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Resident proposes 'Smart Disposal' pilot to weigh curbside waste and tie fees to disposal amounts
Summary
A Sammamish resident asked Redmond council to study a proof‑of‑concept weighing program (“Smart Disposal”) that would meter residential waste at pickup and issue residents postcards showing diversion rates; the speaker proposed a $50,000 pilot to test feasibility and accuracy.
A Sammamish resident told the Redmond City Council on July 15 that Redmond should pilot a waste‑measurement program that weighs individual residential refuse at pickup to encourage diversion and align customer charges with actual disposal.
Paul Quinn, who identified himself as a Sammamish resident, told the council the city currently charges customers by container size rather than by weight and said that system "is unfair" because it does not let households reduce bills by diverting recyclables and compostables. He proposed a pilot called "Smart Disposal" to weigh containers at pickup, provide residents with personalized postcards showing landfill diversion rates and comparisons to the neighborhood, and promote reduction of disposal.
Quinn said a proof‑of‑concept study could be completed for about $50,000 and would demonstrate whether residential containers could be weighed accurately without adding work for haulers. "What I recommend to you today is the city conduct a proof of concept study on the feasibility of smart disposal," Quinn said. He also said King County disposal charges transferred to cities are likely to increase and that metering would give residents a price signal similar to metered utilities.
What happened at the meeting: Quinn delivered handouts to council members and urged the city to pursue a pilot. Council did not take action on the suggestion during the July 15 meeting; staff follow‑up was not recorded in the public comment segment.
Clarifying details from testimony: Quinn said the pilot design includes in‑truck weighing and a postcard reporting system; he estimated a proof‑of‑concept cost of about $50,000 and said the system could operate without extra hauler driver tasks.
Next steps: Quinn asked council to support a feasibility study; no formal action or staff response was recorded during the meeting.
