In September 2016 the Metropolitan King County Council approved an increase to the solid waste disposal fees that will take effect on January 1, 2017. The disposal fee will increase from $120.17 per ton to $134.59 per ton; a 12% increase. The fee increase will impact everyone who lives in King County who generates garbage and pays for curbside collection or uses the transfer stations (excludes cities of Milton and Seattle that do not use the King County system). The last disposal rate increase was implemented in 2013. The fee increase covers increased costs of waste transfer, disposal, waste prevention and recycling programs, debt service, system upgrades, equipment and labor costs, the landfill reserve fund, and landfill closure maintenance among others.
The 12% disposal fee increase is a pass through fee and both Recology CleanScapes customers in incorporated Maple Valley, and Republic Services customers in both incorporated Maple Valley and unincorporated King County, are subject to the increase effective January 1, 2017. The average single family customer with a 32 gallon garbage cart collected curbside will see an increase of about 77 cents per month. The disposal fee is only on the disposal of garbage and will not impact organics.
In addition, Recology CleanScapes customers will see a collection rate increase of 1.595% effective January 1, 2017. The collection rate adjustment is an annual Consumer Price Index adjustment that is often used in long-term contracts. It is only calculated on the collection portion of customer rates. The annual CPI adjustment allows the collection portion of the rate to adjust upward or downward depending on the index. For a Recology CleanScapes single family customer with a 32 gallon garbage cart, their rate will increase from $14.08 a month to $14.79 a month which includes both the CPI increase and the King County Disposal increase. For more information contact Diana in Public Works at 425-413-8800 or diana.pistoll@maplevalleywa.gov
