The Seattle Race to ‘Zero Waste’ Contest is an invitation for all Seattleites to become a part of the waste solution! No one likes waste! Together we can find new ways to reduce what we buy and consume, reuse what we can, and share and repair in easy ways. Let’s keep waste out of landfills, rivers, and oceans, and keep our community sustainable and beautiful.
Contest opens: May 1, 2023
Contest closes:
- The Grades K-5 and 6-12 contests have been extended through January 31, 2024. Winners will be announced in February.
- The College Student and Adult contest closed on November 14. We received 64 entries and will announce the winners on November 30.
Prize Presentation Party: TBD based on availability of contest winners
The contest is a partnership between Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Public Schools, with fun prizes contributed by Recology, Cedar Grove, Zero Waste Washington, EarthGen, and Race to Zero Waste.
We want your waste prevention ideas!
Your ideas will help SPU and our partners think about how we can best support the community in preventing waste. The contest is one of many ways SPU is gathering input from the community as we develop our new Waste Prevention Strategic Plan.
Preventing waste means keeping it out of the landfill and out of the recycling and compost bin. This includes materials like food, single-use items, clothing, electronics, furniture, and more.
Here are some ways to prevent waste:
- Reduce (use less of something)
- Buy second-hand (instead of new)
- Reuse (use something many times instead of throwing it away)
- Repurpose (use something again, but for a different use than originally intended)
- Share (one product that can be used by many people instead of one for every person/house)
- Repair (instead of throwing away)
- Sell or give things away (instead of throwing away)
Enter to Win
It’s easy! Just answer a few simple questions and tell us about your idea to reduce waste in your community or school. Your idea can be simple and in the early stages. You may also draw a picture or diagram or include a photo of your idea.
There are separate entry forms for each Division. Enter as many ideas as you want!
Enter:
English, Amharic, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Criteria
Our team will score each entry using the following criteria, for a maximum score of 25 points:
- Project Goal: How well did the idea address waste prevention? (5 points)
- Creativity/Innovation: How creative and innovative is the waste prevention idea? (5 points)
- Community Involvement: How does the idea involve others or take inspiration from the school or community? (5 points)
- Scalability: How scalable is the project to the larger Seattle community? (5 points)
- Implementation: How actionable is the idea? Can it be maintained? (5 points)
Prizes
Divisions: K-5 and 6-12 (In partnership with Seattle Public Schools)
- Awards will be split into two categories: 1) Waste Prevention for my City & Community and 2) Waste Prevention for my School. For each category, there will be a winner and a runner up from each of the K-5 and 6-12 Divisions.
- The winners and runner ups will receive a prize basket with gifts from The Recology Store, Zero Waste Washington, and Race to Zero Waste. The baskets will feature items to help reduce waste, as well as a bountiful amount of fun and useful gifts!
- Special prizes will also be awarded for the most creative/joyful/fun idea.
Each Division winner will also receive choice of gift for their classroom or school:
- Compost for school from Cedar Grove
- Reusable utensils and plates for classroom party from Cedar Grove
- Truck visit to school from Cedar Grove
- Touch-a-truck visit from Recology
- Tour of facility for kids ages 16+ from Recology
- SPU North Transfer Station visit/tour for class
Divisions: College and Community
- The first-place winner will have a choice of one of the following prizes:
- The winner and runner up from each Division (College and Community) will receive a prize basket with gifts from The Recology Store, Zero Waste Washington, and Race to Zero Waste. The baskets will feature items to help reduce waste, as well as a bountiful amount of fun and useful gifts!
- Special prizes will also be awarded for the most creative/joyful/fun idea.