Seattle Conservation News
You set a record!
Congratulations! You helped Seattle set a new record for recycling! In 2006, Seattleites recycled 47 percent of all their waste, up from 38 percent in 2003.
Business recycling climbed by 5.1 percentage points compared to 2005, and for the first time, businesses in Seattle are diverting more waste from the garbage than they are putting in, with a 51.7 percent recycling rate.
141,973 tons of paper were recycled by Seattle businesses in 2006, but there’s still more that can be done - paper makes up more than 20 percent of the 400,000 tons of garbage Seattle sends to a landfill every year.
Call Resource Venture at (206) 343-8505 or e-mail help@resourceventure.org to get free advice on how to cut down on your business’ waste – and improve your bottom line.
What's in your garbage?
Seattleites throw more than 400,000 tons of garbage into the landfill every year. The City of Seattle recently did a study on what businesses are throwing in the trash - and the results are surprising!
Food makes up 30 percent, or more than 60,000 tons, of commercial trash each year. Recyclable paper makes up more than 25 percent of the average Seattle businesses’ garbage.
Why waste a good thing? Contact your solid waste hauler or the Resource Venture at (206) 343-8505 for free advice on how to cut waste and improve the bottom line in your office.
We Want to Get to Know You
To ensure that we’re providing the best possible service to you, our customers, we want to find out what topics most interest you.
Please complete our short survey and you’ll be entered into our random drawing for a Vitrix water-efficient toilet, valued at $225.
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News & Upcoming Events
The Business Sustainability Committee of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce is looking to showcase the efforts of Seattle businesses who have implemented sustainable business practices in the office, retail/restaurant, transportation, hospitality, manufacturing, or building industries.
If you have implemented environmental, economic, or social sustainability practices and would like to advertise your efforts in a one page case study, please submit your case study to Bill Anderson at billa@seattlechamber.com or call (206) 389-7303 for more information and a list of questions to help guide your write-up.
April 3: Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change
Grand Hyatt Seattle
Click here for more info or to register
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The Space Needle Goes Compostable!
The Space Needle recently joined the hundreds of Seattle businesses that are cutting their garbage costs by having their food collected for compost instead of tossing it in the landfill.
The Space Needle began collecting food waste out of their kitchens and staff break-room in February 2008 following a staff training held during their annual two week closure.
Coupled with its enhanced recycling program, the Space Needle expects to divert an additional 130 tons of material from its waste in 2008.
Learn more about how you can cut greenhouse gas emissions while saving on your bottom line by visiting www.resourceventure.org. Waste Prevention and Recycling 
Waste prevention and recycling can save 20-30 percent on your business waste bills, bring you into compliance with Seattle’s paper, cardboard and yard debris recycling ordinance, reduce your carbon footprint and improve your company’s green image.
To learn how your organization can improve its recycling, visit the Resource Venture website or call (206) 343-8505.
Fight Climate Change: Recycle and Compost!
Recycling can reduce your business’ greenhouse gas emissions because less energy is needed to re-process recycled materials into new goods than is needed to process virgin materials.
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Recycling 1 ton of…
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Which fills…
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Can help divert…
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Food Waste
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Two
3 cu. yd. dumpsters
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0.93 Metric tons* of CO2 equivalent (MgCO2e)
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Mixed Recycling (cans, bottles, paper)^
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Three
3 cu. yd. dumpsters
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1.94 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent ( MgCO2e)
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^ Based on the composition estimate for the city's curbside recycling program
* A metric ton, a common measurement used for greenhouse gas emissions, is approximately 110 % the size of an American ton
Composting also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. When food decomposes anaerobically in a landfill, it creates methane, a potent climate-altering gas. The composting process, on the other hand, is aerobic and eliminates methane production. You are left instead with compost—a valuable product used for gardening and landscaping.
In 2007, Resource Venture helped Seattle businesses recycle or compost 2,745 tons of waste materials. We avoided putting 2,967 metric tons of carbon dioxide (MgCO2) into the atmosphere.
If businesses recycle or compost an additional 10 percent of waste this year (i.e. 3000 tons), we will have avoided putting the CO2 equivalent of 746 cars worth of tailpipe emissions into the atmosphere! Want to help? Contact Resource Venture, (206) 343-8505 to find out how.
Have a Beautiful Landscape and Save
If your business has an automatic, in-ground sprinkler system, the Saving Water Partnership has generous financial incentives and technical assistance to help you cut your summer water bills and improve the beauty of your landscape.
Be smart! Don’t pay more for waste collection than you have to. Find out how a food scrap recycling program can save you up to 30 percent of trash costs today!
For more information or to sign up, call Resource Venture at (206) 343-8505, or call one of Seattle’s three certified food waste hauling companies. • Allied Waste, (206) 332-7777 • Cedar Grove Composting, (206) 832-3089 • CleanScapes, (206) 341-9677
Help Fight Hunger in Seattle
You can help feed the estimated 50,000 people in Seattle who depend on food banks and meal programs. Find over 30 anti-hunger agencies in the city at: http://hungermaps.org/seattle/.
Protect our Waterways – Only Rain Down the Drain
The Seattle Stormwater Code prohibits anything but rain water from going into storm drains, which empty into our streams and rivers. Here are simple guidelines to prevent surface water pollution:
• Never pour, dump or wash anything into a storm drain or on the ground where it may reach a storm drain. This includes mop buckets, kitchen mats, concrete wash water, paint, soaps and other chemicals.
• Sweep up waste and debris — never hose it down or pressure-wash outdoor areas.
Stencil the message “Dump No Waste, Drains to Lake” next to your grates. Request a stenciling kit to get started at (206) 684-7624.
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