AT&T proposes adding equipment on cell tower
December 6, 2011
King County is considering proposals from AT&T to modify antennae and equipment for the existing cell tower near the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill.
The county also approved AT&T’s plan to add antennae and equipment to the existing cell tower at 10200 Renton-Issaquah Road S.E., about a mile northeast from the Southeast May Valley Road intersection.
AT&T applied to the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services to replace three antennae, six remote radio heads and a surge protector for the cabinet on the landfill tower.
The agency is in the process of determining potential environmental impacts of the landfill project. Residents can send comments about the environmental impacts to DDES — Building and Fire Services Division, 900 Oakesdale Ave. S.W., Renton, WA 98057-5212. The public comment period ends Dec. 19.
Residents can also review the applications and any environmental studies at the Renton office.
Planners OK’d the request from AT&T to add two antennae, six remote radio heads, three lines of cable and a surge protector to the tower at 10200 Renton-Issaquah Road S.E.
Food scraps return as compost to fuel community garden
November 29, 2011
King County EcoConsumer Tom Watson (left) adds compost to a garden plot Nov. 16. Contributed
Turning trash to treasure — or, at least, rich compost — could lengthen the landfill’s lifespan.
King County Solid Waste Division officials said the average King County family tosses 45 pounds of food scraps each month. The agency estimates food recycling could divert the amount of garbage headed to the county-run Cedar Hills Regional Landfill by more than 20 percent.
So, the Solid Waste Division enlisted 10 families in the Sycamore neighborhood near downtown Issaquah to collect food scraps throughout August — and demonstrate the ease of food-scrap recycling. Overall, neighbors amassed more than 400 pounds from refuse otherwise headed for the landfill — chicken bones, pineapple tops, paper towels soaked in bacon grease and much more.
The garbage pile festering beneath the hot August sun in Donna Misner’s driveway re-emerged Nov. 16 as rich compost.
King County EcoConsumer Tom Watson joined the residents in late August to bid the garbage heap farewell on a journey to Cedar Grove Composting.
Then, 85 days and a decomposition cycle later, Misner and other Sycamore neighbors gathered on a rain-soaked morning to see the result.
City could choose CleanScapes for garbage contract, dump Waste Management
October 18, 2011
Officials seek hauler to serve most Issaquah neighborhoods
CleanScapes nudged out larger competitors and emerged as the No. 1 contender to haul Issaquah garbage due, in part, to offering curbside pickup for difficult-to-recycle items, such as batteries and light bulbs.
The city is seeking a garbage hauler to serve most Issaquah neighborhoods. Waste Management is the predominant hauler in the city, but the current contract between Issaquah and the Houston-based company expires in June.
Seattle-based CleanScapes came out as the top candidate after city officials evaluated offers from both companies and another collector, Allied Waste — a local name for national company Republic Services.
City officials said a $3.8-million-per-year CleanScapes contract could mean lower rates for Issaquah customers, plus increased customer service and recycling options. The contract requires City Council approval.
If the CleanScapes contract is approved, a residential customer putting a 32-gallon cart out for weekly curbside pickup could see rates decrease from $13.43 to $12.74 — a 5.1 percent drop.
King County to answer landfill questions at Issaquah meeting
October 18, 2011
Residents from areas near the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill can offer feedback and receive updates at a public meeting soon.
The agency responsible for the landfill, the King County Solid Waste Division, is hosting a community meeting from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 25 at the King County Library Service Center, 960 Newport Way N.W.
Meeting attendees can learn about landfill operations, plus construction and environmental projects at the 920-acre facility. Officials also plan to discuss the Bio Energy Washington landfill-gas-to-energy facility at the landfill site.
The facility prompted noise complaints from nearby residents last year.
King County Council increases rate for garbage pickup
September 12, 2011
NEW — 8 p.m. Sept. 12, 2011
The cost for garbage pickup in Issaquah and elsewhere in King County is due to increase by about 80 cents per month next year.
King County Council members approved the rate increase Monday as part of a long-term effort to upgrade the solid waste system.
Under the updated system, the basic rate for commercial vehicles, such as garbage trucks, is $109 per ton. The current rate is $95 per ton.
The average customer putting out a single can for pickup should pay about 80 cents more per month next year.
For people hauling loads to county transfer stations, the rate is due to increase to $17.49 per load from $15.31 per load.
Neighborhood turns trash, food scraps, to treasure, rich compost
August 30, 2011
Residents donate 400 pounds of garbage for composting effort
The half-gnawed corncobs, shorn pineapple tops, slimy banana peels and grease-stained pizza boxes simmered in the midday sun — a concoction assembled from the kitchen castoffs of 10 Issaquah families.
Residents of the Sycamore neighborhood near downtown Issaquah dump a last load of food scraps into more than 400 pounds of collected food waste. Contributed
The festering pile in Donna Misner’s driveway Aug. 24 included more than 400 pounds collected from residents in the Sycamore neighborhood near downtown Issaquah.
