MEDIUM Resource Needs HIGH Resource Needs
8.04. Track and report
compost procurement
activities (Years 1-2)
3.05. Educate residents and
commercial customers on
topics such as on food waste,
toxics reduction, and textiles
donation (Years 3-6)
1.03. Use grant funding for
discrete one-time or time-
limited activities and pilot
programs (Years 3-6)
5.06. Conduct education and
outreach to ensure food waste
is not landfilled (Years 3-6)
2.02. Require best practices
for waste prevention in city
facilities (Years 3-6)
5.09. Provide technical
assistance to schools for
recycling, organics collection,
and waste reduction (Years 3-
6)
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LOW Resource Needs MEDIUM Resource Needs HIGH Resource Needs
2.06. Recover edible food
from internal and city-
sponsored events (Years 7-10)
8.05. Develop annual zero
waste report to track
progress (Years 3-6)
Low Impact Strategies
LOW Resource Needs MEDIUM Resource Needs HIGH Resource Needs
3.04. Require contracted
waste collector to use
recycled content in billing
statements and waste
carts (Years 1-2)
4.05. Reduce contamination
through regional
partnerships (Years 1-2)
8.03. Track and report waste
generated by city
operations (Years 1-2)
2.03. Implement a sustainable
purchasing policy for the
city (Years 3-6)
2.04. Maximize recycling and
organics captured from city
facilities (Years 3-6)
2.05. Conduct waste
prevention and recycling
trainings for city
employees (Years 3-6)
2.08. Inform the public of the
city’s zero waste
practices (Years 7-10)
5.10. Coordinate outreach
with city utilities and
departments to provide
integrated customer
assistance for commercial
customers (Years 7-10)
5.11. Explore partnerships to
connect with the business
community (Years 7-10)
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Appendix D: Current Data and Metrics
This appendix summarizes the waste-related information available to Renton along with relevant
data and metrics used by the city, King County, and the state of Washington.
Current Renton Data
The city’s contract with its waste collector (currently Republic Services) requires the company to
report the following types of information:
● Customer and billing metrics (monthly and annually):
Number of customer accounts by sector (single-family, multifamily, commercial, and
drop -boxes) and by service level (e.g., container sizes, extra services).
Customer receipts and billings.
List of customers who are out of compliance with Renton’s mandatory collection
requirements.
Summary of customer metrics consistent with quarterly fee-reporting requirements of
the Hazardous Waste Management Program.
● Tonnages collected (monthly and annually):
Tonnages by material stream (garbage, recycling, organics) and sector (single-family,
multifamily, commercial).
Names of receiving facilities and tonnages by material stream delivered to each facility.
Tonnages related to city services and events.
● Fees, markets, and recycling contamination (monthly and annually):
Disposal and processing fees.
Recyclables market prices.
Recycling contamination levels and processing residues disposed of as garbage.
● Customer education and outreach efforts (monthly and annually):
Description of efforts and accomplishments by sector (typically measured by event
attendance or number of people reached during an outreach visit).
● Customer interactions (monthly and annually):
A log of customer requests, complaints, inquiries, and site visits.
● Customer phone and website support and usage (monthly and annually):
Various customer service statistics related to call volume and response times.
Various customer statistics related to website and online billing usage.
● Vehicle accidents and infractions (monthly and annually).
● Multifamily and commercial customer recycling and organics services (annually):
List of multifamily complexes and commercial customers eligible for but not receiving
recycling and organics service and reasons each customer is not receiving service.
Efforts made to promote recycling and organics services to these customers.
● Highlights, opportunities, and challenges (annually):
Highlights and measures taken to resolve problems, increase efficiency, and increase
participation and volume related to recycling and organics.
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Opportunities and challenges expected in the coming year, along with associated steps
the waste collector will take related to them.
● Lists related to equipment (annually), including inventory of vehicles, major
equipment, and containers, along with information on container change-outs and
maintenance.
● Customer usage of the annual curbside cleanup program (annually).
● Ad-hoc reports (up to 12 per year, requiring no more than 200 staff hours to complete).
