Community Power on Display: Over 40,000 lbs Recycled This Year!

Published on September 25, 2026

Various pieces of metal collected at a Renton recycling event

This year, our Public Works Department hosted three free recycling events at Renton Technical College on Saturday, May 16, June 6, and September 12. Each event focused on specific recyclable and reusable items.  

Across the three events, we had over 1,000 participants and collected: 

  • 18,140 lbs of shredded items (paper, mail, photographs, documents, etc...)  
  • 8,400 lbs of metal 
  • 1,975 lbs of plastic bags 
  • 1,310 lbs of arts & crafts surprise 
  • 1,275 lbs of Styrofoam 
  • 980 lbs of furniture 
  • 955 lbs of food donated to the Salvation Army Rotary Food Bank 
  • 415 tires  

Thank you to our city staff, Republic Services, Renton Technical College, and our thoughtful residents for making this year a major success! Together, we kept tens of thousands of pounds of reusable and recyclable materials out of the landfill. Thank you for protecting our environment and supporting a more sustainable Renton. 

Still looking to recycle items? Additional resources can be found at rentonwa.gov/RecycleEvents.

 

Furniture recycling at Renton recycling event at Renton Technical College parking lot

ONCE DAMAGED, NOW DELIVERED: GIVING FURNITURE A NEW PURPOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY

At our second June 6 recycling event, we partnered with the Furniture Repair Bank to collect gently worn and damaged furniture to be restored, repaired, and gifted to community members in need. Here’s where some of your furniture went: 

  • A set of eight dining chairs was provided to a recently arrived refugee family from Afghanistan who now live in Auburn, through Healthpoint Health Centers.  
  • A shoe rack was provided to a formerly unhoused single parent who now resides in a Seattle apartment thanks to St. Vincent DePaul. 
  • A TV stand went to a senior citizen who resides in Tacoma and deals with dementia, supported by Mysti Cares. 
  • A table lamp went to a formerly unhoused Seattle resident with health issues who was supported in their recovery by the Harborview Pioneer Square Clinic. 
  • A coffee table was picked up by the Refugee Resettlement Office of Olympia for a client from Afghanistan who recently moved from Georgia to Seattle.  
  • A set of bookshelves went to a domestic violence survivor through the Seattle Housing Authority. 
  • A dresser and TV stand were delivered to a formerly unhoused Seattle resident who recently graduated from long-term inpatient treatment through the Evergreen Treatment Services REACH program.

Contact Us

Email

communications@rentonwa.gov

 

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