Northeast Recycling & Transfer Station Project

Public involvement

We want to make sure your values and concerns are represented. We want to hear your ideas about the siting, design, construction, and operation of a new station. There are several ways you can get involved:

• Sign up for our eNewsletter to learn about upcoming meetings, comment opportunities, and other ways to share input and help shape decision making.

• Ask a member on the project team to give a presentation to your organization or group.

• Because diversity leads to stronger decision making, we especially hope to involve people who have been historically underrepresented and underserved, including communities of color, Tribes, people with disabilities, immigrants, and people who speak English as a second language. 

We will continue to work with the public, providing opportunities for public input to ensure the new station is a good neighbor and community asset. Email us to ask questions, or to request information in alternate formats or languages.

Siting Advisory Group

In fall 2020, the project team recruited community representatives for the Siting Advisory Group (SAG), a community-based group that advises King County on where to site the new station and what to consider while making that decision. To ensure wide representation, the SAG is comprised of both appointed and at-large seats. Appointed seats were held for specific interests and organizations, and at-large seats were filled by community members through an application process. The SAG has 21 members.

Members of the SAG met regularly to learn about the siting process and provide their insights to the County. SAG members are expected to share information about the process with their communities. SAG members listen to community concerns and hopes and share them with the County throughout the site selection process.

See Project schedule for list of SAG meeting dates. All SAG meetings will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Meeting notes will be posted on this website after each meeting.

Environmental Review

The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) is intended to ensure that environmental values are considered during decision-making by state and local agencies. SEPA mandates a process to identify and analyze alternatives, potential environmental impacts, and mitigation measures associated with governmental decisions.

The Environmental Review for proposed sites for the Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station is underway. King County's Solid Waste Division has identified one site in Kirkland and one in Woodinville as potential locations for its Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station Project.

We will study the two sites, along with a no-action alternative, in a formal review process known as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The site alternatives that will be studied in the EIS include:

• The current Houghton Transfer Station property at 11724 NE 60th St. in Kirkland.
  Action Alternative 1A and 1B (1.5MB)
• A 12.9 acre-site comprised of six properties in the 15000 block of Woodinville-Redmond Rd. NE in Woodinville.
  Action Alternative 2
• Watch this video to learn more about the site selection process for this project
• Learn more about the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and the EIS

Next steps

The environmental review began with a process called scoping in the fall of 2022. During scoping, the public was able to share their thoughts on:

• Proposed siting alternatives
• Potential environmental impacts
• Potential community impacts
• Mitigation proposals to reduce or avoid impacts

King County is preparing a Draft EIS that will be available for public review and comment in early 2024. The EIS will identify and analyze:

• Probable adverse environmental impacts of the project
• Reasonable alternatives 
• Possible mitigation options 

We will continue to work with the public during the siting, design, and construction of the project to understand and respond to questions and concerns.

The Solid Waste Division Director will take the results of the environmental review, financial information, the equity impact report and the socio-economic analysis into account when making the final decision on the location for the future northeast recycling and transfer station.