● Daily route information for all services, sectors, and collection streams for the purpose
of evaluating potential collection system changes (if requested).
The City of Renton also tracks various metrics related to grant-funded programs, such as customer
education and outreach efforts and collection events. Metrics typically relate to:
● Number of people or vehicles participating in outreach or events.
● Number of tons collected at recycling collection events.
● Level of understanding on a new topic or commitment to a strategy.
Current King County Data and Metrics
King County regularly conducts countywide waste characterization studies to measure the quantity
and composition of waste generated in the county. Reports are available at
https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/waste-services/garbage-recycling-compost/solid-waste-
planning-monitoring/solid-waste-monitoring.
These waste characterizations include waste from Renton, but not enough samples are taken from
Renton to provide a reliable composition estimate of Renton’s waste.
King County’s 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (CSWMP), in which the City of
Renton participates, identifies several goals and targets.62 The county’s overall waste prevention
and recycling goal is to achieve zero waste of resources by 2030. The county defines zero waste of
resources as eliminating the disposal of materials with economic value. The county plans to
achieve this goal through “a combination of efforts in the following order of priority: waste
prevention and reuse; product stewardship, recycling, composting; and beneficial reuse.” Targets
associated with this goal are presented in Table 14.
62 King County. 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan. 2019.
https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/waste-services/garbage-recycling-compost/solid-waste-planning-
monitoring/comprehensive-solid-waste-management-plan
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Table 14. King County Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan Targets
Metric King County’s Target
Residential waste generation rate 20.4 pounds per capita, per week by 2030
Non-residential waste generation rate 42.2 pounds per employee, per week by 2030
Residential waste disposal rate 5.1 pounds per capita, per week by 2030
Non-residential waste disposal rate 4.1 pounds per employee, per week by 2030
Overall interim recycling rate 70% (interim goal)
Greenhouse gas emissions from disposed
waste
To be determined, using 2007 as baseline
The Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County also sets goals related to the
management of moderate risk wastes. Renton, as a member city, is responsible for implementing
actions and services related to the Hazardous Waste Management Program’s goals to manage
moderate risk wastes.
Current Washington State Solid and Hazardous Waste Plan
At the state level, Washington’s State Solid and Hazardous Waste Plan includes many goals and
actions related to sustainable materials management.63 The state plan encourages using waste
generation metrics instead of recycling rates but does not set quantitative targets. Summaries of
state goals relevant to Renton’s efforts include:
● Identify additional mechanisms for financing recycling, diversion, and waste reduction
programs (Goal SWM 1).
● Local government waste management programs support the waste management hierarchy
and meet residents’ needs (Goal SWM 3), including actions related to environmental
justice, equity, and document accessibility.
● Reduce waste generation by residents and businesses (Goal SWM 4), which includes an
action to highlight waste generation data instead of the recycling rate.
● Increase end use of curbside-collected and other recyclables (Goal SWM 5) through actions
that include minimizing contamination.
● Reduce food entering the disposal system and increase the quantity of discarded food
managed according to the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy (Goal SWM 13).
● Increase use of environmentally preferable products and services (Goal RIMP 2).
● Expand product stewardship programs (Goal RIMP 3).
● Track data on the environmental impact of materials to inform decisions (Goal DATA 3),
including statewide characterizations of garbage, recycling, and organics.
63 Washington State Department of Ecology. The State Solid and Hazardous Waste Plan: Moving Washington
Beyond Waste and Toxics. 2021. https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/SummaryPages/2104050.html
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Past progress reporting has included the following key metrics that could also be applied at a city
level to monitor materials management programs and assess year-to-year changes within Renton’s
waste program:64
● Waste generation in total, per capita, and per dollar of gross domestic product (GDP)
● Organics materials generation in total tons and percentage recovery rate
● Curbside recycling access
● Statewide recycling rate
● Waste composition and value of disposed recyclables
64 Washington State Department of Ecology. Solid Waste & Recycling Data. https://ecology.wa.gov/research-
data/data-resources/solid-waste-recycling-data