NextCycle Washington
Co-Designing an Equitable Circular Economy Program
as Traversal Design, for Cascadia Consulting and King County Solid Waste
2021–2023
The Challenge
King County Solid Waste was launching NextCycle Washington, a platform to help circular businesses and projects grow through an accelerator and seed grants. The challenge: why hasn't there been enough equitable support for circular businesses and organizations, and how could this initiative change that?
The Solution
We built a small circle of co-designers across three perspectives: people with lived experience running circular businesses, subject-matter professionals, and critical thinkers who question assumptions. Over two phases of workshops (Nov 2021 to Feb 2022), the group mapped where the problems lived, then tested ideas with a wider public audience.
The Challenge
King County Solid Waste was launching NextCycle Washington, a platform to help circular businesses and projects grow through an accelerator and seed grants. The challenge: why hasn't there been enough equitable support for circular businesses and organizations, and how could this initiative change that?
The Solution
We built a small circle of co-designers across three perspectives: people with lived experience running circular businesses, subject-matter professionals, and critical thinkers who question assumptions. Over two phases of workshops (Nov 2021 to Feb 2022), the group mapped where the problems lived, then tested ideas with a wider public audience.
“
We can’t recycle our way out of the plastic problem. We’ve recycled 8% of the plastic manufactured since the beginning of plastic. We’ve got to think outside the box, do new things, and NextCycle Washington is a great way to try and give a boost to those innovations that just need a little bit of help.
Kara Steward, director of the Recycling Development Center
In Recycling isn't enough to slow plastic pollution, WA scientists say, Crosscut, Sep 27, 2022
“
We can’t recycle our way out of the plastic problem. We’ve recycled 8% of the plastic manufactured since the beginning of plastic. We’ve got to think outside the box, do new things, and NextCycle Washington is a great way to try and give a boost to those innovations that just need a little bit of help.
Kara Steward, director of the Recycling Development Center
In Recycling isn't enough to slow plastic pollution, WA scientists say, Crosscut, Sep 27, 2022
  • The Work
    • Six co-design sessions across two phases: the arc, activities, and materials that moved the group from mapping problems to sharing ideas with a wider public audience
    • Six equity strategies, synthesized from co-design, each with a hashtag so any tactic could be traced to its purpose: #accessible-communications, #lower-barriers, #partner-network, #resource-access, #share-power, #community-networks
    • Community governance: a Program Governance Circle where community voices held the majority, plus track circles and liaisons, with stipends offered for members' time
    • A mentor network of regional "trusted messengers" and modular application parties, to reach applicants outside King County
    • Research strategy and questions for applicant and partner surveys and interviews
  • The Work
    • Six co-design sessions across two phases: the arc, activities, and materials that moved the group from mapping problems to sharing ideas with a wider public audience
    • Six equity strategies, synthesized from co-design, each with a hashtag so any tactic could be traced to its purpose: #accessible-communications, #lower-barriers, #partner-network, #resource-access, #share-power, #community-networks
    • Community governance: a Program Governance Circle where community voices held the majority, plus track circles and liaisons, with stipends offered for members' time
    • A mentor network of regional "trusted messengers" and modular application parties, to reach applicants outside King County
    • Research strategy and questions for applicant and partner surveys and interviews
  • Making the System Visible
    A program this complex needed a map. I designed the NextCycle Blueprint to show people and roles, process stages from discovery to funding, and what sat inside the program versus with outside partners. Built in layers, it could be revealed step by step, so each audience saw only as much complexity as they needed.

    I paired it with a six-color system, one color per equity strategy, matched to the tags we used in Miro and Notion. Whether someone was in a co-design session, a governance meeting, or a planning doc, they could trace any idea back to the strategy it served.
  • Making the System Visible
    A program this complex needed a map. I designed the NextCycle Blueprint to show people and roles, process stages from discovery to funding, and what sat inside the program versus with outside partners. Built in layers, it could be revealed step by step, so each audience saw only as much complexity as they needed.

    I paired it with a six-color system, one color per equity strategy, matched to the tags we used in Miro and Notion. Whether someone was in a co-design session, a governance meeting, or a planning doc, they could trace any idea back to the strategy it served.
  • Shared Language
    To help co-designers from very different backgrounds work from the same base, I designed infographics for the concepts behind the program: linear versus circular economies, circular material flows (the butterfly diagram), co-design roles and process, how material flows relate to community value, and the governance structure. Some redraw established models in the NextCycle brand; others are original. All use a simple, bold visual language built to read clearly on screen.
  • Shared Language
    To help co-designers from very different backgrounds work from the same base, I designed infographics for the concepts behind the program: linear versus circular economies, circular material flows (the butterfly diagram), co-design roles and process, how material flows relate to community value, and the governance structure. Some redraw established models in the NextCycle brand; others are original. All use a simple, bold visual language built to read clearly on screen.
  • Where It Went
    NextCycle Washington launched in 2022: the Circular Accelerator opened June 1 and Renew Seed Grant applications on September 18. The six strategies organized the program's governance, research, and dashboard.

    The model drew attention from state agencies, including the Washington Departments of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the program moved from King County Solid Waste to the Washington Department of Ecology as a statewide initative. NextCycle Washington is now in its fourth cohort; it has supported 58 accelerator teams and 53 seed grants (WA Ecology March 2026).
  • Where It Went
    NextCycle Washington launched in 2022: the Circular Accelerator opened June 1 and Renew Seed Grant applications on September 18. The six strategies organized the program's governance, research, and dashboard.

    The model drew attention from state agencies, including the Washington Departments of Ecology and Natural Resources, and the program moved from King County Solid Waste to the Washington Department of Ecology as a statewide initative. NextCycle Washington is now in its fourth cohort; it has supported 58 accelerator teams and 53 seed grants (WA Ecology March 2026).
Project Details
  • Collaborators
    • Client: King County Solid Waste
    • Prime Contractor: Cascadia Consulting
    • Lead Consultant: Resource Recycling Systems (RRS)
    • Kamal Patel, Traversal
    • Elizabeth Start, Start Consulting Group
  • Deliverables
    • co-design workshops
    • synthesis documentation
    • governance structure and materials
    • invite letters and pre-meeting briefs
    • infographics
    • presentations
  • Tools
    • Miro
    • Adobe Illustrator
    • Adobe InDesign
    • Microsoft PowerPoint
    • JotForm
    • Poll Eeverywhere
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