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Seattle has received a $4,000,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a Solid Waste Infrastructure project. This federal grant will support Seattle’s circular wood economy by developing a new salvaged wood warehouse to process, store, organize, and distribute salvaged wood, aligning with Seattle Public Utilities’ goal to achieve zero waste.  

Funding for the grant comes from the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant program, authorized by the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act and funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that invests $275 million for Solid Waste Infrastructure for recycling grants nationwide. In September, EPA announced more than $100 million in SWIFR funds were awarded to states, communities, and territories across the country to expand recycling infrastructure and waste management systems. Seattle is one of two communities in the Pacific Northwest to be awarded an SWIFR grant.  

Hundreds of building demolitions in Seattle each year create tens of thousands of tons of waste. Reclaiming wood through deconstructing, rather than demolishing, prolongs the life of these beautiful materials and displaces the need to generate emissions from harvesting and processing new wood.

Speakers include:

Mayor Bruce Harrell, City of Seattle

Casey Sixkiller, EPA Region 10 Administrator

Andrew Lee, Seattle Public Utilities

Ben Pearson, Sledge