Drafter
Clerk 09/24/2012
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to solid waste fees charged at recycling and transfer facilities and at the Cedar Hills regional landfill; and amending Ordinance 12564, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 10.12.021 and Ordinance 11196, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 10.12.040.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. The solid waste division provides essential public services that protect human health and the environment and the quality of life in our region.
2. The solid waste division is modernizing the region's transfer system with new recycling and transfer stations to meet green building, safety and environmental standards, accommodate projected growth in the region, and incorporate best practices in transfer and transport operations. All garbage loads will be compacted and weighed before leaving the facility, which will reduce the total number of loads needing to be transported, saving transport costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and effectively eliminating under- or over-loaded trailers. Expanded recycling will be a significant element of the new transfer system, allowing for additional and more efficient collection of many materials.
3. The solid waste division is proposing to increase the basic fee for disposal of municipal solid waste from $109.00 to $121.75 per ton, effective January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2014.
4. The impact on the average single-family household with garbage collection would be approximately sixty-five cents per month, which is estimated to represent a less than four percent increase on the average monthly residential solid waste bill.
5. The current basic fee of $109.00 was intended for a one-year period of 2012 and will not support the expenses of the system beyond 2012.
6. New fees for 2013 and 2014 will provide the funds necessary to:
a. Continue renovation of the nearly fifty-year-old urban transfer system;
b. Cover any mitigation payments required under state law for wear and tear on city roads from solid waste vehicles;
c. Support waste prevention and recycling programs that protect the environment while increasing sustainability and quality of life in the region;
d. Extend the life of the Cedar Hills regional landfill and ensure sufficient reserves for closure and postclosure care; and
e. Provide convenient disposal and recycling services for residents and businesses.
7. Beginning in 2013 and continuing for the next fifteen years, the cost of renovating and upgrading the regional transfer system will be the biggest contributor to solid waste fee increases. In 2013 and 2014, approximately twelve and one-half percent of the basic fee will fund transfer system upgrades.
8. Waste prevention and recycling programs support a sustainable county, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect our natural resources and preserve valuable landfill space. Expanded programs will:
a. Restore collection of the curbside mix of recyclables to all transfer facilities that accept recyclables and expand collection of scrap metal and appliances;
b. Promote product stewardship, whereby manufacturers take responsibility for minimizing a product's environmental impact throughout all stages of a product's life cycle, including end of life management, for products such as paint, carpet, batteries and pharmaceuticals;
c. Provide tools and technical assistance to help King County residents and businesses reduce waste and minimize their environmental footprint;
d. Provide green building grants and develop markets for salvaged lumber, recycled asphalt shingles, mattresses and carpet;
e. Provide focused educational and outreach materials for non-English speaking residents and those living in more rural areas of the county; and
f. Provide King County schools and school districts with tools and support needed to initiate and expand waste reduction and recycling practices and other conservation actions while involving the school community in environmental stewardship.
9. Planning and design of Area 8 of the Cedar Hills regional landfill will begin during this rate period. With the new area, disposal capacity at Cedar Hills is projected to last through approximately 2025. The additional landfill capacity will save ratepayers an estimated $100,000,000 compared to other disposal alternatives.
a. At this time, disposal at the Cedar Hills regional landfill is significantly less expensive than the projected costs of other disposal options, including transporting waste to an out-of-county landfill or waste-to-energy or other waste conversion technologies.
b. By extending the life of the landfill and delaying the transition to a new disposal method, the county will be able to keep rates lower longer.
c. During the life of the landfill, reserves are accumulated, as mandated by federal and state, that will ensure safe, environmentally sound closure of the landfill and funds for thirty years of postclosure care.
