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Council committee advances mandatory organics rules; City Council adopts amendment to BMC 9.12
Summary
The Council’s committee recommended—and the council adopted—an amendment to Bellingham Municipal Code Chapter 9.12 to implement organics diversion required by Washington House Bill 1799 and align with the city's Climate Action Plan; the ordinance includes a 45‑day notice requirement for rate increases.
The Bellingham City Council advanced amendments to Bellingham Municipal Code Chapter 9.12 on Feb. 10 to implement mandatory organics management and align solid-waste rules with Washington state law and the city’s Climate Action Plan.
The ordinance was presented to the Public Works and Natural Resources committee and was adopted by the council after the committee added a notice provision. The revised section 9.12.006(a)(2) requires the city to provide at least 45 days’ notice to ratepayers of any rate increases by direct mail, billing statements, electronic notice or publication in a local newspaper per RCW 35.21.157.
Why it matters: House Bill 1799 requires jurisdictions to divert organic materials from landfills through prevention, food rescue and organics processing. The amendments also reflect the city’s residential collection contract that took effect Jan. 1, 2025, implementing mandatory food-plus organics collection and a transition to single-stream recycling.
Discussion and clarifications: City staff and Sanitary Service Company (SSC) representatives (Ted Carlson) attended the committee presentation. Staff told the council that exempting customers who compost onsite would require administrative inspection and data collection and would likely increase staffing costs and rates. The council clarified that a reduced rate application process could be available to renters as well as property owners.
Council action: The committee moved to adopt the ordinance with the added 45-day notice amendment; the council approved the committee’s recommendation.
Ending: Staff will implement the ordinance amendments to comply with state law and the city’s climate and contract obligations; ratepayer notices will be distributed at least 45 days before any increase as required by the amended code.
