Redefining State-of-the-Art
Expectations of what a solid waste
transfer station should be have changed dramatically in the last few decades.
The focus on waste prevention and recycling, sustainable building, and reducing
greenhouse gases has raised the bar on what constitutes a state-of-the-art
facility.
Back in the
1960s, the concept of a regional transfer and disposal network in King County,
WA, grew out of a nationwide movement to impose stricter standards for the
protection of public health and the environment. Open, unlined community
dumpsites across the county were replaced with environmentally safe transfer
facilities, where garbage loads could be consolidated before transport to a
regional landfill.
Now, providing
safe transport and disposal is just one factor in the equation when designing
transfer facilities that are greener and cleaner, providing an array of
opportunities for recycling and reuse of materials that would otherwise make
their way to the landfill.
With more than
1.7 million residents, King County is the 14th most populous county in the
nation. King County’s Solid Waste Division serves 1.2 million of those
residents, spanning more than 2,000 square miles. This service area includes 37
of the 39 cities in the county, excluding the largest city (Seattle), which
operates its own system, and one of the smaller cities (Milton), which is served
by a bordering county. The division manages eight transfer stations and two
rural drop boxes dispersed throughout the region to serve both the cities and a
populous unincorporated area. The division’s facilities receive approximately 1
million tons of garbage a year through nearly 1 million transactions, including
garbage from curbside collection trucks and garbage and recyclables from
business and residential self-haulers.
After nearly 50
years of service, the division’s urban transfer stations are outdated. With a
threefold increase in population since the 1960s, larger collection trucks, and
more demand for recyclables services, the division’s urban transfer stations are
in dire need of change to accommodate a new age. With the help of the region’s
cities, haulers, advisory groups, and other stakeholders, the first of these
stations—the Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station—just opened its gates in
February 2008 to offer a new generation of transfer facility. The new Shoreline
station serves three growing cities and nearby unincorporated areas. In its last
full year of operation before reconstruction, nearly 60,000 tons of solid waste
passed through the facility by way of more than 115,000 customer
transactions.
The new
Shoreline station reflects the values of the host community. Its layout was
established after an iterative planning process with the community, during which
various concepts were proposed before a final site plan was established. The
public process and station design will serve as a model for future planning of
the division’s other urban transfer stations slated for construction between
2008 and 2016.
Grand opening
ceremonies for the new station were attended by citizens of the host and
surrounding communities, elected officials from King County and the City of
Shoreline, and other interested city officials and stakeholders from around the
region who were interested in a tour of this innovative station design.
The Shoreline
Recycling and Transfer Station was built to meet the highest standards of
environmental sustainability, and is the first transfer station built in the US
to be registered with the US Green Building Council. The council’s nationally
recognized rating system—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED)—evaluates buildings in the areas of protection of human and environmental
health, sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency,
materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design.
A few of the
many features incorporated in the Shoreline station design include the
following:
Natural daylighting—windows and skylights that allow natural light to filter into the
building. Sensors also detect the levels of daylight and adjust the lighting
accordingly. This feature has the potential to reduce annual energy use by as
much as 50%.
Solar energy—photovoltaic panels installed on the south-facing roof to generate
electricity even on cloudy days, providing about 5% of the building’s energy
needs.
Rainwater collection and reuse—rainwater collected from the rooftop is stored in tanks to provide water
for washing station floors and equipment and for flushing toilets. This feature
is expected to reduce water needs by 57%.
These and other
features are projected to earn the Shoreline station a Gold rating under the
LEED rating system, making it the first transfer station in the US to earn this
distinction.
Running through
the Shoreline site is Thornton Creek, which hosts a diversity of wildlife.
Protection of the creek was an extremely high priority for the community.
Therefore, the station design incorporates innovative systems to protect and
restore the creek corridor through several means:
- Invasive plants were replaced with a buffer of drought-tolerant native
vegetation to conserve water, protect creek banks from erosion, and provide
habitat for birds and other wildlife.
-
Paved areas were removed, and the buffer around the creek was
increased.
- Runoff from roadways was channeled to a stormwater filtration system and
detention pond; this system releases stormwater to the creek at a rate that
prevents erosion or flooding.
As a result of
these protective measures, during construction, water leaving the creek corridor
adjacent to the site was cleaner than it was when it entered the corridor.
An educational
kiosk, which features a mosaic representation of the creek made of recycled
glass, was placed overlooking the creek to communicate the key message that the
watershed is a resource shared by the community and to describe the green
building features of the station.
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The Shoreline
station was also designed to maximize capacity to accept recyclable materials.
The division met with the host city and three other nearby cities to determine
the list of commodities to collect initially at the new station. Materials added
for collection (in addition to the standard recyclables—mixed paper, cardboard,
newspaper, glass and plastic containers, and tin and aluminum cans) were clean
wood, organic materials, cell phones, scrap metal, and household batteries. The
capacity of the new facility for wood and organic materials equals the capacity
of the former station for garbage. And the station has the built-in flexibility
to accept more recyclable materials as markets continue to develop and customer
needs change.
In
summary, the new Shoreline facility reflects a change in how we plan for new
facilities—incorporating extensive community involvement; how we build
them—using the greenest elements possible; and how we operate them—increasing
recycling now, with the flexibility to expand as new markets emerge markets in
the future.
Author's Bio: Kevin Kiernan is director of the King County (WA) Solid Waste Division.