10. The solid waste division is proposing to reduce the fee for yard waste and clean wood from $82.50 to $75.00 per ton.
a. For over twenty years, through education, incentives, mandates and infrastructure development, the county has successfully prioritized diversion of yard waste collected curbside from disposal. The increased capacity and efficient designs of new transfer stations can now be leveraged to allow a reduction in the fee for this service at transfer stations.
b. The reduced fee will provide an incentive for customers to separate yard waste and clean wood from garbage for recycling, while still covering the system-wide costs of providing the service.
11. A special waste rate is applied to materials that require special handling or record keeping or both. Two different per-ton fees will reflect the various handling and tracking requirements of different materials. Because the overall goal of sustaining a healthy environment is supported when residents and businesses can easily use the waste clearance process and dispose of materials properly, proposed fees reflect additional disposal costs, but do not fully recover the costs of the program. Although not reflected in monetary terms, the benefits of a clean, healthy environment offset the difference between total cost and the fee.
12. In accordance with the county's waste acceptance rule, white goods ("appliances") may not be disposed at transfer facilities or the landfill. While most appliances are recyclable, appliances that contain chlorofluorocarbons ("CFCs") must be processed first to ensure proper removal of these environmentally-harmful chemicals. Currently, two different fees reflect the different handling requirements of appliances that contain CFCs and those that do not.
a. An increased fee for appliances that contain CFCs will allow the division to expand the number of transfer facilities that accept these items for recycling.
b. No increase in the fee for non-CFC appliances is being proposed. Through more efficient handling, costs related to handling non-CFC appliances will be sufficiently covered by the current fee and offset by revenue from their sale as scrap metal. This revenue will also partially offset the cost of accepting CFC-containing appliances.
13. An increased fee for unsecured loads supports safe, clean communities.
a. Every year in North America, vehicle-related road debris is estimated to cause over twenty-five thousand crashes, nearly one hundred of them fatal. On average, four hundred accidents involving road debris occur on Washington state highways each year. Items that fall off vehicles endanger other motorists not only because the debris may strike other vehicles, but also because motorists may swerve to avoid the debris.
b. Unsecured loads account for about five million pounds of litter and debris on Washington state highways annually.
c. Driving with an unsecured load is against the law. RCW 46.61.655 requires that vehicles driven on any public highway be loaded to prevent any of the load from escaping from the vehicle. Washington state fines are $216.00 for transporting an unsecured load and up to $5,000.00 with potential for jail time if an item falls off the vehicle and causes property damage or bodily injury.
d. In accordance with RCW 70.93.097, the solid waste division assesses a fee to all vehicles with unsecured loads arriving at its transfer facilities or landfill. The current fees have been in effect since January 1994.
e. Since 2006, the solid waste division has partnered with the Washington state Department of Ecology, the King County sheriff's office, the Washington State Patrol and King County citizen activist Robin Abel to educate motorists on secured load laws.
f. The solid waste division will distribute public education materials at its transfer stations regarding the dangers of unsecured loads and the proper manner to cover and secure materials being delivered to disposal facilities. The education materials will include directions to King County businesses that sell equipment to cover and secure loads. Additionally, the solid waste division will work with businesses to seek to establish a voucher or coupon program to reduce customers' costs of procuring equipment and materials to cover loads.
g. The solid waste division will also work through the metropolitan solid waste advisory committee to advise and assist cities to develop municipal laws to cite and fine drivers of vehicles traveling with unsecured loads on city streets.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. A. This ordinance proposes changes to the fees currently charged for solid waste disposal at solid waste transfer stations and drop boxes and at the Cedar Hills regional landfill.
