Effective January 1, 2008 Solid Waste Utility rates are increasing 2% across-the-board. 

The City of Enumclaw is the only city in King County that operates a Solid Waste Utility using city employees and equipment for collection. The remaining cities have selected either contracting or franchising to private for-profit companies to perform the collection service for garbage, recyclables and yard waste. A rate comparison was conducted in 2005, 2006,and updated in 2007, as part of the rate analysis and included several King and Pierce county cities. The study demonstrated that Enumclaw’s proposed rates are comparable to surrounding cities. The rates of the other cities were charted for comparison. The charts compare the rates without utility taxes and thus will not match the published rates for Enumclaw.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: I would like to haul my own garbage to the transfer station. Why is city garbage service mandatory?

Answer: The affordability of rates is dependent upon the certainty of our customer base. The more customers we serve, the lower the overall cost. Another reason is weekly garbage removal promotes a more sanitary condition for garbage containers. Self-hauling to the transfer station would not be cost-effective if a citizen only hauled one or two cans weekly. Therefore, to be more cost-effective a citizen would have to store several cans and haul monthly. Storing 6 to 8 cans would create an unsightly condition and potentially be a source of obnoxious odors as wastes decompose in the containers. From a public health perspective, we want to minimize the amount of time garbage spends in containers in this urban environment, becoming an attractive nuisance to rodents, birds and pets.

Question: What is the city doing to keep rates as low as possible?

Answer: The City is purchasing automated collection equipment that will eventually reduce labor costs and provide us with the ability to accommodate additional residential growth without increasing labor costs.  Two automated trucks will be used initially for recycle and yard waste collection since both of those services are provided using the wheeled carts that are necessary for automated collection.  Public works staff is preparing a plan to implement automated garbage collection in the future to fully achieve the efficiency of the automated collection equipment.

Question: Can I discontinue yard waste service in the winter?

Answer: Yes. However, if you restart yard waste service within the next 12 months you will be subject to a service reinstatement charge of $20.

Question: Can the city provide wheeled garbage carts to residential customers?

Answer: Yes. However, the rate structure only provides for 96-gallon (equal to 3 cans) cart service at this time. In addition, there is a one-time purchase cost of $60.00. The city maintains ownership of the cart and is responsible for its maintenance and replacement due to normal wear and tear. We are considering alternative cart sizes of 35 and 64 gallons as well as rolling the purchase cost into the monthly rate and hope to have those options available in the future.

If customers have specific questions regarding solid waste rates, please contact Chris Searcy, Public Works Director at (360) 615-5721, or email at chrissearcy@ci.enumclaw.wa.us