Recycler of the Year Awards
WSRA’s Recycler of the Year Awards celebrate outstanding contributions to recycling and waste reduction practices in Washington State
2026 Awards Winners
Recycler of the Year – Innovation: ReFabrica, a Seattle-based enterprise advancing a community-driven approach to textile waste reduction by aligning workforce development, material recovery, and local reuse partnerships.
Recycler of the Year – Non-Profit: Our Place Community Outreach, a free emergency relief service provider in Spokane providing food, hygiene items, clothing, housewares, and laundry to over 13,000 low-income neighbors annually.
Recycler of the Year – Education: CITY OF KIRKLAND’S “SORT SMART TOURNAMENT”, a gamified multifamily outreach program with the goal of using positive reinforcement to motivate residents to increase recycling and composting and reduce contamination.
Recycler of the Year – Organics: Meydenbauer Center, a convention center in Bellevue for their efforts to separate food scraps and expand food rescue for their local community.
Individual Recycler of the Year: REAMA SCHULDT OF BREMERTON, WA, for her leadership, creativity, and community impact in advancing waste reduction and circular economy practices by operating a reused art supply store, launching a local television show about waste reduction, and organizing local litter pick-ups.
About the Awards
Recycler of the Year awards spotlight individuals, businesses, government agencies and community organizations that are making outstanding contributions to expanding and strengthening recycling and waste prevention. WSRA welcomes nominations of individuals and organizations that have demonstrated noteworthy dedication, innovation and success in recycling initiatives across the state.
New inductees are selected by a committee of recycling professionals and community members and are featured at the Annual Conference and Trade Show each May.
Recycler of the Year Categories
- Individual Recycler of the Year: An individual whose actions have significantly furthered recycling and waste prevention beyond the normal scope of their responsibilities.
- Business: A company whose primary business is not recycling that demonstrates outstanding accomplishments in recycling and waste prevention.
- Public Agency: A public agency that creates programs that effectively increase recycling and waste prevention.
- Innovation: Exceptional creativity in promoting waste prevention and recycling.
- Education: Outstanding accomplishments in educating the general public about recycling and waste prevention.
- Non-Profit: A non-profit agency that demonstrates significant accomplishments in recycling and waste prevention.
- Other: A category not listed above that best suits the nominee’s accomplishments in promoting waste prevention and recycling
Submit a Nomination—Recycler of the Year 2026
Nominate an individual, business, or organization for WSRA’s Recycler of the Year Awards.
Submit your nomination and help recognize leaders in recycling at our Annual Conference.
WSRA Recycling Hall of Fame
| Janine Bogar | 2025 | Washington State Department of Ecology |
| Megan Warfield | 2025 | Washington State Department of Ecology |
| Dale Alekel | 2024 | Retired, King County Solid Waste |
| Peter Guttchen | 2023 | Washington State Department of Ecology |
| Mary E. Harrington | 2023 | Retired, Washington State Department of Ecology |
| Sharon Conroy | 2022 | Green Solutions |
| Betsy Cushman | 2021 | Retired, Methow Recycles |
| Craig Benton | 2020 | Retired |
| Pat Campbell | 2020 | Kitsap County |
