Solid waste in the islands is evolving and county staff like Public Works Director Frank Mulcahy is optimistic that garbage and recycling collection is changing for the better.
“It’s such a sensitive time for the county,” Mulcahy said. “There have been lingering issues with garbage, so a lot of energy and momentum is going into the transition. And I think people will overwhelmingly be pleased with what is put in place.”
And some of those big changes will occur this summer and fall. Here is an update for each island.
San Juan – The county is not accepting proposals to run the transfer station because Friday Harbor’s Administrator Duncan Wilson and Mulcahy are attempting to reach an agreement on renewal of the lease that for years has allowed the county to use a portion of town-owned property on Sutton Road for its solid waste transfer station. The Friday Harbor Town Council recently approved a list of conditions for continued lease of that site by the county. Mulcahy is optimistic that he will have approval from the town at the end of July and then they will start the request for proposals process.
Orcas – At a county meeting in May there were four parties interested in taking over the transfer station: the Exchange, San Juan Sanitation, Cimarron Trucking and Kentech USA. Mulcahy said he anticipates that all four operations will put in a proposal by the deadline date of July 13.
For islanders concerned about the fate of the Exchange, which offers recycled items for a donation and is located on the transfer station site, Mulcahy said that whoever takes on the transfer station will have to comply with the Exchange.
“The real concern is that if no one picks up the operation of the transfer station, the Exchange will lose business,” Mulcahy said.
But he said he has seen similar recycling endeavors on San Juan and off-island that operate independently of a transfer station.
“It’s a brave new world. I think those that know and love the Exchange will support it no matter what. I think there is life after self-haul,” Mulcahy said. “Because of the interest in proposals to take over the transfer stations, I don’t think people will have to worry about life after self-haul.”
Lopez – On June 26, the county council made it official that the Lopez Island’s drop box and self-haul facility will be operated by a Solid Waste Disposal District.
In May, more than 1,200 Lopezians signed a petition asking the council to create a district to take over operation of the Lopez dump and recycling center. Council Chairwoman Patty Miller asked for signatures of 550 registered voters as a “show of support” that Lopez property owners would be willing to help finance the district with property taxes. The petition-signers pledged to vote for an estimated $.08 per $1,000 of valuation property tax measure in November.
Miller said the district will only work if the property tax measure is passed because otherwise there is not enough revenue to keep the transfer station running.
“If people are charged too much for garbage, they won’t utilize it,” she said.
According to Larry Eppenbach, district secretary, the district’s advisory board nominees told the council that failure is not an option.
“We are not directing any significant energy to this ‘what if?’ However, the community of Lopez has worked toward this goal for 20 years and we will not give up,” he said. “We told the council that we would certainly be back responding to their RFP [request for proposal] with a modified service plan should the ballot measure not succeed.”
If the district is successful, Eppenbach said the biggest change for Lopez regarding solid waste will be local control. There will be a suggestion box, and the district will be inviting ideas and inputs from locals. The recycling service will revert to a free source-separated operation and will produce the highest return value. The district plans to expand recycling services over time. For a small fee, there will be an option to dispose of recyclables in commingled form.
Other big changes will come in cost savings. The district is working to find an inexpensive means to dispose of waste glass, which because of its weight is costly to transport. The recycling center “Take-It-Or-Leave-It” will be improved with volunteers organized by the district.
“With the official formation of the Lopez District, SWAP will assume an on-going support role as a membership nonprofit organization, charged with public information and education, volunteer recruitment and fundraising,” he said. “We are all feeling very excited to take the next step. The first thing we have to do, though, is get the property tax measure passed in November.”
Countywide, you can expect to put your trash and recycling bin curbside, starting Sept. 1, as San Juan Sanitation, Inc. will be providing garbage and recycling pickup service.
San Juan Sanitation has been collecting garbage in San Juan County since 1966 and is the solid waste collection company approved for work in the islands by the state’s Transportation and Utilities Commission. Maps of the service areas for garbage and recycling pickup on San Juan, Orcas and Lopez Islands will be on the Public Works website within a few weeks, and county staff will be available at the county fair in August to answer questions about the transition to the new system.
The county’s new “Level of Service” regulations require that recycling and garbage route collection services must be purchased in combination; existing route collection customers will be automatically signed up for recycling collection starting in September; the basic monthly recycling service will include two 32-gallon cans; excess recyclable materials can be collected for an additional charge and recycling must occur on the same day as garbage collection. Fees for services can be found at www.sanjuansani.com.
To keep track of all these changes regarding the solid waste system, public works has an email news service to provide interested residents with the latest information. To sign up, visit www.co.san-juan.wa.us/mail/optin.aspx.
“We want to be open and transparent and be accessible,” Mulcahy said.
