Re+ (zero waste)

King County's Re+ plan

Re+ is King County's approach to building a healthy environment and economy by reinventing our system of waste management. Our goal is to minimize waste by keeping valuable materials in use and out of the landfill. Through Re+, we're deepening our waste prevention and reduction methods. We're finding innovative ways to match materials with end markets. And in doing so, we're reducing climate emissions and helping create new opportunities in a greener economy.

Re+ mission

• Reducing single use items
• Reusing everything that can be
• Recycling what's left
• Renewing communities
• Rethinking what's possible

Re+ vision

Healthy, safe, and thriving communities in a waste-free King County

The big issue of waste

Almost 70 percent of the stuff sent to the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill each year could have been repurposed. Our current system is environmentally unsustainable and built without the input of the communities most affected. Materials like paper, plastic, metal and food waste have value that we can access through recycling, reusing or composting. In the face of our current environmental challenges, we can't afford to continue wasting finite resources. A systemic shift is needed to transition from a linear "throwaway economy" to one that prevents waste and makes better use of valuable materials.

Our approach

Re+ is reducing the amount of garbage that needs to be managed by keeping materials in use longer and recovering economically valuable resources that now get buried in a landfill. Re+ supports local action to achieve climate goals outlined in King County's Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP) and the King County-Cities Climate Collaboration (K4C) agreements.

Re+ is about building a solid waste system with input and collaboration of frontline communities – communities that often experience the earliest and most acute impacts of climate change and other impacts of our current waste system, face historic and current inequities, and have limited resources and/or capacity to adapt. We are working with community members to ensure our path to a circular economy is inclusive and brings historically overlooked voices to the forefront.

Below are the foundational Re+ actions that we're currently implementing. These actions focus on minimizing King County's environmental footprint, creating more green jobs, diverting waste from the landfill, and ensuring everyone in King County has equal access to efficient waste services. 

Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging and Paper Products

Securing commitments from businesses to take responsibility for product waste through fair and appropriate policies.

Find out more about Extended Producer Responsibility

Grants

Innovation Platform and Re+ Circular Economy Grants
Stimulating the waste-free economy through inclusive and equitable grants, technical support, and guidance.
Find out more about Innovation Platform and Re+ Grants

Re+ City Grants
A competitive grant program for King County cities to implement innovative zero waste and recycling programs.
Find out more about Re+ City Grants
Learn more about our Re+ funding opportunities

Statewide Organics Policy Legislation

Advancing state and county legislation that sends food and yard waste to be recycled so these important organic resources are kept out of landfills.

Find out more about statewide organics policy

Single-family Organics Collection

Optimizing collection services for food and yard waste collection for all single-family households in King County.

Find out more about single-family organics collection

Non-Residential Food Waste Recycling

Providing technical support to local businesses to help them keep their food waste out of the landfill and manage it as a resource.

Find out more about non-residential food waste recycling

Mixed Waste Processing

A "last screen" for capturing recyclables out of the waste stream.

Find out more about mixed waste processing

Community Panel

Bringing together diverse communities and voices to chart a path toward a more equitable, waste-free King County.

Learn more about the Re+ Community Panel

City/County Collaboration

Increasing collaboration between King County and King County cities to reach the zero waste goals of the region.

Learn more about Re+ city/county collaboration

Salvaged Lumber

Diverting clean wood from King County transfer stations for collection, salvage, and reuse.

Learn more

• Read the full Re+ Strategic Plan
• Read our report from the Re+ Task Force