Six Kirkland businesses were last week named to King County’s list of the Best Workplace for Recycling in 2008. Google, Chameleon Technologies, Champagne’ Design, Eco Cartridge Store, Otak and Poggemeyer Design Group all made the list.

To qualify as a Best Workplace for Recycling, companies had to meet at least 10 criteria out of a list of 33 good business recycling practices — choices ranging from placing recycling bins by every desk to collecting food scraps for on or off-site composting.

King County’s Solid Waste Division named 50 local companies for the second-annual recycling list – more than twice as many companies as last year.

Each year, businesses in King County send more than 240,000 tons of recyclable materials to the landfill. By providing a recycling-friendly workplace, companies can dramatically increase their recycling rate, ultimately saving money on their garbage bill. For example, in some businesses, simply providing desk-side recycling containers has increased recycling rates from 25 percent to more than 80 percent.