NextCycle Washington announced project selection for the Renew Seed Grants that provide up to $10,000, along with technical support and growth planning for early-stage projects focused on expanding waste prevention, repair, reuse, recycling, and composting in the state. In addition to funding, the program offers mentorship from community leaders and industry subject matter experts, and access to its professional network. Participants in NextCycle Washington can be entrepreneurs or start-ups, small businesses, established corporations, community-based organizations, non-profits, or a collaboration of entities.
“King County has made a commitment and is actively supporting businesses that focus on expanding waste prevention and material reuse, repair, or recycling,” said Andy Smith, Recycling and Environmental Services Manager at King County Solid Waste Division. “The NextCycle Washington program has helped to identify businesses, that with mentorship and funding, will have a positive impact on Washington’s circular economy.”
The 41 projects were selected for a total of over $400,000 in Renew Seed Grants. Projects range in focus from a pilot project introducing reusable containers and community organizations expanding food waste recovery efforts to feasibility studies exploring the development of community repair hubs and businesses developing new products from recycled plastics.
Projects funded by King County (in alphabetical order):
- Bennion Construction (Lake Forest Park, Wash.): Deconstruct, salvage, and recycle materials (including fixtures and framed structure) from old homes in Seattle and King counties.
- Minty Made LLC (Seattle, Wash.): Expand Green Marketing Academy to train and educate businesses, organizations, and agencies on utilizing sustainable, ethical, inclusive and accessible marketing practices.
- N8madic, Inc. (Mercer Island, Wash.): Create prototype of portable smart storage-furniture product made of recycled plastics.
- Refugee Artisan Initiative (Seattle, Wash.): Support the transport, cleaning, storage, and delivery of retired fire houses to skilled refugee and immigrant women artisans for upcycling.
- Sage Conservation (Seattle, Wash.): Expand service to low income multi-family housing to maintain, repair and upgrade plumbing (versus replacement) conserving water and diverting materials from landfill.
- Sledge Seattle LLC (Mill Creek, Wash.): Research, prototype, and showcase re-milling of reclaimed old growth lumber.
- South King Tool Library (Federal Way, Wash.): Develop course modules, surveys, assessments, and processes to build a Tool Library Incubator Program for community-based organizations to use as a guide in developing their own lending programs.
- Sustainable NE Seattle (Seattle, Wash.): Research and plan for a Reuse Commons in North King County that houses a suite of reuse- and repair-focused services.
- The Chayah Movement (Federal Way, Wash.): Create a pilot internship program focused on improving environmental and ethical impacts of the fashion industry.
- Vashon Care Network (Burton, Wash.): Enhance the Vashon Care Closet that loans durable medical equipment to Vashon-Maury Island residents, through developing an online ordering system, recruiting a native Spanish speaker liaison, and improving other support activities.
- Zero Waste Washington (Seattle, Wash.): Conduct market and feasibility analysis for furniture repair project utilizing rescued, damaged furniture items from the public and partner organizations.
Projects funded by Washington Departments of Ecology and Commerce: (in alphabetical order):
- Art Salvage (Spokane, WA): Expand hands-on creative material reuse education for youth in Spokane.
- Biomethane, LLC (Spokane, Wash.): Convert sewage and landfilled organics into carbon neutral and negative renewable natural gas (RNG).
- Columbia Springs (Vancouver, Wash.): Create a paid internship series targeting underrepresented youth in the Environmental Leadership Program, part of the Repair Clark County program.
- Community Gearbox (Bainbridge Island, Wash.): Expand app allowing organizations to gather, share, track and maintain resources and equipment.
- Diaper Stork LLC (Seattle, Wash.): Test cloth diaper service to include use of sphagnum moss in compostable diaper inserts.
- Duwamish Valley Sustainability Association (Seattle, WA): Develop engineering schematics for installation and operation of a biodigester in partnership with a local food rescue warehouse.
- Encora, LLC (Seattle, Wash.): Conduct reusable foodservice takeout container pilot at university campus.
- Fair Winds Winery (Port Townsend, Wash.): Work to build support, educate and advance opportunities for developing a wine bottle reuse system in Washington state.
