Mandatory trash collection proposed

By Meg Olson

The county solid waste advisory committee (SWAC) is reviewing a proposal from Point Recycling and Refuse to make big changes to the garbage collection system.

On April 25 Arthur Wilkowski made a proposal to require every household in the community to pay $7 or less for once-a-month garbage service, eliminating the current tag system for occasional users of the system, and the exemption system for people who are now taking their garbage directly to the transfer station or getting rid of it another way.

“The exemption program isn’t working,” Wilkowski said. According to his figures 17 percent of households now are on year-round service, 10 percent use the tag system, and 10 percent regularly use the transfer station. This means more than half of households in Point Roberts are not properly disposing of their garbage but burning it, dumping it, or popping it in a dumpster somewhere.

“The rates are based on the cost of service,” Wilkowski said. “As volume goes down rates go up and as volume goes up rates go down.” If the changes he is proposing go through, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) will review his costs at the end of one year and Wilkowski expects a decrease in rates, and possibly a rebate for customers. “This is not a profit grab for me,” he said. “In order to provide a viable solid waste system for this community everyone needs to participate.”

County solid waste specialist Penni Lemperes agrees that the “exemption process has a lot of problems,” since they don’t have the staff to enforce proper disposal of garbage by the people who file exemption forms. All cities within the county already have mandatory garbage pickups for all households.

Wilkowski is also proposing the elimination of curbside recycling pickup. “There are not enough customers to support the program at a reasonable cost,” he said. “It’s the wrong program design for this community.” Instead Wilkowski is proposing a free drop-off program for recyclables.

“It will cost me money, several thousand dollars a year, but it’s the price I have to pay to try and get out of a program that just won’t work. Those 340 people who use the service can’t afford to pay for the equipment necessary to provide the service. Rates go up, people drop off the system and that affects the garbage system too. It’s really unfeasible.”

If the SWAC, a citizen’s advisory group, supports Wilkowski’s proposal, the review will move to the county council level, and solid waste division secretary Debbie Bailey said at least one public meeting in Point Roberts would be required. “There is a process and it’s not going to happen overnight,” she said.

If county council approves the changes, the WUTC would review costs and approve a revised tariff, another opportunity for public comment.
Once new rates are approved every household would get a bill for garbage and Wilkowski said he would forward those who don’t pay to the county assessor’s office which collects the garbage costs with property taxes. “There are already ordinances in place to deal with all of that,” he said. “It’s a utility. They pay for water every month. If we had sewer they’d pay for that.”