Residents and students urge Issaquah to change waste pricing and expand school climate partnerships

During public comment, Paul Quinn urged the council to change how residential and business disposal is charged and proposed a "smart disposal" pilot that would weigh curbside containers at pickup and mail residents individualized reports showing diversion performance. Quinn said current pricing, which charges by container size, is unfair and does not reward residents who recycle or compost; he cited rising King County disposal charges and recommended a proof-of-concept for about 50,000 (scale noted in his remarks).

Following that, students from Issaquah High School and the sustainability ambassador team described recent work to advance the school district's Climate Action Plan. Matthew Fisher said students successfully advocated for a district-wide sustainability policy (Operational Expectation 17, passed May 8, 2025) and obtained letters of support from neighboring cities. Searcy/"Circe" Allen and Cam Penhart described a carbon commute survey across schools and an ASB sustainability toolkit intended to reduce event and school waste and to model practices for other districts.

Council thanked the students and noted the councilmember who attended the town hall had received credit for participation. No formal city action was taken at this meeting on Quinn's proposal; his suggestion and the students' requests were placed on the public record for potential follow-up by staff.