Recycling and Waste Prevention Services

Waste Management provides recycling services free of charge to its Tukwila residential customers in single-family homes, apartment and condominiums. Single-family residents may sign up for service directly with Waste Management. Apartment and condominium residents check with their building manager, and ask them to contact Waste Management. An additional fee is charged to collect yard waste and food scraps.

Many materials are recyclable or compostable. Here are complete lists of where items go:

• Garbage
• Recycling
• Composting (yard waste and food waste)

Contact Waste Management for information on recycling in your apartment, condominium, or single-family home. Waste Management can also be reached via phone at 1-855-TUKWILA (1-855-885-9452).

Hazardous Materials

To learn more about household hazardous materials and proper disposal, visit the King County Local Hazardous Waste Management Program.

Waste Prevention

Recycling is Good: Waste Prevention is Better

Recycling saves resources, but preventing waste is even better. Waste prevention is any activity that reduces, avoids, or eliminates waste at its source. Waste prevention saves us the hassle and costs associated with controlling, treating, and managing products after we are done with them.

Other Suggestions:

• Keep your mailing lists current
• Cancel junk mail
• Cancel catalogues
• Cancel phone books

Residential Collection Event

Each spring, the City of Tukwila, in conjunction with King County, hosts an annual special event for all Tukwila residents to drop off “hard to recycle” items for recycling and reuse. Information on date, location and materials accepted is mailed to all Tukwila residents prior to the event. Rain barrels and/or compost bins are sold to Tukwila residents at reduced cost.  (See the News and Events section below for the event date).

Two “cleanup” events are sponsored by the City of Tukwila in the summer and fall for Tukwila residents who are customers of Waste Management. Residential solid waste customers will receive mailings with specific information prior to the events.

Tukwila Annual Garage Sale

Each summer, Tukwila hosts a community-wide garage sale for Tukwila residents to promote reuse, recycling and community-building. Tukwila residents hold garage sales at their homes across the city on a single weekend. The City of Tukwila provides a free recycling information kit for each participant, and publicizes the sale with ads listing of sale sites in local newspapers, and on the City’s website. Residents receive sign-up information through the mail, and on Tukwila’s website.

Composting at Home

Tukwila residents can sign up for yard waste and food scrap collection at home for a fee through Waste Management. Some residents, however, prefer to use yard waste and fruit/vegetable scraps to make compost, a useful soil amendment for the garden.

For more detailed information about the benefits of composting, and recipes to make compost, visit the following sites.

• King County Composting
• Seattle Public Utilities Composting Questions and Answers
• Tilth Alliance
• Northwest Garden Hotline:  – Call 206-633-0224 to talk with a gardening expert.

For help in recycling, buying recycled, or preventing waste, please contact the City of Tukwila Recycling Coordinator at (206) 433-7141 or recycle@tukwilawa.gov.

Business Recycling Resources:

Tukwila businesses may choose the recycler that best suits their needs from among those that serve the city. All Businesses in the City of Tukwila that have garbage service through Waste Management are eligible for recycling dumpsters or carts and service at no additional cost. Businesses are eligible for recycling 150% of the level of their garbage service. To find out which items are recyclable and which are garbage, visit these links:

• Commercial and Industrial Recycling
  

Waste Management also provides compost (yard waste and food waste) collection for a cost. Here is a complete list of what is accepted as part of this service.

For specialty item recycling and a complete list of all recyclers that service Tukwila, see the Business Recycling Guide.

See the Environmentally Preferable Products Purchasing Guide for help in “greening” your business.

Business Recycling Program Assistance

The City of Tukwila’s Business Recycling Program can help your company or your tenants save money and prevent waste by starting or improving on-site recycling, waste prevention or “buy recycled” programs. All assistance is without cost. We can help your business:

• Begin or improve a recycling program
• Identify current recycling rates
• Increase recycling collection volumes and minimize disposal costs
• Identify recycling opportunities for unique or challenging materials.
• Provide recycling education to employees, janitorial service providers and tenants. Outreach can include presentations or booths by recycling experts.
• Furnish materials such as guides and stickers listing what can and cannot be recycled to place on recycling containers or recycling containers(when available)
• Promote resource conservation, waste prevention and buying recycled-content products.

Our goal is to help you achieve a minimum 50% recycling rate! Please contact the City of Tukwila Recycling Coordinator at (206) 433-7141 or recycle@tukwilawa.gov  for more information.

Your Tukwila business can receive recognition for its recycling, waste prevention, and “buy recycled” achievements.

Tukwila Green Works Program

Join the City of Tukwila’s Green Works Program and receive recognition for your business’s recycling efforts!  By becoming a Tukwila Green Works member, you are also eligible to be recognized with the City’s “Recycler of the Year” award.

Your Business can become a Tukwila Green Works Members by:

• Practicing three or more waste prevention strategies,
• Recycling at least 40% of waste materials
• Purchasing at least three sustainable products with recycling content (for example, recycled paper).

As a Tukwila Green Works member, you will receive:

• A letter of appreciation from the Mayor of Tukwila.
• A framed certificate of recognition.
• Recognition in a Tukwila publication/website.

Joining the Tukwila Greenworks program is easy!  Just complete a simple application.

Here’s how to obtain a Greenworks application:

1. Call 206-433-7141
2. Email  recycle@tukwilawa.gov
3. Download the Tukwila Green Works Application in PDF format.

Tukwila “Business Recycler of the Year” Award

Each year, the City of Tukwila chooses its “Tukwila Business Recycler of the Year” from Tukwila Green Works applicants. Tukwila Green Works members are automatically entered for consideration as the “Recycler of the Year, and are judged by the City to determine the best candidate. The “Tukwila Business Recycler of the Year” receives recognition through the City of Tukwila website, and is presented with special award to display at their business. See past winners here.

2022 Business Recyclers of the Year

          Seattle Chocolate Company (Tukwila, WA)

Achievements:

• 61% recycling rate
• Make recycling and composting easy by placing easily accessible, clearly labeled containers throughout their facility
• Set up specialty recycling programs for plastic film, steel drums, shredded paper, and pallets
• Compost food and paper towels through a local composting facility
• Use compostable foil wrappers on their truffles, and provide recyclable packaging for most other products
• Use ingredients that are sustainability sourced
• Implemented goals of reducing their overall carbon footprint by 10% each year

EnviroStars Program

King County’s Best Workplaces Program has been replaced by the EnviroStars green business program.  EnviroStars allows self-tracking for all aspects of sustainability, including recycling and waste reduction, storm water, energy use, water conservation, transportation and hazardous waste.

EnviroStars is a free, one-stop online hub for Washington businesses to get information, assistance, free resources and recognition for actions that protect the environment and employee health and safety.

Visit EnviroStars.org or call the EnviroStars Hotline at 1-877-220-7827 for information or application assistance.  The hotline offers free multilingual assistance for Spanish /  Español, Vietnamese / 㗂越, Mandarin / 官话, Russian / ру́сский язы́к, Tagalog, Korean / 한국어, Amharic / አማርኛ, and Somali / ˜اَف صَومالي