- GeerGarage (Seattle, Wash.): Develop new website and software functionality to scale peer-to-peer outdoor gear rental service.
- Glass Packaging Institute (Arlington, Va.): Develop hub and spoke system to aggregate and transport glass bottles from central Washington to recycling markets in Western Washington and Portland.
- Leaping Sheep Farm (Tonasket, Wash.): Conduct pilot program utilizing food waste from Tonasket School District for vermicomposting.
- Making Difference Foundation (Tacoma, Wash.): Conduct pilot program to assist black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) food growers and rescue food for consumption by food insecure populations.
- Methow Recycles (Twisp, Wash.): Develop community hub in Methow Valley to include repair workspace, materials reuse store, share library, and educational workshops.
- Okapi Reusables (Mountain View, Calif.): Expand reusable to-go cups program into Washington cafes.
- Papas Small Engine Repair and Sales (Port Townsend, Wash.): Developing an apprentice training program in small engine repair and increasing resale of used lawn equipment.
- Point Roberts Organics Society (Point Roberts, Wash.): Establish a program to repurpose and redirect valuable organic waste streams into soil products.
- Pumped Bellingham (Bellingham, Wash.): Launch home and self-care products subscription service utilizing a container and packaging return program.
- RE Sources (Bellingham, Wash.): Expand RE Store’s Community Jobs Training Program to include design and fabrication using reclaimed materials.
- Restaurant 2 Garden (Seattle, Wash.): Expand program that composts local restaurant food waste into fertilizer and redistributes to the community.
- RPM eco (Blainville, Quebec): Collect empty plastic lubricant containers (primarily vehicle products) in the Seattle area and recycle them into high-quality resins using closed loop wastewater system.
- Simonpietri Enterprises LLC (Kailua, Hawaii): Conduct scoping study on developing production plant in the Seattle-Tacoma area for converting construction and demolition debris into sustainable aviation fuel.
- Spokane Zero Waste (Spokane, Wash.): Conduct feasibility study with Art Salvage for textile-focused repair café in Spokane.
- Terra Preta NW (Spokane, Wash.): Conduct a life cycle analysis to certify carbon sequestered from biochar produced from paper mill byproduct in Port Townsend, WA.
- The Mousery (Langley, Wash.): Create a mobile reuse classroom equipped with tools, a library and creative reuse supplies serving schools, libraries, and families on Whidbey Island.
- Washington Conservation Society (Bow, Wash.): Scale the Farm Tool Library providing small and aspiring farmers and gardeners, including Latinx and BIPOC residents, with free or low-cost access to specialty tools.
- Waste Loop (Leavenworth, Wash.): Assess the viability of a Creative Reuse Center for materials, such as textiles and mixed paper, that would otherwise be sent to the landfill.
“NextCycle Washington is taking action to accelerate recycling ideas and businesses that will have a positive impact on creating a circular economy that aligns preserving our environment with a strong economy,” said Laurie Davies, Manager of the Solid Waste Management Program Manager for the Washington State Department of Ecology.
The program structure was developed utilizing a co-design process with representatives of community groups, businesses, and local and state governments to ensure inclusive and accessible opportunities to a diverse range of organizations. Organizations with BIPOC, women, veterans, LGBTQIA2+, or disabled leadership account for 72% of projects selected for this cohort.
“The NextCycle Washington Seed Grants provide an opportunity for diverse organizations to create sustainable communities by strengthening economic vitality throughout the state,” said Kirk Esmond, Sustainable Business Development Manager with the Washington State Department of Commerce. “We’re excited for this phase of the program, which exemplifies NextCycle Washington’s equitable approach to engaging organizations as they innovate and develop recycling solutions to advance the circular economy.”
Funding for NextCycle Washington is provided through King County’s Solid Waste Division, Washington Department of Ecology, Washington Department of Commerce, and Seattle Public Utilities. Technical support and program management is provided by Resources Recycling Systems (RRS), Cascadia Consulting Group, Start Consulting, and Traversal Designs.