Benchmarking waste management for economic competitiveness

As the city of Seattle’s urban landscape shifts toward higher housing density, the traditional methods of waste collection, recycling, and food waste recovery face a critical stress test.   

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) needed to reduce the overall waste stream and encourage smaller garbage footprints while adapting to the logistical challenges of increased urban density and changing housing types. As a city with ambitious environmental goals and a multi-service area utility, SPU engaged Raftelis to help the City minimize its waste stream, reduce the size of garbage cans, and respond proactively to expected changes in housing density.   

The final report did more than provide data on peer cities; it explored why certain strategies were effective in other high-density environments, uncovering the root causes of billing and waste management inefficiencies and identifying transparent billing models that encourage customer behavior toward waste reduction and food waste recovery.  

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Raftelis collaborated closely with the SPU team to execute a deep-dive Benchmarking Research and Report. This high-level analysis focused on several critical elements of the City’s waste management system:  

• Targeted strategy development: We analyzed best practices for bulky and special waste, ensuring that "difficult" materials don't end up in the general waste stream.  

• Density adaptation: We developed specific frameworks for managing waste in new middle housing, multi-family housing, and high-density urban corridors.  

• Operational optimization: Our research focused on the logistics of waste management for special events and the effectiveness of various trash compaction technologies.  

• Financial transparency: We identified best-in-class strategies for customer billing to ensure that residents understand the value of their service and are incentivized to recycle and compost.  

This report provided the City with data-backed insights that will help improve the customer experience while promoting the long-term well-being of the local economy and environment.