Seattle Backs Repair and Reuse With 2026 ReThink Waste Grants to Five Community Projects

Seattle, 27 October 2026: Seattle Public Utilities and WM have awarded the 2026 ReThink Waste Grants, totalling 10,000 dollars, to five local projects that keep clothes, furniture, tools and outdoor gear in use instead of sending them to landfill.

Now in its eighth year, the grant programme funds community-driven projects that aim to reduce waste, expand recycling and advance a circular economy in Seattle. The recipients were chosen by Seattle Public Utilities and the WM team that serves the city, from businesses and nonprofits within WM’s service area.

The five winning projects

• ReLove Lab (1,100 dollars) — working with schools and youth communities to reduce textile waste through community closets, where students and young adults exchange clothing and learn about sustainable fashion choices, reducing reliance on fast fashion.
• Furniture Repair Bank, SODO (3,980 dollars) — diverting usable furniture away from landfill and into the hands of households moving into stable housing, with hands-on volunteer training in repair techniques and free, restored furnishings for vulnerable households.
• Ballard Tool Library (1,250 dollars) — helping residents keep tools in service for longer through education in tool repair and maintenance, expanding access to fix-it resources and repair skills.
• Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (1,835 dollars) — strengthening creative reuse through recurring ArtPlus bookmaking classes, where participants turn reusable materials into artistic and functional items.
• Switchback Repair (1,835 dollars) — working with Seattle’s outdoor community and gear organisations to promote repair, reuse and material recovery, keeping outdoor gear in circulation longer and reducing disposal of textiles and plastics from outdoor equipment manufacturing.

Small grants, practical skills

The grants are deliberately small and targeted: each project presents an actionable plan to reduce waste or open a new pathway to sustainability in its own neighbourhood. Together, the five awards add up to 10,000 dollars, and each project pairs waste prevention with a direct community benefit — free furniture for a family moving into housing, a shared tool instead of a new purchase, or a mended jacket instead of a discarded one.

“Seattle’s communities continue to inspire us with their creativity and commitment to reducing waste,” said Andrew Lee, general manager and chief executive of Seattle Public Utilities. “Through the ReThink Waste Grants, SPU and WM are proud to support local innovators who are expanding reuse, repair and recycling opportunities and helping build a circular and equitable waste system for everyone in our city.”

For Jason Rose, WM area vice president, this year’s grantees reflect the creativity already at work in Seattle neighbourhoods. “Each project presents an actionable plan toward reducing waste or opening new pathways for sustainability,” he said.

Why repair and reuse matter

Every item repaired, shared or reused avoids the materials, energy and emissions of making a new one, and avoids a trip to landfill. Community closets, tool libraries and repair workshops also pass on skills: a young person who learns to mend clothing or fix a chair carries that habit into every future purchase. Programmes like this one show that sustainable living is not only about what households buy, but about how long what they already own stays useful.

Readers can also read about Seattle Colleges named 2026 Zero+ Champion of Sustainability, another Seattle story about cutting waste and emissions close to home.

Key facts

• Programme: 2026 ReThink Waste Grants, Seattle Public Utilities and WM, eighth year
• Total awarded: 10,000 dollars to five local projects
• ReLove Lab: 1,100 dollars, community closets against textile waste
• Furniture Repair Bank: 3,980 dollars, restored furniture for households in transition
• Ballard Tool Library: 1,250 dollars, tool repair and reuse education
• Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association: 1,835 dollars, creative reuse bookmaking
• Switchback Repair: 1,835 dollars, outdoor gear repair and reuse

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the ReThink Waste Grants?
A: Grants from Seattle Public Utilities and WM that fund community-driven projects to reduce waste, expand recycling and advance a circular economy in Seattle.

Q: Who won in 2026?
A: Five projects: ReLove Lab, Furniture Repair Bank, Ballard Tool Library, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association and Switchback Repair.

Q: How much money was awarded?
A: 10,000 dollars in total, split as 1,100, 3,980, 1,250, 1,835 and 1,835 dollars across the five projects.

Q: Who chose the recipients?
A: Seattle Public Utilities and the WM team that serves Seattle, from businesses and nonprofits within WM’s service area.

Q: Why do small repair grants matter for sustainable living?
A: Repair, sharing and reuse keep materials in use, avoid new production and landfill, and teach practical skills that change everyday consumption habits.