Northeast Recycling & Transfer Station SEPA overview

Project introduction

Replacing the Houghton station will make recycling, food, and yard waste disposal more convenient and accessible and will help keep reusable materials out of the landfill.

Wherever it is located, a new Northeast Recycling & Transfer Station will have fewer impacts than the current Houghton station.

King County transfer stations are where residents, businesses, and waste haulers bring garbage, yard waste and recyclable materials. Currently, trash and recycling haulers, residents, and businesses within northeast King County use the Factoria and Houghton transfer stations to dispose of these items. After disposal, garbage is taken to the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, recyclable materials are trucked to private companies and made into new products, and yard waste is taken to Cedar Grove where it is converted into compost.

The Houghton Recycling & Transfer Station in Kirkland is one of the Solid Waste Division’s busiest transfer stations, but it lacks many services and has outlived its useful life. Because of this, the need for a new station was identified in the 2019 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, which was adopted by 24 cities and the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Needs and benefits

Wherever it is located, the new Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station will actually have fewer impacts than the current Houghton Station.

• Trash compacting equipment will make hauling more efficient and reduce the number of commercial trucks needed to move garbage to the landfill. It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle exhaust.
• A new station would be built to the latest environmental standards, featuring green design certifications to reduce energy consumption and emissions.
• A new station will be enclosed and equipped with technology to control dust and odors.
• In line with King County’s Re+ efforts, a new station would offer food and yard waste disposal, where it can be diverted from the landfill and turned into compost and used to enrich soil throughout King County. Because methane generated from food and yard waste is a leading greenhouse gas contributor, finding ways to divert it from the landfill is one of our top priorities.
• A new station would include environmental improvements such as wetlands/habitat enhancements and creek daylighting to offset any impacts identified in the EIS that may happen at the site once it's built. This is called mitigation and improvements will vary depending on which site is selected. Examples of other mitigation measures on county capital projects include roadway or sidewalk improvements, recreation opportunities such as trail enhancements or play areas, environmental education and community meeting space, and enhanced architectural features such as bioswales.
• A new, modern station closer to your business would make recycling and waste disposal more convenient for you and your suppliers and vendors.

Schedule/timeline

What’s next?

• Q3 2025 to Q3 2027: Design and Permitting
• 2027 to 2029: Construction
• 2029: New Recycling & Transfer Station Opens

Alternatives

Scroll through this section to learn about key features and impacts for each of the alternatives that were studied. The site for Alternative 1 is located at 11724 NE 60th Street in Kirkland. Alternative 1 included two options:

• Alternative 1A
  A facility constructed after the existing transfer station building is closed and demolished; and
• Alternative 1B
  A facility constructed while the existing transfer station building is open and operating, and then closed and repurposed or replaced after the new station is open.
• Alternative 2
  The site for Alternative 2 – Woodinville is located on six tax parcels in the 15000 block of Woodinville-Redmond Road NE in Woodinville on parcels 1526059086, 5711600010, 5711600020, 5711600030, 1526059094, and 1526059095.
• No Action Alternative
  Under the No Action Alternative no changes would be made to the current Houghton Transfer Station.

Addendum to the Final EIS

• Final EIS Addendum, March 2025

Final EIS

• Section 0: Final EIS Summary
• Section 1: Introduction and Background
  This section includes the Final EIS table of contents, fact sheet, executive summary, and introduction and background.
• Section 2: Alternatives
  This chapter reviews and summarizes the alternatives studied in the EIS.
• Section 3: Affected Environment, Potential Environmental Impacts, Mitigation Measures, and Significant Unavoidable Adverse Impacts
  This chapter is broken out into each environmental element and includes a summary of the analysis for each alternative.
• 3.1 Earth
• 3.2 Air
• 3.3 Water
• 3.4 Hazardous Materials
• 3.5 Wetlands
• 3.6 Vegetation, Fish, and Wildlife
• 3.7 Energy and Natural Resources
• 3.8 Environmental Health
• 3.9 Land and Shoreline Use
• 3.10 Noise
• 3.11 Aesthetics, Light, and Glare
• 3.12 Historic and Cultural Resources
• 3.13 Transportation
• 3.14 Public Services and Utilities
• Sections 4-7
  References, distribution lists, glossary, authors
• Appendices
• Appendix A: Air Assessment
• Appendix B: Water Assessment
• Appendix C: NERTS Hazardous Materials Assessment Part 1
• Appendix C: NERTS Hazardous Materials Assessment Part 2
• Appendix D: Critical Areas Assessment
• Appendix E: Noise Assessment
• Appendix F: Visual Assessment Part 1
• Appendix F: Visual Assessment Part 2
• Appendix G: Cultural Assessment
• Appendix H: Transportation Assessment Part 1
• Appendix H: Transportation Assessment Part 2
• Appendix I: Reasonably Foreseeable Future Projects
• Appendix J: List of Birds for Bridge Trails
• Appendix K: NERTS Siting Summary
• Appendix L: DEIS Comment Responses
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Appendix M: Fuel Use Assessment
• Appendix N: List of Birds for Sammamish River Trail

Draft EIS

For a more detailed overview of the assessment, please explore the Draft EIS Executive Summary (also available in Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Hindi). You can also dive deeper by jumping into the full Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Both the Executive Summary and full Draft EIS are available as a downloadable PDF. Please contact us at northeast@kingcounty.gov or 206-477-4466 if additional accessibility resources are required.

Thank you

Thank you for engaging with the NERTS project during the SEPA process! We look forward to continuing to work with the public as we move forward in the next steps of the siting process. Please continue to check the project website regularly for updates on our progress.