South Cove pays double Issaquah’s garbage rate

Every few months Dick Buckwitz loads a red trailer with yard waste and hauls it to Cedar Grove Composting, because he’s sick of paying Allied Waste’s $10 monthly fee. It’s not that the South Cove resident can’t afford the cost. It’s more a matter of principle. The community – newly annexed to Issaquah – pays a rate twice that of the rest of the city for its garbage hauler.

By Celeste Gracey • April 12, 2012 8:12 pm
Dick Buckwitz stands in front of a trailer he uses to haul his own compost. Unlike the rest of the city
Dick Buckwitz stands in front of a trailer he uses to haul his own compost. Unlike the rest of the city

Every few months Dick Buckwitz loads a red trailer with yard waste and hauls it to Cedar Grove Composting, because he’s sick of paying Allied Waste’s $10 monthly fee.

It’s not that the South Cove resident can’t afford the cost. It’s more a matter of principle. The community – newly annexed to Issaquah – pays a rate twice that of the rest of the city for its garbage hauler.

“I’m offended by this lack of respect,” Buckwitz said.

A privilege of being in the city is that it can negotiate lower water, garbage and even cable rates. The rest of the city doesn’t have a fee for its yard waste.

However, a state law, meant to protect garbage haulers, will keep South Cove linked to Allied Waste until 2016 – and stuck with the rates negotiated by the state.

The Issaquah City Council had the opportunity this fall to renegotiate the deal by choosing Allied Waste as the garbage contractor for the entire city. Allied Waste even had the lowest bid, meaning South Cove residents would have paid less than half their current rate.

Instead, the council chose CleanScapes, with the switch scheduled for July.

Councilmembers were attracted to CleanScapes customer service. It offered more green initiatives and bear-proof cans, in addition to lower rates than the city’s current contract.

“You have to weigh what’s in the city’s best interest as a whole,” said Councilmember Joshua Schaer, who is also paying the higher Allied rates through his homeowners’ group.

Buckwitz disagreed, saying the council should have given more consideration to South Cove’s situation. “I think they ignored us.”

He added that South Cove residents didn’t speak up when they had the chance and no one championed the issue.

Issaquah’s situation is fairly common. Most cities can’t afford to get newly annexed areas off their old garbage contracts, said David Fujimoto, the city’s resource conservation office manager.

The city had to add three years to South Cove’s contract with Allied Waste to make up for the damages for ending the contract.

Buckwitz says those damages should be paid by the city, not South Cove residents.

While it’s going to take a while for the neighborhood to see the full benefits of annexing, South Cove will see a significant improvement in 2016 when it joins the city’s contract, Fujimoto said.