November-December 2008
Redefining State-of-the-Art
Expectations of what a solid waste
transfer station should be have changed dramatically in the last few decades.
The focus on waste prevention and recycling, sustainable building, and reducing
greenhouse gases has raised the bar on what constitutes a state-of-the-art
facility.
Back in the
1960s, the concept of a regional transfer and disposal network in King County,
WA, grew out of a nationwide movement to impose stricter standards for the
protection of public health and the environment. Open, unlined community
dumpsites across the county were replaced with environmentally safe transfer
facilities, where garbage loads could be consolidated before transport to a
regional landfill.
Now, providing
safe transport and disposal is just one factor in the equation when designing
transfer facilities that are greener and cleaner, providing an array of
opportunities for recycling and reuse of materials that would otherwise make
their way to the landfill.
With more than
1.7 million residents, King County is the 14th most populous county in the
nation. King County’s Solid Waste Division serves 1.2 million of those
residents, spanning more than 2,000 square miles. This service area includes 37
of the 39 cities in the county, excluding the largest city (Seattle), which
operates its own system, and one of the smaller cities (Milton), which is served
by a bordering county. The division manages eight transfer stations and two
rural drop boxes dispersed throughout the region to serve both the cities and a
populous unincorporated area. The division’s facilities receive approximately 1
million tons of garbage a year through nearly 1 million transactions, including
garbage from curbside collection trucks and garbage and recyclables from
business and residential self-haulers.
After nearly 50
years of service, the division’s urban transfer stations are outdated. With a
threefold increase in population since the 1960s, larger collection trucks, and
more demand for recyclables services, the division’s urban transfer stations are
in dire need of change to accommodate a new age. With the help of the region’s
cities, haulers, advisory groups, and other stakeholders, the first of these
stations—the Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station—just opened its gates in
February 2008 to offer a new generation of transfer facility. The new Shoreline
station serves three growing cities and nearby unincorporated areas. In its last
full year of operation before reconstruction, nearly 60,000 tons of solid waste
passed through the facility by way of more than 115,000 customer
transactions.
The new
Shoreline station reflects the values of the host community. Its layout was
established after an iterative planning process with the community, during which
various concepts were proposed before a final site plan was established. The
public process and station design will serve as a model for future planning of
the division’s other urban transfer stations slated for construction between
2008 and 2016.
Grand opening
ceremonies for the new station were attended by citizens of the host and
surrounding communities, elected officials from King County and the City of
Shoreline, and other interested city officials and stakeholders from around the
region who were interested in a tour of this innovative station design.
The Shoreline
Recycling and Transfer Station was built to meet the highest standards of
environmental sustainability, and is the first transfer station built in the US
to be registered with the US Green Building Council. The council’s nationally
recognized rating system—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED)—evaluates buildings in the areas of protection of human and environmental
health, sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency,
materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design.
A few of the
many features incorporated in the Shoreline station design include the
following:
Natural daylighting—windows and skylights that allow natural light to filter into the
building. Sensors also detect the levels of daylight and adjust the lighting
accordingly. This feature has the potential to reduce annual energy use by as
much as 50%.
Solar energy—photovoltaic panels installed on the south-facing roof to generate
electricity even on cloudy days, providing about 5% of the building’s energy
needs.
Rainwater collection and reuse—rainwater collected from the rooftop is stored in tanks to provide water
for washing station floors and equipment and for flushing toilets. This feature
is expected to reduce water needs by 57%.
These and other
features are projected to earn the Shoreline station a Gold rating under the
LEED rating system, making it the first transfer station in the US to earn this
distinction.
Running through
the Shoreline site is Thornton Creek, which hosts a diversity of wildlife.
Protection of the creek was an extremely high priority for the community.
Therefore, the station design incorporates innovative systems to protect and
restore the creek corridor through several means:
- Invasive plants were replaced with a buffer of drought-tolerant native
vegetation to conserve water, protect creek banks from erosion, and provide
habitat for birds and other wildlife.
-
Paved areas were removed, and the buffer around the creek was
increased.
- Runoff from roadways was channeled to a stormwater filtration system and
detention pond; this system releases stormwater to the creek at a rate that
prevents erosion or flooding.
As a result of
these protective measures, during construction, water leaving the creek corridor
adjacent to the site was cleaner than it was when it entered the corridor.
An educational
kiosk, which features a mosaic representation of the creek made of recycled
glass, was placed overlooking the creek to communicate the key message that the
watershed is a resource shared by the community and to describe the green
building features of the station.
The Shoreline
station was also designed to maximize capacity to accept recyclable materials.
The division met with the host city and three other nearby cities to determine
the list of commodities to collect initially at the new station. Materials added
for collection (in addition to the standard recyclables—mixed paper, cardboard,
newspaper, glass and plastic containers, and tin and aluminum cans) were clean
wood, organic materials, cell phones, scrap metal, and household batteries. The
capacity of the new facility for wood and organic materials equals the capacity
of the former station for garbage. And the station has the built-in flexibility
to accept more recyclable materials as markets continue to develop and customer
needs change.
In
summary, the new Shoreline facility reflects a change in how we plan for new
facilities—incorporating extensive community involvement; how we build
them—using the greenest elements possible; and how we operate them—increasing
recycling now, with the flexibility to expand as new markets emerge markets in
the future.