Issaquah Honored as 'Innovative Recycler of the Year'

For pioneering a green retail experience, the City of Issaquah has been named the state's Innovative Recycler of the Year by the Washington State Recycling Association, according to a city news release.

Issaquah, in partnership with waste services provider CleanScapes, shaped a retail experience designed to help residents reduce waste and increase recycling.

The resulting Rethinking Stuff Store in Gilman Village offers recycled, recyclable and up-cycled goods, including durable housewares and gifts.

The store also functions as a walk-in service center, where residents can access recycling resources, educational materials and services. Customers can also drop off difficult-to-recycle items at the store.

The location serves as a community forum for environmental outreach and education, where local youth groups can attend waste reduction presentations, and local nonprofit organizations and environmental groups can hold regular meetings.

The city enacted a ban on retail plastic bags in 2012 that began to go into effect last month.

Recyclers of the Year are selected by a panel of Washington State Recycling Association members representing a variety of aspects of the recycling industry, including collectors and processors, government agencies, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

The association will highlight organizations, businesses and individuals for outstanding recycling achievements at its Recyclers of the Year Awards Banquet on May 14, as part of its annual conference at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson.

(Ed. Note: The information in the article is from an Issaquah city news release.)