King County joined the residents to increase food-scrap recycling for a month to accomplish dual goals: demonstrate the ease of food-scrap recycling and turn the garbage into rich compost for a community garden.
“I don’t consider this waste. People always joke, ‘Oh, it’s garbage and it’s stinky. This is a material. This is a resource — that’s what this is right here,” King County EcoConsumer Tom Watson said during a midday event in the Sycamore driveway. “It may smell a little bit on a hot day, but when you do it at home, it’s not going to smell. When Cedar Grove makes it into compost, the final product is a product that’s going to help your garden grow. It’s a resource.”
Cedar Grove Composting plans to transform the refuse into compost and then donate the results to the Issaquah Flatland Community Garden near the AtWork! Recycling Center by late fall. Gardeners send 25 percent of the organic bounty to the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank.
“The garden is a nice focal point for the Issaquah community,” AtWork! Community Development Manager Dennis Wadja said. “Neighbors walk to the garden, children are exposed to growing food, the food bank receives nutritious organic food and space is available for the disabled population. We see this recycling project as an opportunity to connect deeper to the wider community.”
(Cedar Grove Composting is near the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill in unincorporated King County between Issaquah and Maple Valley.)
Officials and teams from the King County Solid Waste Division and Cedar Grove Composting — including a county staffer dressed as a banana — gathered at the Misner home along Issaquah Creek as Tiger Mountain basked in the sunshine beyond.
Tour Cedar Hills landfill, destination for King County garbage
August 30, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. Aug. 30, 2011
See the destination for most King County garbage up close.
The county is opening the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill between Issaquah and Maple Valley for free tours Sept. 10. Cedar Hills, the last operating landfill in the county, encompasses 920 acres and accepts about 800,000 tons of garbage each year from across King County, excluding Seattle and Milton.
The tour is designed for adults. Call 206-296-4490 to organize tours for school-aged children and school groups.
The tour starts at 9 a.m. and lasts about one hour. The tour requires reservations. Reserve a spot by Sept. 6 by calling 206-296-4490, TTY Relay: 711.
Residents donate 400 pounds of scraps for trash-to-treasure composting effort
August 24, 2011
King County EcoConsumer Tom Watson mucks around in a pile of more than 400 pounds food scraps from Issaquah residents Wednesday. By Warren Kagarise
NEW — 12:50 p.m. Aug. 24, 2011
The half-gnawed corncobs, shorn pineapple tops, slippery banana peels and grease-stained pizza boxes simmered in the midday sun — a concoction assembled from the kitchen castoffs of 10 Issaquah families.
The festering pile in Donna Misner’s driveway included more than 400 pounds collected from residents in the Sycamore neighborhood near downtown Issaquah. King County joined the residents to increase food-scrap recycling for a month for a month to accomplish dual goals: demonstrate how easy such recycling can be and turn the garbage into rich compost for a community garden.
Voters overwhelmingly renew Veterans and Human Services Levy
August 23, 2011
The popular Veterans and Human Services Levy garnered overwhelming support from King County voters Aug. 16, as the electorate renewed the measure through 2017.
The levy is expected to generate about $100 million for programs to aid veterans and needy residents. The funding is split 50-50 between veterans programs and human services efforts.
“The citizens of King County have demonstrated their respect for our veterans and compassion for our neighbors most in need by voting to renew the Veterans and Human Services Levy,” County Executive Dow Constantine, a levy supporter, said in a statement late Aug. 16.
“I thank the voters for approving the levy and showing, once again, that King County is an extraordinary community in which to live.”
The measure, Proposition 1, garnered more than 60 percent of the vote in the initial results King County Elections released last week. The elections office is due to certify the results Aug. 31.
The measure garnered broad support from human services organizations and advocates for veterans. The county Voters’ Guide, in fact, did not include any statements opposing Proposition 1. Even the County Council put the measure on the ballot in a unanimous decision.
Donate school supplies — and receive discount — at Cedar Grove Composting
August 21, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 21, 2011
Donate school supplies for children in need at Cedar Grove Composting near Issaquah.
The composting facility, 17825 Cedar Grove Road S.E., is a collection site for back-to-school donations to the Maple Valley Food Bank. Donate through Wednesday to receive a 15 percent discount on bagged or bulk compost, and a 33 percent discount on kitchen collection kits.
Donate binders, notebooks, pencils and more to the food bank in order to receive the discount.
The food pantry encourages people to purchase and donate school supplies, make a monetary donation to support the purchase of wholesale backpacks and supplies, or include a monetary gift alongside supplies.
The food bank distributed 568 supply-filled backpacks at the start of the 2010-11 school year.
Cedar Grove Composting is near the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill in unincorporated King County, about eight miles south of downtown Issaquah.
Friends of Youth in downtown Issaquah is also collecting back-to-school supplies for needy children before classes start in the Issaquah School District on Aug. 30.
