Sammamish City Council agreed that residents should have the option for bear-resistant garbage cans in its next solid waste contract.
Now it’s a question of how much customers will have to pay for them.
In a survey examining city service providers, one-third of Sammamish residents report animals get into their garbage. But the majority of those surveyed are unwilling to pay more for bear-resistant cans, according to Elway Research Inc. The research company surveyed 458 residents by phone and online earlier this year to assess the public’s satisfaction with service providers.
Bear-resistant bins are more expensive than normal ones. It takes longer to service bear-resistant bins because haulers must stop and individually unlock them.
Council members met Monday evening to discuss the parameters for the 2017 solid waste collection service contract, which will include bear-resistant bins.
The council discussed subsidizing the cost of the bins, as other cities have. Subsidized prices vary from city to city.
For example, Bellevue customers pay an additional $5 per month, whereas Issaquah customers pay an additional $1.50 per month.
Ultimately, they agreed the city should not subsidize the cost, as most Sammamish residents do not need them and most don’t want to pay more for them, according to the survey’s results.
The city’s garbage and recycling contracts expire at the end of 2016.
The city contracts two garbage pickup providers, Waste Management Inc. and Republic Services Inc. Neither contract includes bear-resistant cans.
Waste Management serves the residents north of Northeast Eighth Street and Inglewood Hill Road. Republic Services pick up waste in the southern portion of the city, south of Northeast Eighth Street and Inglewood Hill Road.
For more information, visit http://www.sammamish.us/files/packet/14585.pdf.
