Kent single-family home residents might have to pay a monthly recycling processing surcharge if city leaders agree to a request by Republic Services.
No action has been taken yet, but the City Council’s Public Works Committee heard at its May 20 meeting that Arizona-based Republic Services, which contracts to handle the city’s garbage, recycling and yard waste services, has proposed a $2.96 per month surcharge to single-family residents and $2.25 per cubic yard for multifamily properties.
The company wants the surcharge because the value of recyclables has dropped and it’s harder to find markets to take the items.
China stopped taking plastic trash imports last year after decades of buying plastics from the United States. The country was taking in too much trash, and profits faded because much of the plastic was contaminated, according to a March report on National Public Radio, npr.org.
“There are global forces out of Republic’s control with the recycling market and China and that has repercussions,” Councilmember Dennis Higgins said at the committee meeting. “The fact of the matter is if we value recycling, and I think we do, given the market realities we are going to have do something different.”
Tony Donati, city Public Works conservation coordinator, said Republic Services requested the recycling processing surcharge in a letter to the city. He said the company made a similar request to the city of Covington.
Recycling and yard waste are embedded in the cost of the monthly garbage rate, Donati said. The monthly rates range from $5.79 for a 13-gallon container, $11.58 for a 20-gallon container and up to $63.22 for a 96-gallon container. Those rates adjust each year for inflation, a 0.4 percent increase this year.
“Those are some of the lowest rates in the area,” Donati said.
The city’s contract with Republic began in April 2016 and goes through March 2023. Donati said the company proposed to extend the contract for an additional two years if the city allows the recycling processing surcharge. Donati said the amount of the proposed fee by Republic is negotiable under the contract.
“So the incentive would be to keep our low rates,” Higgins said.
The committee asked Donati to come back later this year with information about any other cities that have imposed a recycling surcharge and at what amount.
“We need that information for our decision,” Higgins said.
The city of Tacoma, which operates its own solid waste services, is considering several options, from eliminating curbside recycling to a surcharge of up to $4 per month to keep current services, according to the city’s website. The city of Tacoma pointed out that if curbside recycling is eliminated, residents would have to pay higher monthly garbage rates because they would need a larger container.
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