December 2016
 Go green this holiday season
Interested in how you can make your holiday season as green as possible? Visit the Solid Waste Division's Green Holiday program webpage to find green gifts, how to eco-decorate, and ways to recycle your holidays.
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Reminder: Solid Waste Fee Increases Start Jan. 1
The King County Solid Waste Division would like to send a helpful reminder to residents that an increase in disposal fees goes into effect Jan. 1, 2017. This increase will help cover rising costs and add more recycling options at its facilities, while modernizing a half-century-old solid waste handling system.
The basic fee for bringing solid waste to a King County solid waste facility, when tax and surcharge are included, will increase from $129.40 to $144.34 per ton, and the minimum fee will increase from $22 to $24.25.
The typical single-family curbside customer who puts out one can of garbage per week is likely to see an increase of 77 cents per month in the garbage bill from their hauler to cover the new disposal fees.
You can read more about the increase here: http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/dnrp/newsroom/newsreleases/2016/December/12-SWD-rate-reminder.aspx
 Go online to check the line at transfer stations
Customers heading to the Algona, Bow Lake, Factoria, Houghton, Renton, or Shoreline transfer stations can now visit www.kingcounty.gov/checktheline to view the line of vehicles waiting to enter the stations and see average disposal times.
Photos of transfer station entrances are updated every 60 seconds to give customers a real-time awareness of the line of vehicles in the queue.
Disposal times list how long it is currently taking customers to complete their visit after they have weighed in at the scale house. Disposal times do not include the time customers may wait in line before getting to the scale house to weigh in.
Customers are encouraged to take advantage of the new online features so they can make their trips to transfer stations more efficient and productive.
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 Vashon food and yard waste program will continue
Following a successful one-year pilot project when Vashon-Maury Island residents diverted more than 580 tons of yard and food waste from the landfill and toward a new life as compost, the King County Solid Waste Division is making yard and food waste recycling a regular feature at the Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station.
Division employees partnered with the nonprofit Zero Waste Vashon to promote the program through signage, press releases, brochures, local newspaper advertisements, posters, and mailings.
During the one-year pilot program from October 2015 through September 2016, Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station customers brought 584 tons of yard and food waste separated from garbage to the facility. The materials are transported to Cedar Grove Composting, Inc. in Maple Valley to be composted.
Fees charged for yard and food waste are lower than garbage fees. Customers are charged a minimum fee of $12 which covers up to 320 pounds. For heavier loads, customers are charged a $75 per ton fee.
For more information about the Vashon yard and food waste program, visit
http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/facilities/documents/Vashon-food-yard-brochure.pdf. For information about recyclable materials accepted at Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station, visit http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/facilities/vashon-transfer.asp?ID=344.
Contact Dale Alekel at dale.alekel@kingcounty.gov or 206-477-5267 with questions about the Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station.
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Upcoming Meetings
For information about upcoming meetings, follow these links:
Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee (MSWMAC): http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/about/mswmac.asp
Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC): http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/about/swac.asp
Cedar Hills Regional Landfill Community Meeting: http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/facilities/cedar-hills-meetings.asp.
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