| Lisa Sepanski | 2019 | Retired, King County, Longtime WSRA Board Member |
| Jack Bradbury | 2019 | Retired, Longtime WSRA Board Member |
| Scott Campbell | 2018 | Posthumously, Waste Connections, Longtime WSRA Board Member |
| Dan Gee | 2017 | Retired, Recovered Paper Consulting, LLC |
| Jim Haynes | 2017 | Retired |
| Charlie Maxwell | 2017 | Retired |
| Terri Thomas | 2016 | Thurston County |
| Terri Washburn | 2016 | Retired, Kitsap County |
| Jim Wavada | 2016 | WA. Dept. of Ecology |
| Marcia Rutan | 2015 | Seattle Public Utilities |
| Dick Lilly | 2015 | Seattle Public Utilities |
| Bob O’Neal | 2015 | Retired, Corporate Recycling Services (CRS) |
| Bart Kale | 2014 | Nucor Steel Seattle Division |
| Earl Snyder | 2014 | Kirkland Recycling Center |
| Jeanne Stewart | 2014 | Clark County Solid Waste Advisory Commission & Vancouver City Council |
| Frances Ambrose | 2013 | Skagit County |
| Don Frey | 2013 | Republic Services |
| Carl Woestwin | 2013 | Seattle Public Utilities |
| Russ Nobbs | 2012 | Spokane community recycling activist |
| Dave Peters | 2012 | Kitsap County |
| Steve Spence | 2012 | Rubanco |
| Ann Murphy | 2011 | City of Spokane |
| Bill Reed | 2011 | King County Solid Waste |
| Jeff Gage | 2011 | Olympia Compost Design Services |
| Diana Perey Winburn | 2010 | Seattle – UW |
| Jay Shepherd | 2010 | Olympia |
| Joe Bushnell | 2010 | Tacoma Recycling |
| Charlene Gallagher | 2009 | Tacoma Solid Waste |
| Scott Beaton | 2009 | Chelan County |
| Craig Lorch | 2009 | Seattle Total Reclaim |
| Jeff Brown | 2008 | Bellingham Sound Resource Management |
| Kim Ducote | 2008 | Allied Waste; Resource Stewards |
| Pandora Touart | 2008 | WSRA; Federal Way; Issaquah |
| Charlie Scott | 2007 | Cascadia Consulting Group |
| Greg Matheson | 2007 | Fibers Int, Recycling Systems |
| Lois Young | 2007 | Skagit Steel |
| Chris Luboff | 2006 | Seattle Public Utilities |
| Rick Hlavka | 2006 | Green Solutions |
| Terry Gillis | 2006 | Recovery 1 |
| David Frutiger | 2005 | City of Tacoma Solid Waste |
| Pete Grogan | 2005 | Weyerhauser Recycling |
| Sego Jackson | 2005 | Snohomish County |
| Suzanne Tarr | 2005 | Kittitas County |
| Art Sprenkle | 2004 | Monroe state representative |
| Bill Briggs | 2004 | Pacific NW – Oil Re-Refining Co |
| Dale Miller | 2004 | Bellevue |
| Paul Brewer | 2004 | Whidbey Naval |
| Jim Schrock | 2003 | Earthworks Recycling |
| Richard Busby | 2003 | Seadrunar |
| Rita Smith | 2003 | Waste Management |
| Warren Razore | 2003 | Rabanco |
| Diana Gale | 2002 | Seattle Public Utilities |
| Don Kneass | 2002 | Seattle Recycling, SPU, Waste Management |
| Kip Eagles | 2002 | Richland Dept of Ecology |
| Lloyd Wibbelman | 2002 | Snohomish Co |
| Wayne Gash | 2002 | Washington State University |
| Clarissa Szabados-Mish | 2001 | University of Washington |
| Dick Bartells | 2001 | Tacoma |
| Jack Schultz | 2001 | Bellingham |
| Jessie Lang | 2001 | Spokane Solid Waste |
| Preston Horne-Brine | 2001 | Rabanco, etc |
| Armen Stepanian | 2000 | Fremont Recycling |
| Bill Wiginton | 2000 | Seattle Rainbow Recycling; Nuts ‘n Bolts |
| Chuck Wick | 2000 | Spokane Recycling |
| Gene Tuura | 2000 | Snohomish County |
| Greg Wright | 2000 | Bellingham |
| Jack Force | 2000 | Seattle – MRI Metal Recycling |
| John Kramp | 2000 | Snohomish County |
| John Matheson, Sr. | 2000 | Bellevue – Fibers Int |
| Jonathan Howe | 2000 | West Seattle Recycling |
| King Kelso | 2000 | Ideal Paper/Rabanco |
| Marilyn Skerbeck | 2000 | Rainbow Recycling; Waste Management |
| Susan Appel | 2000 | Seattle Nut’s ‘n Bolts |