The city of Bothell recently made some changes to the way it handles garbage pickup.
In December 2014, the contract between Bothell and Waste Management expired, leaving the city open to pursue other options.
According to Sabrina Combs, recycling and public services projects administrator for Bothell, the city has two garbage contractors as of Jan. 1.
Recology CleanScapes is a new contractor for waste services, which provides most of the service to the city, whereas Waste Management provides service to areas annexed in early 2014.
“The city selected Recology CleanScapes after an extensive competitive process,” Combs said. “Recology CleanScapes provided the best value for residents in comparison to the proposals offered by the two other providers, Republic Services and Waste Management.”
Along with the new services, there are bound to be bumps along the way.
Citizens have been taking to Facebook and to call lines trying to get some clarifications and some answers as to changes in their billing rates.
“Recology CleanScapes Customer Service line has received over 200 calls after the bills were made available online and sent out to customers in the mail,” Combs said. “Plus, I have received about 40 calls related to questions about bills. Many of the questions were triggered by the transition from a two-month billing cycle to a three-month billing cycle.”
An added month of service fees is sure to make anyone’s eyes pop if they hadn’t known of it previously. However, Combs said that once most people realize the transition is to three-month billing cycles, they understand the reason why the bills seem so costly.
“Most of the conversations are relating to the change from a two-month billing to a three-month billing,” Combs said. “Typically, once that is explained, customers understand the charges they see on their statement. The same is true when the hazardous waste fee is explained.”
The new Recology services offer curbside pickup of items such as batteries, CFL bulbs or tubes, cooking oils, styrofoam, and other items.
On top of the added items for pickup included in the services of Recology, there will also be a CleanScapes Service Center and Store opening in Bothell.
Some other confusions with bills centered around a King County Solid Waste and hazardous waste fees, which are on all Bothell bills since the city contracts out to King County for these services.
Bothell residents with concerns about their new garbage bills can contact Recology CleanScapes by phone at (425) 453-0220 or (844) 990-1100. Customer service can also be reached through email at Bothell@recology.com.
For more information about recycling, visit bothellcool.org.
