Trash piling up? Free garbage dumps for strike-affected areas

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is offering some relief for Seattle residents affected by the Waste Management strike by allowing single-family households to dump up to six bags of either garbage or yard waste at the transfer stations. (Recycling drop off is always free.) The station closest to Ballard is at 1350 N. 34th Street.

Tim Croll, SPU’s director of solid waste, told our news partners The Seattle Times that six bags of garbage would normally cost about $30 to dispose of at the transfer stations. According to the Times, “residents can begin bringing garbage on Wednesday, and may continue until further notice. To dump garbage and yard clippings without charge at the transfer stations, residents must bring a driver’s license, utility bill or other evidence of a current Seattle address.”

This morning, Mayor Mike McGinn announced that city inspectors will begin assessing possible fines for Waste Management for the strike, which could reach as high as $1.25 million per day, according to a press release from SPU.

“This service disruption is creating a hardship for residents and businesses, and we expect Waste Management to fulfill their contract,” McGinn said in the release. “We will be looking for every missed collection by Waste Management and with the public’s help we will hold them accountable. I urge both sides to return to the table to reach a mutually acceptable solution.”

SPU says that the one week grace period for Waste Management is over, and inspectors will now begin spreading out across the city looking for missed collections and assessing possible penalty fees. They ask that Wednesday customers keep any uncollected bins out until tomorrow, and, “any uncollected carts will be recorded for fines — up to $1.25 million a day — to be issued to Waste Management.”

For more info from SPU, click here.