Wood recycler is latest LinkUp program partner

2005 Archived News

Rainier Wood Recyclers, a company that processes nearly 200,000 tons of green wood waste annually, is the newest partner in King County's LinkUp program.

LinkUp was created to develop partnerships to improve and expand markets for recycled materials. The program teams up with manufacturers, material processors and businesses that encourage salvage and reuse.

Rainier Wood Recyclers grinds and then recycles urban wood waste, landclearing debris and brush. The urban wood waste, which includes construction and manufacturing debris, pallets and crates, comprises about 70,000 tons annually. Much of Rainier's work takes place onsite where customers generate or collect this kind of material, such as paper or saw mills and construction sites where there is landclearing debris.

Rainier takes one of its portable state-of-the-art disc grinders to sites where the company chips the wood and then ships it directly to market. The disc grinder, which acts as a random-oriented chipper, makes a denser, cleaner cut so more wood can be carried in a truck load. By avoiding multiple transfers of the material, Rainier Wood Recyclers can offer more cost-effective wood recycling services.

Rainier Wood Recyclers currently operates three wood recycling yards in Washington: Covington (east of Kent), Auburn and Fall City. The Covington facility has been in operation for more than 15 years. Fall City opened in 1998 and the Auburn yard opened more than a year ago.

The company makes approximately 12 different products from the recycled wood. For example, it sells fine-cut wood to a company that markets it for playground base. In fact, Rainier Wood is the first company to make this material from 100 percent recycled wood fiber. Traditionally, virgin wood was used for playgrounds.

The company also makes other products, such as mulch and landscape cover, animal bedding and boiler fuel. It also provides raw material for use in 100 percent recycled siding, which is made from film plastic and wood.

Currently, King County is focusing on six priority materials for recycling: paper, wood, metals, yard waste, food waste and electronics. Together, these materials account for 60 percent of the waste in the county's landfill. By recycling urban wood, Rainier Wood Recyclers is helping to find a market for this material rather than sending it to the landfill.

The LinkUp team will assist Rainier Wood Recyclers in researching available markets for recycled urban wood. One of these markets may include the manufacture of colored landscape mulch, which has been garnering increased interest in recent months among homeowners and developers.
LinkUp was launched in 2000 to encourage manufacturers to incorporate more recycled materials into their products. The program, sponsored by the King County Solid Waste Division, offers free, customized technical and promotional support to selected businesses.

LinkUp works with three to five new businesses each year and is currently accepting applications. For more information about the LinkUp program, contact Kris Beatty at 206-296-3740 or visit http://dnr.metrokc.gov/linkup.