Higher garbage costs possible

Published 1:29 pm Friday, September 14, 2012

Higher garbage and recycling costs may be coming to Bellevue residents.

The King County Council later this month will consider a recommendation to increase tipping fees charged to haulers. If approved, it could result in a boost of 50 cents per month for a typical Bellevue residential customer with a 32-gallon cart. Monthly bills would rise to $18.80 starting Jan. 1, 2013.

The Bellevue City Council on Monday, Sept. 10, considered how best to pay for the disposal of citywide garbage and recycled materials in the distant future.

Bellevue pays its contractor, Republic Services, to pick up garbage citywide and pays King County to dispose of it at the Factoria Recycling and Transfer Station. From there it goes to the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill in Maple Valley.

Bellevue and other cities have an agreement with King County to provide facilities, dispose of solid waste and set disposal fees until 2028. An important issue for Bellevue officials has been the steady rise in disposal rates in recent years.

Much of the tipping fee increases are being used to finance the construction of new facilities, including replacement of the Factoria Transfer Station, which is projected for completion in 2016 at a cost of approximately $76 million.

One discussion point was whether the city should extend its agreement with the county or make other disposal arrangements. The council directed city staff to prepare a comment letter to county elected officials expressing its concerns and recommendations.