Thinking Green at WM's Cascade Recycling Facility

Just how far must our recyclables go to arrive at the largest recycling sorting facility of its kind on the West Coast? Just a short distance away—to Woodinville! Waste Management's recycling facility is the next spotlight of my Eastside Green Series.

This opportunity to learn more about Waste Management (WM) showed up when I met one of their representatives, Kathy Mantz, at the Redmond Lights event in December. I thought their company would be good to blog about since they deal with the recyclables for us Eastsiders, and also I was curious what happens to our recyclables when they go away on those big green trucks. 

After an invite to their single stream recycling facility, I began my online research of WM. From the information I found, I realized WM was not just in the business of recycling, but their business was green to the core, or at least quickly transitioning that way. 

Upon arriving at the facility in Woodinville and making my way to the visitor entrance, I was entranced by the rhythmic sound that was a cross between rainfall and chains hitting the ground. Beyond that was a complex hum, my first hint of how intricate the operations were inside.

Once upstairs, I was welcomed by my tour guide host Kirstin. Having given the tour many times before, Kirstin went on to explain how the facility worked.  We were soon out touring the facility.

From the moment we stepped out there, I felt like we were on some Disney park ride that could be placed inside a Salvadar Dali painting.  There were conveyor belts moving on the left, on the right, at levels below and in many of the nooks and crannies in between!  Machines of varying sizes and types met the belts at different intervals.  Dispersed around were personnel fine-tune sorting and offering quality control.

When I was telling my 7-year-old son about the machines later that day, he commented, "Oh, they are using science to sort the different materials."  Indeed they are, and some of the most advanced sorting technologies around. From screens that take the surface area of the material into account, to magnets, wind tunnels, reverse polarized magnets and the newest laser sorting machine technologies, this facility has a well-planned design to process recyclables at an impressive rate. And this rate is a good thing, for they sort the recyclables for six counties, including all of King County.

While the end markets extend as far as the Pacific Rim, a large portion of it ends up in Washington state. For instance glass is sent to Seattle to be turned into wine bottles. So when you buy the "Post-Consumer Market" goods, you can feel good about completing the loop in recycling. My Starbucks cup in front of me right now has printed on it, "This cup is made with 10% post-consumer recycled fiber." Even better is the sleeve that says, "This sleeve is made with 60% post-comsumer fiber." By purchasing these goods, we are helping to drive the markets that accept recycled material! 

Once Kirstin and I returned to the room, I was convinced that WM's transition from a garbage to an environmental solutions company was more than just a tag line. Although their business is in waste and recyclable processing, they have thought beyond the immediate monetary returns of having more to process to the less tangible upside benefits of doing what is right for the environment and their neighbors.

WM's mission and philosophy is illustrated in its website's "The Plastic Bag" and The Garbage Patch" environmental videos. They point out to first reduce and reuse, before recycling. From a poster illustration they educate that reusing a container saves about 20 times more energy than recycling a plastic container.  

This type of philosophy is also why Kirstin represents the company. She says, "I am an environmentalist at heart. At the same time I am all about having the comfortable lifestyle." She also says she understands that it comes from somewhere, but she urges people to just have a conscious life and think about what you are doing.

She was inspired when she was 5 years old by her kindergarten teacher who happened to be a big nature enthusiast. Her classroom experience that year included watching salmon eggs from Issaquah's hatchery hatch in her classroom, grow to be adult fish, and as a class field trip they were set free in a stream. She was soon getting her parents to recycle more at home.

It was clear from talking with her and wondering what to recycle and what not to that WM had a somewhat relaxed attitude about it and thus, why it provides the single bin to collect all recycling in the first place. The company would rather encourage residents and businesses to recycle more and would rather have them feel good about what they are recycling than fault them on what they would rather have them not recycle. If they were to make a few suggestions of what "not" to recycle, the top three on their list would be 1. Shredded Paper, 2. Grocery Bags and 3. Medical syringes.

Residential shredded paper is unsortable and the market is limited because the grain size is so reduced. They recommend putting the shredded paper that does not contain plastic (envelope windows and credit cards) in yard waste recycling containers or composting containers.

Loose grocery bags jam up the equipment and although they do have a slight market value, it is not worth the nuisance of having them in the facility. They will do what they can with them when they do come through, but would prefer that they are taken back to the grocery stores for recycling there.

Kirstin suggests that for parents who want to involve their children in simple ways to help the environment, one of the ways is to involve them in recycling. Recycling is a great and tangible way for children to see they are making a difference. Unlike turning off lights to see they are saving power, they can tell that if things go in this bin it ends up in a landfill and if it goes in this bin it goes to be recycled.

Another simple suggestion she has is to give kids the job of remembering to bring the reusable bags to the grocery store. We all forget to bring the bags and end up with a shelf full of them at home. It is a great way to cut down on single-use grocery bags and gives kids a sense of responsibility at the same time. Waste Management has some great resources for kids on its website, including fun activities, links and book ideas. 

Tours are available on a limited basis to the public. Now having been on one myself, I know what makes a material recyclable. I also know that Waste Management has gone beyond managing waste. It is making strides toward finding the best solutions for the environment overall. I am also starting to notice a trend on how much influence early environmental education can have on our youth and how I can initiate some of that in my own household.

More pictures of Cascade Recycling Facility available on Darsi Fouillade's blog: http://ecoeastside.blogspot.com/2012/01/thinking-green-at-wms-cascade-recycling.html