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Council discusses residential recycling options, account audit and potential cost impacts
Summary
City staff and Waste Management discussed the city’s recycling service model, an ongoing account audit, and possible cost effects of allowing residents to opt out of subscription recycling. Council asked staff to gather more data before taking policy action.
Liberty Lake staff and Waste Management briefed the City Council Wednesday on residential recycling subscription rules and an ongoing account audit that could change the city’s billing picture.
Ben (city staff) described the current arrangement as an automatic subscription model: residential garbage customers are automatically enrolled in recycling service. He said Waste Management’s commodity credits — the per-account credit tied to the value of recyclables — have rebounded and are currently contributing to lower net monthly rates. Ben told the council an option that would let customers opt out of recycling could increase costs for all customers, but Waste Management needs to model the precise financial impacts.
Nut graf: Council members repeatedly said they want more detailed cost modeling before changing policy. Staff said Waste Management is completing an audit of accounts and will report back; the audit will identify households that currently lack service or that are self-hauling waste.
Council questions focused on three subjects: (1) the source of the claim that separating recycling from garbage would raise rates; (2) how many households self-haul or are not subscribed; and (3) whether the city should require garbage and recycling subscriptions by ordinance as other jurisdictions do. Ben said Waste Management’s routing, additional vehicles and administrative complexity would likely raise costs if subscriptions were split, and the company will provide modeled scenarios.
Members noted regional consistency: several nearby jurisdictions require that residential customers maintain both garbage and recycling service. Council member Van Orman asked whether the city should adopt a local ordinance mandating both services so resident complaints are routed to the city rather than to the provider; staff said that is an option but asked for time to analyze effects.
Staff next steps: complete the Waste Management account audit (expected in the weeks after the meeting), ask Waste Management for tiered cost scenarios for split-subscription options, and monitor state-level legislation (House Bill 1071 and a companion Senate bill) that seeks to increase recycling rates and packaging responsibilities.
Ending: Council gave no direction to amend contract terms immediately; members asked staff to return with the account-audit results and financial scenarios before considering a change to subscription policy.
