Sustainable Burien

Who we are and what we want to do.

Sustainable Burien is an organization started in January of 2008. We recognize the need to promote and participate in the creation of a sustainable community in Burien. We invite all residents and businesses to participate in creating a sustainable local community by sharing their ideas, passions, knowledge and talents.

Gatherings are planned for the second Sunday of each month - from 2:00 - 4:00PM at the KCLS Burien Library (doors open at 1:30PM). Room reservations are first come first served and can only be made up to two months in advance, so occasionally we may not be able to get a room there. Please check our Upcoming Events page for updated information prior to the meeting. As of June 2009 the Burien Library is in a new location at 4th SW and SW 152nd St.

You CAN recycle Styrofoam

After Christmas in 2009 West Bild, the developer of Burien Town Plaza, loaned us an empty store front in the Bartells and Ace Hardware parking lot. For 2 afternoons we collected Styrofoam to take to Styrorecycle in Renton. (Someone who dropped off a bag of peanuts is missing a pair of shoes, please contact us if you can identify them.) They grind it up, then run it through a 3 stage progressive heater to form it into semi-solid logs. While it's still soft it's pressed into blocks, then once it's cooled it's stacked on pallets until they have 40,000 pounds. That's enough to make a full trailer load to be shipped off to a company that recycles them into picture frames, TV cabinets, computer cases, etc.

The densifying process reduces the Styrofoam by 90:1, so an amount that would nearly fill a pickup bed and canopy reduces down to about 1 cubic foot, which makes it practical to ship across the country. You can drop off clean, white Styrofoam of the right type at no charge. They will pick up large quantities for a reasonable fee.

They accept white Styrofoam (#6 or EPS) materials, the types most commonly found with new electronic products, appliance packaging, computers and monitors, furniture packaging and picnic/shipping coolers. They also take clean packing peanuts, both Styrofoam and starch, which are reused. They must be clean with no foreign material mixed in. They do NOT accept material that isn't clean, Styrofoam food containers, urethane foam cushions, expanded polypropylene (EPP), foam insulation, plastic wrap, bubble wrap or hard plastics.

To determine if you have the right material look for the "#6" or "EPS" inside the recycle symbol, if it's sheet material bend it - it should break and snap with loose beads. All foreign material like plastic sheeting, tape, staples and cardboard must be removed.

Styrorecycle is on the west side of Ikea in Renton. Check their website for days, hours and acceptance guidelines.

For additional Christmas related recycling suggestions see our Christmas Leftovers section.

Don't scrape those dishes down the garbage disposal, you need to remove the left over grease and fats [including butter] first and put that in the garbage. Grease clogs the sewer lines and can be messy and expensive to fix. There is information and alternatives listed at this King County DNR page. This DNR page has information about how you can drop off left over grease to be converted to Biodiesel.

Some of the members of Sustainable Burien have set up a social networking page on Ning. You can check out sustainableburien.ning.com for event information, classifieds, news about members and their activities, photos and more.

At our meetings we will be collecting burned out CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs and dead rechargable batteries. People are welcome to bring any extra food items [produce from your garden, fruit from your trees, etc.] that they have and barter with others. Please check our Upcoming Events page for details.

Bartells Drug Stores are accepting used CFL bulbs for recycling for free. CFL bulbs contain small amounts of mercury and need to be disposed of properly. You may drop used, undamaged bulbs off at any of the 56 Bartells Drug Stores in the Pacific Northwest. Fluorescent tubes are not being accepted at this time. There's a few more details in this Seattle PI article dated September 22, 2008.

As of mid-July 2009 the City of Burien has CFL recycling stations available to the public for no charge at both City Hall and the Burien Community Center.

The Burien Bartells also accepts prescription, over the counter and many other types of drugs for safe disposal. See our Drugs in the Environment Tip of the Week for some background.

As of January 1, 2009 recycling TVs and most computer related electronics is free in Washington State. See our archived tip for details.

Are you interested in having a ZipCar in Burien? Sign up with them so they know there's enough demand to make it worth while. You can use their signup page to tell them. There's a link to their Privacy Policy right on the form. They need responses from 50 people before they'll consider adding a location here.

The new Metro Transit Station in Burien is open! There are 5 spaces reserved for electric vehicles, with the ability to plug in and recharge while your car waits for you to come back.

The Bike Lockers have arrived at the Burien Transit Center. Lockers are provided on a space available basis to cyclists who commute three or more days per week. There is currently no charge for the use of the lockers, but there is a refundable deposit for the key. Lockers are managed for Metro by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. If you're interested in getting one of the lockers you may email <Every Day> or call her at (206) 224-9252 ext 304. There are only two left so signup now, once they're gone you go on a waiting list!