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King County announces new transfer station in Kirkland, providing modern recycling services for northeast King County residents
Summary
March 21, 2025 – King County announces the new Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station will be sited in the city of Kirkland. The new facility will replace the aging Houghton Transfer Station and provide expanded waste disposal and recycling services, while reducing environmental impacts, to serve the growing communities in northeast King County.
News
Today, King County’s Solid Waste Division announced the new Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station will be built in Kirkland. The planned recycling and transfer station will replace the aging Houghton station, built over 60 years ago, located in Kirkland. The newer, larger facility will serve the growing communities of Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, Sammamish, and unincorporated northeast King County.
The transfer station siting decision is informed by the final environmental impact statement (EIS), which was published on March 10. Other information, including but not limited to cost and socioeconomic analysis also factored into the siting decision. King County plans to begin the design phase of the project later this year.
The new, state-of-the-art facility will be designed to include equipment to reduce the number of commercial truck trips, technology to better control noise, odor, and dust, and environmental enhancement to restore local habitat.
The new recycling and transfer station will also offer more disposal options, such as food and yard waste, and expanded recycling services, supporting Re+, King County’s effort to recover nearly 70% of materials currently being sent to the landfill, reducing climate impacts in the process.
“Houghton is one of the busiest stations in King County’s system, but it lacks many of the modern recycling and disposal services available at our newer facilities,” said Solid Waste Division Director Pat D. McLaughlin. “This new transfer station, located in Kirkland will provide all the modern recycling and disposal services accessible to other county residents, while also reducing impacts on the neighbors and the environment.”
The new station will also contribute to King County’s climate goals, outlined in the Strategic Climate Action Plan. It will be designed and built to the latest environmental standards, featuring green design certifications to reduce energy consumption and emissions.
"This new station provides us a great opportunity, not only to enhance our recycling and disposal services, but also to do it in a way that reduces our greenhouse gas emissions in the process,” said McLaughlin. "We are committed to deep engagement with the City of Kirkland, community members, and the surrounding communities, and will be collaborative and responsive during design, construction, and operations once open."
Benefits of a modern recycling and transfer station
Use of solar panels along the roof line, recycled building materials and eco-friendly fixtures help create a carbon-neutral facility.
Walled-in structures contain air flow and enzyme misters neutralize odors within the facility.
Reduced noise pollution from equipment and vehicles by using enclosed-structure designs, landscaping and setbacks.
Compacting equipment reduces the number of trucks making trips to the landfill daily, reducing overall carbon emissions and transportation costs.
Dedicated space for recycling services prevents paper, glass, plastic, yard waste, scrap metal, wood, clothes, styrofoam and more from filling landfills and puts them back to use, reducing the need for raw material production.
Green stormwater infrastructure reduces runoff. Wheel sprays prevent trucks from carrying litter off-site.
Community amenities such as art installations, environmental enhancements, and additional public spaces.
Additional vehicle lanes, as well as a larger drop-off area results in reduced vehicle congestion on neighborhood streets.
Station siting decision is one step in community-led environmental review process
The new station will be built next to the existing Houghton Station, referred to as Alternative 1B in the FEIS, on land already owned by the County. This alternative will not require business relocation or property acquisition and will minimize service impacts on the existing Houghton station. Overall, the project costs for the Kirkland location are projected to be approximately 12% lower than the alternative located in Woodinville.
The decision to site the new station in Kirkland is the most recent milestone in a multi-year planning process. Public involvement has been an essential part of the environmental review and siting process for the new station.
Initial siting discussions began in 2019, when King County worked with a group of cities including Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Woodinville, as well as representatives from unincorporated areas, to develop siting criteria for the new station. During the following years, the county continued to work with cities, tribes, and community members to further refine the list of potential transfer station sites.
Throughout 2022 and 2023, the Solid Waste Division worked through the project scoping and environmental review process, gathering community input at multiple points along the process. The draft environmental impact statement was completed in February 2024, followed by a 62-day public comment period. The review analyzed elements such as air, water, wildlife, traffic and more on two potential sites, along with a “no action” alternative. The two sites were:
- A site composed of six properties in the 15000 block of Woodinville-Redmond Rd. NE in Woodinville
- The current Houghton Transfer Station property at 11724 NE 60th St. in Kirkland.
Earlier this month, the Solid Waste Division completed the final EIS for the Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station, which built on the analysis and public feedback from the draft EIS.
King County is committed to engaging with Kirkland and the surrounding community as the project design and construction moves forward. The Solid Waste Division will begin the design and permitting process on the station later this year, with construction expected to begin in 2028. Next steps will include the creation of a Design Advisory Group with a variety of community perspectives to help shape the design of the new facility.
Resources
- Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station online open house
- Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station project page
- Re+ program page
Quote
Houghton is one of the busiest stations in King County’s system, but it lacks many of the modern recycling and disposal services available at our newer facilities. This new transfer station, located in Kirkland will provide all the modern recycling and disposal services accessible to other county residents, while also reducing impacts on the neighbors and the environment. This new station provides us a great opportunity, not only to enhance our recycling and disposal services, but also to do it in a way that reduces our greenhouse gas emissions in the process. We are committed to deep engagement with the City of Kirkland, community members, and the surrounding communities, and will be collaborative and responsive during design, construction, and operations once open.
Contact
Joe Basile, Solid Waste Division, 206-819-4627