Waste Management and the city of Seattle are in the homestretch of the Think Green recycling challenge and Fremont is in a good position to get a makeover because of it.
The challenge encourages Seattle communities to reduce their overall waste by decreasing garbage and increasing their efforts to recycle and compost. The one that reduces the most waste will win a $50,000 grant to give their community a “Main Street Makeover.”
Every Seattle community in Waste Management’s collection area has been participating in this competition, which runs through March 2012. The collection area that reduces the most waste during this time period, year over year, will be rewarded with the Main Street Makeover grant. Grant money will be spent on improvement projects within the winning community.
With two months left, the Fremont/Phinney Ridge area is in fifth place (see chart above). The winning neighborhood will be determined by the highest diversion rate, which increases as recycling and composting increase and garbage decreases.
The good news is that our neighborhood led the way in percent change between 2010 and 2011.
We’ve got to up the ante in the last two months so check out this list of ways to reduce waste and increase recycling.