King County garbage disposal fee hike starts Jan. 1
December 21, 2012
NEW — 10 a.m. Dec. 21, 2012
Residents can expect to pay more for garage pick-up, and to dump garbage at transfer stations and drop boxes, after Jan. 1, as King County seeks to modernize the aging solid waste system.
The average residential customer putting out a single container of garbage for curbside collection per week is likely pay about 57 cents per month more as garbage haulers cover the disposal fees.
Haulers, such as CleanScapes and Allied Waste, pass along the rate increase to customers.
The fee for bringing solid waste to a transfer station or drop box is poised to increase from $117.42 to $129.40 per ton, including tax and a moderate risk waste fee. The minimum fee is due to increase from $20 to $22, including tax and the fee.
Issaquah Police Department to add patrol officer
December 11, 2012
Expect to see more police patrolling city streets next summer, after the City Council agreed to include dollars in the 2013 municipal budget for the Issaquah Police Department to hire another officer.
The council agreed in the $42 million general fund budget to hire another police officer and a part-time records staffer for the police department. The agency expects to fill both positions after July 1.
The general fund encompasses the dollars used to fund police and fire services, community development and planning, parks and recreation, and municipal government. The police department is the largest expense in the general fund — encompassing more than $8 million — followed by parks and recreation.
Thanksgiving changes Issaquah garbage pick-up
November 20, 2012
Customers should not expect regular garbage service on Nov. 22, Thanksgiving Day.
The haulers serving Issaquah do not collect garbage and recycling on the holiday. Instead, if a customer’s collection day falls on Thanksgiving, service is delayed one day.
So, for example, because Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, customers with garbage and recycling collection on Thursday receive Friday service the day after Thanksgiving, and Friday customers receive Saturday service after the holiday. The regular collection schedules resume Monday, Nov. 26.
Customers could pay more for garbage pickup
October 16, 2012
The cost for garbage pickup in Issaquah and elsewhere in King County is expected to rise next year, after the King County Council approved a rate increase Sept. 24.
Under the updated rate structure, the cost for commercial vehicles, such as garbage trucks, to dump trash at county facilities is $120.17 per ton. The current rate, put in place in September 2011, is $109 per ton.
Haulers, such as CleanScapes and Allied Waste, pass along the rate increase to customers. So, the average customer putting out a single can for pickup can expect to pay about 65 cents more per month next year, although the exact increase depends on how haulers pass on the rate hike to consumers.
The rate is due to increase to $19.22 from $17.49 per load for residents hauling garbage to county transfer stations.
Issaquah’s Lakemont Orchard Apartments sell for $39.5 million
October 4, 2012
NEW — 10 a.m. Oct. 4, 2012
Issaquah’s Lakemont Orchard Apartments sold last month for $39.5 million, according to King County property records.
MainStay Investments, a division of New York Life Insurance Co., bought the 17-building complex from Invesco, a Dallas-based investment firm. The complex includes 201 units at 18305 S.E. Newport Way, near the Issaquah-Bellevue city line.
The complex opened in 1992. Invesco bought the apartment complex for about $21 million in 1998, according to county property records.
Issaquah annexed the area from King County in the 2006 Greenwood Point-South Cove annexation. The annexation extended city boundaries to include about 3,700 people.
King County increases garbage rate to fund system upgrades
September 27, 2012
NEW — 8 a.m. Sept. 27, 2012
The cost for garbage pickup in Issaquah and elsewhere in King County is expected to rise next year, after the King County Council approved a rate increase Monday.
Under the updated rate structure, the cost for commercial vehicles, such as garbage trucks, to dump trash at county facilities is $120.17 per ton. The current rate, put into place in September 2011, is $109 per ton.
Haulers, such as CleanScapes and Allied Waste, pass along the rate increase to customers. So, the average customer putting out a single can for pickup can expect to pay about 65 cents more per month next year, although the exact increase depends on how haulers pass on the rate hike to consumers.
The rate is due to increase to $19.22 from $17.49 per load for residents hauling garbage to county transfer stations.
Trash strike causes confusion for Issaquah customers
August 7, 2012
Drivers for the garbage hauler in most Issaquah neighborhoods fielded questions in late July as a strike paralyzed another hauler and led to festering containers on street corners in many King County cities.
The strike did not affect either contract hauler operating in Issaquah, but drivers for CleanScapes received questions from customers along collection routes. Many customers assumed the drivers to be nonunion replacement drivers for Waste Management.
CleanScapes drivers, members of Teamsters Local 174, operate under a contract signed last year. The company operates under a single labor agreement with garbage, recycling and yard waste drivers.
Strike does not affect Issaquah garbage service
July 31, 2012
Issaquah garbage service remained unaffected as Waste Management recycling and yard waste truck drivers went on strike July 25.
Waste Management used to provide garbage and recycling service for most Issaquah customers, but the city switched to CleanScapes on July 1.
Allied Waste — a local name for national company Republic Services — hauls garbage in South Cove and Greenwood Point neighborhoods along Lake Sammamish. Allied Waste also handles garbage service in unincorporated King County communities, such as Klahanie, Mirrormont and Preston.
Services for customers in King and Snohomish counties stopped after Teamsters went on strike over wage and benefits issues.
In October, City Council members selected Seattle-based CleanScapes to haul Issaquah garbage from July 2012 until June 2019 — a $3.8-million-per-year contract.
Issaquah garbage service is unaffected by Waste Management strike
July 27, 2012
NEW — 8 a.m. July 27, 2012
Issaquah garbage service is unaffected as Waste Management recycling and yard waste truck drivers remained on strike.
Waste Management used to provide garbage and recycling service for most Issaquah customers, but the city switched to CleanScapes on July 1.
Allied Waste — a local name for national company Republic Services — hauls garbage in South Cove and Greenwood Point neighborhoods along Lake Sammamish. Allied Waste also handles garbage service in unincorporated King County communities, such as Klahanie, Mirrormont and Preston.
Services for customers in King and Snohomish counties stopped Wednesday after Teamsters went on strike against over wage and benefits issues.
King County Executive Dow Constantine and the mayors of Kirkland, Redmond, Renton and Seattle called on Waste Management and Teamsters Local 117 representatives to return to the bargaining table.
Expect regular trash pickup on Independence Day
July 3, 2012
Issaquah customers should expect regular garbage service on Independence Day.
The holiday falls just after most city customers switch from Waste Management to CleanScapes on July 2.
Customers can continue to use existing carts. CleanScapes plans to add stickers in July to describe what can be composted and recycled.
Though the collection day is changing for some customers, the billing cycle is not changing for anyone. Customers poised for a collection day change should have received a postcard with information about the switch.
Customers with questions can call CleanScapes at 837-1234 or go to www.cleanscapes.com to learn more.
The changeover from Waste Management to CleanScapes affects most Issaquah customers. Allied Waste — a local name for national company Republic Services — hauls garbage in South Cove and Greenwood Point neighborhoods along Lake Sammamish.
CleanScapes is also renovating a space in Gilman Village for a customer service center.
