A new garbage service contract between the City of Sequim and Olympic Disposal means more options for residential customers and a slightly higher bill for most, starting in 2020.
Olympic Disposal and its parent company Waste Connections will continue to operate as the city’s solid waste provider for 10 years from Jan. 2020-Dec. 2029 after city councilors unanimously agreed to terms on Nov. 25.
As part of the contract, weekly pickup will continue for residential trash, while new pickup options include monthly and every-other-week for 35-, 64- and 96-gallon containers. For example, a 64-gallon monthly pickup will cost $17.68 per month, and every-other-week will cost $29.27 per month.
David Garlington, Sequim public works director, said the contract keeps a hold status option for snowbirds, people who leave Sequim for the winter, without a charge for pickup.
“We have a significant population in town that takes advantage of warmer temperatures in the winter time and won’t be hurt by doing that with their garbage bills,” he said.
Some non-monetary changes include:
• Yard waste container pick up days will be consolidated from three days a week to one — Mondays — starting in January. Garlington said this was to save on fuel on time. Recycling pickup days remain the same.
• City and DM Disposal staff plan to create a reduced rate system for eligible low-income customers.
• Staffers will engage in pilot projects related to solid waste and recycling services.
• DM Disposal will continue to provide garbage/recycling services for special events such as Rally in the Alley, Sequim Irrigation Festival, Sequim Farmers Market, Kids Fishing Derby, Sequim Lavender Weekend, Dungeness Cup soccer tournament, the new Sequim Sunshine Festival and more.
Bill changes
Residential bills will continue to be sent out every-other-month and multi-family complex and commercial bills monthly.
City staff estimate there are about 2,342 residential customers and 2,074 commercial customers.
Cost for weekly residential pickup is going up about 12 percent per container size per month. For example, a 20-gallon container with weekly pickup will go up $2.65 per month to $24.66.
A 35-gallon weekly pickup will go up $3.60 to $33.56 per month, a 64-gallon container up $4.08 to $38.12, and a 96-gallon container up $7.88 to $47.27 per month.
Residential bills will continue to reflect two months of charges.
Pick-up frequencies for commercial customers remain the same but increases in container costs vary ranging from 0.2 percent to 19 percent.
Chad Young, district manager with DM Disposal, said they plan to send out mailers with new rates and recycling tips starting in 2020.
He said his staff worked with the city to restructure commercial rates to “be more customer-friendly.”
For example, he said a 3-yard container picked up twice a month ($523.33) costs about the same as a 6-yard container picked up once a month ($521.50). Now the 3-yard, twice-a-week container will cost $541.77 and a 6-yard container $522.77.
Recycling
On average, Sequim’s recycling and all of Clallam County’s recycling at Murrey’s Recyclables Facility in Port Angeles sends about 200 bales of co-mingled recycling to Tacoma each week, operator Dave Schaumburg said.
Garlington said bill increases (about 7 percent for most residential bills) are because of rising recycling costs. One cause for that is that in 2018 China began reducing recyclable imports because of new regulations to cut down on non-recyclable items.
The City of Sequim includes recycling in its garbage pickup contract in separate 96-gallon bins.
Over the city’s 10-year contract, staff will meet each year in August or September to review services and rates including recycling.
“We’ll look at whether or not we want to adjust (rates) based on if recycling is costing more to get rid of or less to get rid of,” Garlington said.
“Hopefully, there’ll be a positive that it’s a business in the black than the red.”
Young said he’s been working with Ann Soule, Sequim’s resource manager, to create a brochure to send out to residents. It will go out at least four times with bills in 2020, he said.
Residents aren’t allowed to recycle glass with curbside boxes, but they can recycle glass at the city’s shop, 162 W. Hemlock St., and at Evergreen Collision, 703 E. Washington St.
Plastic bags can be recycled at many local grocery stores. Visit www.plasticfilmrecycling.org for more information.
Other recycling options include:
• Regional Transfer Station, 3501 W. 18th St., Port Angeles
• Blue Mountain Transfer Station, one mile up Blue Mountain Road
• City of Sequim, 162 W. Hemlock St. (vehicle batteries and motor oil)
Learn more about Clallam County recycling efforts at www.clallam.net/go/recycling or by calling Meggan Uecker, Clallam County solid waste coordinator, at 360-417-2441.
For more about the city’s trash and recycling services, call DM Disposal at 360-452-7278.
Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
Pickup days for recycling remain the same in the City of Sequim in 2020, but residents have the option for trash pickup monthly or every-other-week. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
