Waste and Recycling

Recycling Potential Assessment

Client: Whatcom County, WA

Cascadia assessed the recycling programs in effect in Whatcom County. This work resulted in recommendations for future program development. To complete this assessment, Cascadia determined current commercial waste generation, disposal, and recycling levels within the county, identified opportunities for and barriers to additional commercial recycling and waste prevention, defined and analyzed alternatives to increase the recycling rate and developed a recommended set of programs to reach the City’s recycling goals efficiently and cost-effectively. Work on this project involved developing a computer model of Whatcom County’s residential, commercial, self haul, and C&D waste streams.

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Cascadia began to immediately overhaul the way Resource Venture services were marketed, delivered, and tracked; ultimately resulting in superior outcomes. Among the dramatic changes we noted were (1) an increased level of accountability; (2) a more strategic focus; and (3) service documentation that demonstrated a more effective and efficient program. In particular, Cascadia’s “targeting and tracking” database made it possible to focus on the biggest commercial resources users with the greatest potential for conservation, and then measure their progress over time. The program’s unique targeted approach is extremely cost-effective; Cascadia has helped reduce the City’s program costs from about $100/ton diverted in 2006 to about $45/ton in 2008.

- Phil Paschke, Seattle Public Utilities