| February 16, 2000
King County takes recycling into the manufacturers' process
?King County is launching a new program to encourage regional manufacturers to incorporate more recycled materials into their products. ?Called LinkUp, the program partners with area manufacturers, offering them a variety of free, easy-to-access information resources and technical expertise. Sponsored by the King County Commission for Marketing Recyclable Materials, the program focuses on product and packaging designers, developers and manufacturers who want to incorporate more recycled materials into their products as well as assists retailers who offer these products to consumers. ?"Traditionally, we’ve focused our marketing efforts on getting consumers, businesses and other public agencies to buy recycled products," says King County Executive Ron Sims. "We are now marketing recycled materials for the manufacturing process itself. Partnering with area businesses to use more recycled materials in their products and providing them with the necessary information and technical expertise to do so -- key components in the LinkUp program -- will help us reach our overall environmental goals." ?LinkUp will provide a number of customized services to eligible businesses. These might include providing engineering expertise on product fabrication and materials testing; evaluating the market potential for specific recycled products; identifying sources of financial assistance, and locating reliable suppliers of recycled materials in the Puget Sound region. ?In addition, the program offers promotional assistance to participating manufacturers, increasing the public’s awareness of innovative recycled-content products and helping to expand markets for such products. This spring, manufacturers will be recruited and selected to participate in the program. ?Approximately $235,000 in funds have been appropriated for LinkUp – $135,000 from King County and an additional $100,000 from the City of Seattle. ?LinkUp is a natural outgrowth in King County’s recycling movement. In a survey of nearly 700 local manufacturers undertaken last spring by the Marketing Commission, 42 percent said they used recycled materials in their products; 51 percent were interested in learning more about using recycled materials or increasing their use of recycled materials. ?"There is no question that the interest is there," says Deborah Brockway, Acting Executive Director, King County Commission for Marketing Recyclable Materials. "Many King County manufacturers are ready to ‘link up’ with us as we develop innovative ways to incorporate recycled materials into the manufacturing process." ?Businesses that are interested in learning more about LinkUp and other programs sponsored by the King County Commission on Marketing Recyclable Materials should contact Erv Sandlin on 206-296-0233. The King County Department of Natural Resources can be found on the Web at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/.
Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by King County. |