Recology King County will begin providing solid-waste collection services for the city of Redmond at the beginning of the year, the company said during a city briefing.

City staff framed the change by noting the city currently separates nearly 11,000 tons of recyclables and diverts about 6,500 tons of organics for composting each year while still sending roughly 28,000 tons of garbage to disposal. City staff introduced Alyssa Campbell from Recology King County to explain how the company plans to run service and support residents during the transition.

"Recology, if you didn't know, is an employee owned company," Campbell said, adding that Recology is West Coast based and that its King County office is in Seattle. She said the company had started transition work "months and months prior to our launch date in January" and had been coordinating with the incumbent hauler, WM, to try to ensure a smooth handoff.

Campbell said Recology is running both outbound and inbound communications to residents and field staff to manage the change. "Our call center is local. It's in the city of Seattle. We will have the call center open 7 to 7 during the week, and then we'll also have hours open on the weekends," she said. She also said Recology offers multilingual customer support to serve Redmond's diverse population.

On equipment and collection logistics, Campbell said, "All of the current cans that people have today will stay with them as Recology takes over service." She added that Recology will provide an annual cart cleaning for compostables and will offer a range of curbside options for special-item recycling, including Styrofoam, batteries, bulbs, cooking oil and motor oil. Residents will also be able to use an in-person Redmond Recology Store for certain drop-offs, she said.

Campbell described a retail component at the Recology Store that sells bulk goods made from reused materials and said the company plans quarterly workshops to educate residents about waste reduction and proper sorting.

As part of local outreach, Campbell said Recology will place two "waste specialists" in Redmond to provide education and customized diversion resources for single-family residents, multifamily properties and commercial customers, and to support the city's climate action goals.

City staff closed the briefing by advising residents to "check your mail in December for any notices about collection schedules and service changes" and directing them to the city of Redmond and Recology websites for more information.

No formal votes, motions, or ordinance actions were recorded during the briefing; the session was an informational presentation and public notification about the upcoming contract transition.