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Waste Management reviews Lake Stevens contract, recycling and winter procedures
Summary
Waste Management gave the Lake Stevens City Council a contract overview and update on recycling operations, customer tools and severe-weather procedures, including a description of local staffing and the Cascade recycling center where the city’s recyclable materials are processed.
Waste Management representatives told the Lake Stevens City Council that the company’s 10-year collection contract, which began April 1, 2021, continues to provide weekly garbage, every-other-week recycling, organics service and two annual community cleanups while the company expands technology and outreach.
The presentation, given by Robin (Waste Management senior manager for public sector services), Chris Clark (district manager) and Rhianne (local contract manager/public education), detailed local operations, customer counts and how the company decides whether to run routes in inclement weather.
"We truly appreciate your support and provide services in the city of Lake Stevens," Robin said, summarizing the company’s relationship with the city and noting contract features including a 10% discounted rate for disabled veterans and a $5,000 annual contribution to city community events.
Why it matters: The talk gave council members updated, operational information about a major municipal service provider — how trucks and crews are staged, what residents may expect during storms, how recycling is processed and where materials go — and clarified whom residents should contact for service or questions.
Waste Management said the local operation includes roughly 45 routes serving the area, 56 trucks and about 72 employees who live and work in the Lake Stevens service area. The company reported nearly 11,000 garbage customers, almost 11,000 recycling customers and about 6,100–6,200 organics subscribers in the city. The contract also includes two citywide cleanups each year; the next cleanup was described as scheduled for April 2025.
Clark emphasized safety and pre-event preparation in severe weather, saying managers will survey routes two to three hours before drivers start to decide whether to run on schedule, delay or suspend service entirely. "Our primary objective is the safety of our drivers, our customers and our communities," Clark said.
The company described investments in route and vehicle technology: driver and manager tablets that provide live route status, text/voice message communications to trucks, and a "smart truck" camera system that provides automated 360-degree views for safety and stop verification.
Rhianne summarized where local recyclables go and the region’s recycling capacity. She said Lake Stevens’ recyclables are processed at the Cascade Recycling Center in Woodinville, one of three Northwest facilities WM operates, and that plastics recycled in the U.S. remain in North America. She described a March–April tour and a virtual tour scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28 (company-hosted). "All plastics that are recycled in America, stay safe in America," Rhianne said.
Council members asked operational questions about double-loading recycling when carts are full, what materials cause the most contamination, whether residents can opt out of seasonal yard-waste subscriptions and how accessible WM’s phone support is for seniors. Robin and Clark recommended cardboard boxes for extra recycling and said customers can opt out of some subscription services; they also agreed to review website language so the customer-service phone number is easier to find for residents who do not use digital tools.
On glass and markets: WM said it currently ships glass to a recycler in Seattle (under contract with SMI), and that glass market economics remain difficult; WM said it is one of the few providers still collecting curbside glass and that the company remains committed to collecting it even when market prices are unfavorable.
On outreach and customer tools: WM described an 80% adoption rate for customers using online or mobile accounts, an automated virtual assistant and live-chat options, and a service-alert page that the company updates during weather events and when service changes are required.
Ending: Council members requested follow-up materials (a set of FAQs and comparative tonnage data relative to neighboring cities). WM agreed to provide the frequently asked questions document to council staff for distribution and said staff will follow up about improving the website’s prominence of the customer-service phone number.
