For the fifth year, King County is looking for the best workplaces that recycle and reduce waste. And this year, the county has added a new feature of the program – the Best Workplaces Honor Roll.

Businesses that have been on the list for the past four years and meet the 2011 required criteria will be eligible for new recognition.

“Businesses of all types may be surprised how easy it is to improve their recycling habits, and how much they can cut costs in doing so,” said Karen May, King County Solid Waste Division Program Manager. “The wide array of businesses in King County that make up this list prove that anyone can help the environment in their work setting.”

All businesses operating in King County outside the City of Seattle are eligible to apply, and the list will be announced in June.

Businesses interested in applying must complete an online application. To make the list, a business must meet five criteria, and then meet at least 10 additional benchmarks from a list of other waste reduction and recycling practices, such as collecting food scraps and food-soiled paper for composting, collecting batteries for recycling, or offering paperless billing to customers.

The online application is available at http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/garbage-recycling/apply-best-workplaces.asp.

More information is available by calling May at 206-296-4353, or emailing her at karen.may@kingcounty.gov.