Factoria Recycling & Transfer Station wins award

King County, Washington’s Factoria Recycling & Transfer Station earned a Best Project award in the 2018 Government/Public Building category from Engineering News Record Northwest (ENR).

ENR’s regional Best Projects program evaluates winning projects on the ability to overcome challenges; contribute to the industry and community; and the quality of project design, safety, and construction. Judges reviewed more than 30 projects located in Oregon, Alaska, and Washington.

“Our commitment to environmental and service excellence is reflected in this award,” King County Solid Waste Division Director Pat McLaughlin says. “I am proud of how our employees worked closely with the project contractors and construction crews to ensure customer service was not disrupted during the entire process. Also, the extraordinary recovery of resources from the site diverted 5,740 tons of debris from the landfill.”

The Factoria Recycling & Transfer Station Project was uniquely qualified for this award because the facility remained open to customers throughout the entire project, even during the demolition of three on-site structures and the construction of a new waste and recycle transfer building, a household hazardous waste (HHW) disposal facility, an administration building and numerous structural earth wall retaining systems.

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The project also achieved 95 percent diversion of construction and demolition debris during construction.

The 70,000-square-foot facility in Factoria offers a wide array of recycling services and a HHW facility giving customers a place to dispose of these materials in an environmentally responsible way— McLaughlin said is growing increasingly important with recent changes in the recycling market in China.

The Factoria Recycling and Transfer Station, which began operating in 2016, is certified as LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. The designation was earned for the facility’s sustainable design, recycled content building materials, rainwater harvesting, efficient energy and water use and more.

Read more about the Factoria Recycling and Transfer Station in the April issue of Waste Today.