Rethinking Waste in Whatcom County: KCT Partners on a New Industrial Symbiosis Hub
Whatcom County is taking a step toward turning waste into opportunity. The Port of Bellingham has been selected as one of seven Washington communities to receive technical assistance for developing an industrial symbiosis hub, and Kulshan Carbon Trust is proud to be a partner in the effort.
What is industrial symbiosis?
Industrial symbiosis is an approach to infrastructure and economic development in which one facility's waste streams become valuable inputs for another. Energy, water, materials, and residuals that might otherwise be discarded are exchanged among businesses. The result is greater resource efficiency, lower greenhouse gas and other emissions, and new economic activity.
The Whatcom County Industrial Symbiosis Feasibility Project
Through the Washington Department of Commerce's Industrial Symbiosis Technical Assistance (ISTA) Program, the Port will work with the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure (CSI) to explore an industrial symbiosis hub that connects resource streams from the agricultural and forestry sectors in rural Whatcom County.
Rather than centering on a single development site, the proposed hub would draw on the Port's diverse portfolio of about 1,600 acres of land and 300 acres of tidelands, along with its industrial infrastructure, to enable resource exchange among participating partners.
The project brings together a broad group of local stakeholders: agricultural producers (particularly dairies), wood and forest product manufacturers, food recovery networks, Whatcom County, the City of Bellingham, Whatcom PUD, Puget Sound Energy, and Kulshan Carbon Trust. Together, they'll look for ways to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste, and create value from underutilized materials.
Why KCT is involved
KCT's mission is carbon conservation in Whatcom County, and many of the resource streams at the heart of this project come from the working lands and forests we care about. Industrial symbiosis offers a path to keep valuable materials in productive use, reduce emissions, and support the local economy at the same time. We're excited to contribute our local knowledge and community connections as the project takes shape. While we are still figuring out our exact role, we here at KCT are excited about how this project helps to shape a more sustainable future.