B. These fees are established and assessed pursuant to RCW 36.58.040, RCW 70.93.070 and K.C.C. 10.08.040
SECTION 2. Ordinance 12564, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 10.12.021 are each hereby amended as follows:
A. All persons using county-operated solid waste ((facilities)) transfer stations and drop boxes shall pay the service fees in the following schedules:
1. Solid waste disposal:
Passenger cars $((17.49)) 19.22 per entry
Other vehicles $((109.00)) 120.17 per ton
Charitable organizations $((84.00)) 92.55 per ton
Minimum $((17.49)) 19.22 per vehicle
Charitable organizations, minimum charge $((13.39)) 15.08 per entry
2. Deposit of source-separated yard waste at yard waste collection areas, ((other organics at organics collections areas,)) clean wood at clean wood collection areas, or any combination thereof:
Passenger cars $((13.25)) 12.00 per entry
Other vehicles $((82.50)) 75.00 per ton
Minimum charge $((13.25)) 12.00 per vehicle
3. Deposit of white goods at white goods collection areas:
White goods without regulated refrigerants $10.00 per unit
White goods with regulated refrigerants $((24.00)) 30.00 per unit
B. Service fees for the use of solid waste facilities without scales shall be based upon the cubic yard or fraction thereof as follows:
1. Solid waste disposal:
Passenger cars $((17.49)) 19.67 per entry
Other vehicles
Compacted wastes $((31.61)) 35.31 per cubic
yard
Uncompacted wastes $((18.53)) 20.70 per cubic
yard
Minimum charge $((17.49)) 19.67 per vehicle
2. Deposit of source-separated yard waste at yard waste collection areas, ((other organics at organics collections areas,)) clean wood at clean wood collection areas, or any combination thereof:
Passenger cars $((13.25)) 12.00 per entry
Other vehicles
Compacted wastes $((24.00)) 21.75 per cubic
yard
Uncompacted wastes $((14.00)) 12.75 per cubic
yard
Minimum charge $((13.25)) 12.00 per vehicle
C. Service fees at the Cedar Hills regional landfill shall be:
Cedar Hills Regional Direct $((93.50)) 103.50 per ton
Other vehicles $((109.00)) 121.75 per ton
Disposal by other vehicles is at the discretion of the division director.
D. A moderate-risk waste surcharge shall be added to all solid waste disposed by nonsolid waste collection entities using county operated solid waste facilities. The fee schedule is as follows:
1. For facilities with scales:
Self-haulers $4.73 per ton
Minimum charge $1.81 per entry
Passenger cars $1.81 per entry
2. For facilities without scales:
Compacted $1.04 per cubic yard
Uncompacted $0.59 per cubic yard
Minimum charge $1.81 per entry
Passenger cars $1.81 per entry
E. As determined by the division director, ((A)) a special waste fee shall be charged for special waste including asbestos-containing waste material and other wastes requiring clearances in accordance with King County Board of Health Code Title 10 or rules adopted by the department.
Special waste fee $145.00 per ton
Special waste fee ((M))minimum charge $23.20 per entry
Special waste fee, extra handling $175.00 per ton
Special waste fee, extra handling minimum charge $28.00 per entry
F. In the absence of exact weights or measurements, the estimate of the division director is binding upon the user.
G. The division director may establish fees for handling and processing of recyclable materials for which no other fee has been established by ordinance. Consistent with WRR-1, WRR-2, WWR-4 and WRR-36, the fees need not recover the full cost of handling and processing.
SECTION 3. Ordinance 11196, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 10.12.040 are each herby amended as follows:
A. In accordance with RCW 70.93.097, a fee shall be charged to all operators of vehicles with unsecured loads arriving at any staffed public or private transfer facility or landfill in the jurisdiction of King County. ((The operator of the vehicle containing the unsecured load unless exempted by the provision of subsection B. of this section shall be required to pay a fee.)) The unsecured load fee shall be twenty-five dollars.
((Passenger licensed vehicles $3.00
Trucks
-less than or equal to 8000 pounds licensed gross vehicle weight $5.00
-greater than 8000 pounds licensed gross vehicle weight $10.00))
B. The fee collected under subsection A. of this section shall be deposited, no less often that quarterly, in the ((King County)) solid waste ((division's)) operating fund.
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10 days prior
Newspaper: Seattle Times
Publish: Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Public hearing: 9/24/12