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Draft 2011 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan

Draft Comprehensive Plan Download the Draft 2011 plan in PDF format. Determination of Nonsignificance King County Solid Waste Division issues a "Determination of Nonsignificance – Non Project Action" – available for review online.

• Brief Introduction to the Plan
• Comments
• Next Steps
• Documents
• Contacts

The Draft 2011 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan was prepared by the Solid Waste Division of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks in accordance with Washington state law Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 70.95. It presents proposed strategies for managing King County’s solid waste over the next 6 years, with consideration of the next 20 years. Draft policies, recommendations, and goals are presented for the following elements of solid waste management: system planning, waste prevention and recycling, solid waste collection and processing, the transfer system, landfill management and solid waste disposal, and system financing.

Brief Introduction to the Plan

Since its inception in the 1960s, the core mission of the King County Solid Waste Division has been to ensure that citizens in the county have access to safe, reliable, efficient, and affordable solid waste handling and disposal services. Over the last 20 years, that mission has expanded to integrate the principles of environmental stewardship and sustainable development into every aspect of solid waste management.

This Draft 2011 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan builds upon those principles in our facility designs, operations, and programs for the future. This is also the first King County solid waste plan to consider climate change impacts.

With this plan, the division is building upon past and current efforts to increase waste prevention and recycling and advance green building practices in the region’s communities and within our own operations. We continue to refine operational practices and facility designs in ways that further reduce our carbon footprint and promote the greening of our natural and built environments.

In 2006, the division published the Solid Waste Transfer and Waste Management Plan, which provides recommendations for upgrading the division’s aging transfer system, strategies for extending the lifespan of the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, and options for preparing the landfill for eventual closure. These recommendations, approved by King County Council in 2007, are further developed for implementation in this plan. First, the division has been moving forward on the renovation of the division’s urban transfer system to update station technology and incorporate green building features, increased recycling services, and operational efficiencies. Second, the division is pursuing all viable options for extending the useful life of the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill for as long as feasible. Owned and operated by King County, Cedar Hills is currently the most economical method for disposal of the region’s wastes. The division continues to monitor a wide range of options for disposal once the landfill reaches capacity and closes, including waste export to an out-of-county landfill and waste-to-energy and other conversion technologies.

Comments

The comment period on the preliminary draft plan was from Oct. 8, 2009 through Feb. 4, 2010. The division received a total of 21 comments during the comment period. During preparation of the final draft plan, the division considered each comment/question received and made modifications as necessary. These modifications are noted in the responsiveness summary in Appendix C of the plan. The division is no longer accepting comments on the plan.

Next Steps

The schedule for plan completion is as follows:

Documents

Download the full version of the Draft 2011 plan in low-resolution format for viewing
(Note: this is a very large file and may take several minutes to download, depending on connection speed)

• Draft 2011 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan (PDF, 7 MB)

Download chapters of the Draft 2011 plan in high-resolution format for printing
(Note: some of the following PDF files are very large file and may take several minutes to download, depending on connection speed)

• Plan Cover, Acknowledgments, and Table of Contents (PDF, 500 K)
• Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Common Terms (PDF, 300 K)
• Foreword (PDF, 200 K)
• Introduction (PDF, 1.8 MB)
• Solid Waste System Planning (PDF, 1.8 MB)
• Waste Prevention and Recycling (PDF, 3 MB)
• Collection and Processing (PDF, 2.5 MB)
• The Solid Waste Transfer System (PDF, 3.4 MB)
• Landfill Management and Solid Waste Disposal (PDF, 2.4 MB)
• Solid Waste System Finance (PDF, 2 MB)
• References (PDF, 1.2 MB)
• Appendices (PDF, 650 K)
• Environmental Checklist and Non Project Action Review Form (PDF, 304 K)
• Determination of Nonsignificance – Non Project Action (PDF, 133 K)

Public Comments Received on the draft 2009 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan
(Note: the following PDF files are very large file and may take several minutes to download, depending on connection speed)

• Comments A-F (PDF, 4.7 MB)
• Comments G-I (PDF, 13.2 MB)
• Comments J-W (PDF, 2.9 MB)

Hard copies of the plan can be purchased from the Solid Waste Division for $45 plus postage by contacting Tami Litras at 206-296-4398 or tami.litras@kingcounty.gov.

Contacts

For questions about the Draft 2011 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, please contact:

Thea Severn
Planning and Communications Manager
King County Solid Waste Division
Telephone: 206-296-4360, TTY Relay 711

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