Next year, Sammamish residents can expect a more comprehensive solid waste service, one that accepts more recyclables and includes composting for all. Plus, it’s one that will save most residents money.
The Sammamish City Council unanimously approved the 2017-2025 contract with Republic Services at the Jan. 5 meeting, as it was the “lone responsive” bid, according to city staff. Waste Management had also submitted its bid for the services, but staff ruled that “nonresponsive.”
In a split vote, 4-3, the council adopted three alternatives to Republic’s contract, which brings the total value of the nine-year service agreement to $63 million, according to the city.
This contract will unify the city with one solid waste service provider. (Currently, Republic caters to the southern portion of the Plateau and Waste Management serves the northern areas.)
Along with the base level of services, the council voted Jan. 5 to embed compostables and allow for weekly, year-round pickups. Under the current contracts, compostables are offered on a subscription basis with weekly pickups only from March to November; the rest of the year, compostables are picked up every other week.
“All of our neighboring cities — Redmond, Bellevue, Issaquah — all have embedded compostables now. Sammamish does not,” Director of Administrative Services Beth Goldberg said Jan. 5. “So, Sammamish is a rarity in that sense.”
The council also voted to widen the list of recyclables that Republic will pick up, which includes cooking oil, batteries, plastics, light bulbs, wood scraps and certain household appliances.
These two options will help prolong the life of the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, which Sammamish and many King County cities use to dispose garbage. The landfill is forecasted to its limit in 15 years.
“When that landfill reaches capacity, the region is going to have to find another means of disposing our trash … likely at a higher cost than what we are currently enjoying today,” Goldberg said. “All cities throughout King County have an interest in ensuring that Cedar Hills Landfill remains at our — I’m going to make a really bad pun — disposal.”
The county estimates that about 78 percent of the trash that ends up in the landfill could be recycled or composted, Goldberg said.
“To the extent that we could encourage our residents to dispose of their food waste in their compostable trash, dispose of yard waste in compostable trash, that diverts that out of the landfill … for soil that people can use,” she said.
The council also allowed Republic Services to use vehicles no older than 2012, compared to using vehicles no older than 2016. This will save residents between $0.07-$0.12 each month, according to Goldberg.
Jeff Borgida, general manager at Republic Services, estimates it will take about 10 trucks to service the city’s some 14,400 customers.
It will take about a year for Republic to prepare to serve the entire city, according to Sammamish staff. The company will need to establish the necessary infrastructure; develop schedules and routes; purchase trucks and equipment; and conduct community outreach and education.
For a single-family using a 32 gallon bin with compost, the 2017 rate will be $31.46 per month. That’s saves residents more than $4 and more than $9, respectively, than Waste Management’s and Republic’s 2015 rate.
Similarly, for a single-family household using a 64 gallon bin (the more common size, Goldberg said) with compost, the 2017 rate will be $39.45 per month, a savings of nearly $6 and $11 from Waste Management’s and Republic’s 2015 rates, respectively.
