By Todd Burley
March 18th is Global Recycling Day! Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) supports Seattle’s goal to divert 70% of waste to recycling and composting. In fact, our department goal is to achieve 75% waste diversion, including 100% of non-weed organic waste. Managing waste in public settings is particularly challenging, yet SPR is dedicated to setting up systems and providing education to recycle and compost as much as possible.
How do we do it? In our nearly 500 parks, SPR is replacing old Rubbermaid bins as possible with our new standard metal bins that are similar to what Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and King County Metro use on streets. These secure bins are easily recognizable for waste (black), recycling (blue), and in compost (green) and have decals that share what goes in which bin.
Our goal is to ensure we have a recycle bin within site of all garbage bins, and ideally co-located next to each other. Compost bins are now located in all parks that host food vendors (or act like a food court).
Given the complexities of outdoor waste management and the desire to have recycling that is empty, clean, and dry, our decals highlight high value materials that are most likely to be present in our parks. Think of cans, bottles, and cups in particular. It is best if plastic clamshells and similar materials are brought home, rinsed out, and recycled there.
In community centers and other public buildings, our recycling and composting is more like in your home. SPR has prominent “tri-bin” systems with waste, compost, and recycle adjacent to each other, marked by visible signs that describe what goes into each bin. This system is supplemented by additional bins placed throughout the building. Not sure where your waste goes? Ask our staff!
Waste diversion in parks is a partnership with you! If too much garbage goes in the recycle bin, we can’t recycle the rest. If recycling or garbage ends up in the compost, it goes straight to the landfill. When out in parks or community centers, we hope our system will help you put your waste in the right bin and support our efforts to get to 75% waste diversion.
Want to learn more? SPU has a great Where Does it Go? Tool to learn about proper waste management.
Have any great ideas to help SPR divert waste? Send them to Todd Burley, Sustainability Advisor, at todd.burley@seattle.gov. Thanks for your partnership!