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Island County approves five‑year, $2.4 million recycling contract for Camano Island
Summary
The Island County Board approved a five‑year contract with Waste Management of Washington to continue recycling services at the Camano Island transfer station, a $2.4 million agreement. Commissioners pressed staff for more detailed pricing but voted to approve to avoid a service gap.
The Island County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 17 approved a five‑year contract with Waste Management of Washington to provide recycling services at the Camano Island Transfer Station, a contract the board cited at $2,400,000 for the term.
James Sylvester, assistant director for public works, said the county published the request for proposals in July, received two submissions and deemed one nonresponsive. He told the board the winning proposal reflected an overall per‑ton increase of about 4% and a larger haulage component increase of roughly 25% compared with current charges. "We received two proposals for that service; one was deemed nonresponsive," Sylvester said.
The contract covers recycling at the transfer station only, not curbside pickup, and staff described the figure as the five‑year total. Commissioners pressed staff for details on the line‑item drivers of the haulage increase and asked for a review of the prior contracts before similar votes. One commissioner said they were reluctant to vote without more accurate historical contract data but did not block the motion to approve.
An unidentified commissioner asked whether the Camano recycling contract ran on the same renewal timetable as other county contracts; Jeff Heche, solid waste division manager, said prior renewal terms had been exhausted and that part of the apparent increase reflected resetting the contract base after long periods of CPI adjustments.
Despite the requests for further documentation, a motion to approve the Waste Management contract was made and seconded; the board voted unanimously to approve the contract.
County staff noted that changes in resident behavior and compaction rates can affect final costs: the contract combines per‑haul and per‑ton components, and higher compaction can both reduce haul trips and change per‑ton charges. Sylvester said the county used its 2023 tonnage and haul data to model costs.
The board was told that the transfer station contract is paid from the county's enterprise fund and that any increased costs will be reflected in transfer station rates charged to users rather than the general fund.
The board closed the public hearing and moved to the next agenda item.
