The American Public Works Association (APWA) has selected the Tacoma Solid Waste Management Recovery & Transfer Center as a 2013 Public Works Project of the Year. The facility was recognized as the top public works project in the country in the Environment category for projects from $25 million to $75 million.

The 75,000-square-foot facility at the Tacoma Landfill received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute for the sustainable elements incorporated into the construction. It also allows Tacoma to sort and capture many recyclables that would otherwise end up in the landfill. Every year an average of 165,000 tons of garbage goes through the state-of-the-art center. A portion of the material is recovered and recycled; the rest is trucked to the LRI Landfill in Graham.

The APWA Public Works Project of the Year Award was established to promote excellence in the management and administration of public works projects by recognizing the alliance between the managing agency, the consultant/architect/engineer and the contractor. Project partners were HDR Engineering (design), JE Dunn (contractor) and JR Miller & Associates (architecture and structural engineering). The Recovery & Transfer Center was completed in 2011 at a cost of $26 million. It was previously recognized as the top regional “Best Project” in the industrial/manufacturing category by Engineering News-Record.

A division of the City of Tacoma Environmental Services Department, Solid Waste Management provides garbage and recycling services for single-family residential homes, multi-family units and commercial businesses. The utility also operates a full-service landfill/transfer center, recycling center and household hazardous waste facility as well as a popular residential bulk item disposal service, Call-2-Haul.

More information is available online at TacomaRecycles.org.