Environmental Services Commission endorses objectives for upcoming solid-waste contract, urges retention of weekly collection

The Environmental Services Commission on March 5 unanimously endorsed staff-recommended objectives for Bellevue’s next solid-waste services procurement, including a staff request to keep weekly curbside collection and the city’s embedded pay-as-you-throw rate model.

Utilities staff presented a high-level background of Bellevue’s current contract, noting it began in 2014, was extended in 2021 and is slated to expire June 30, 2028. Staff said the community collectively pays about $37,000,000 a year for garbage, recycling and composting services, and that costs for transfer and disposal provided by King County are passed through in the contract and account for roughly a third of that total.

John, a utilities presenter, said staff were seeking the commission’s concurrence on four objectives to guide development of the services package: alignment with regional and national best practices, compliance with state and local laws and plans, responsiveness to community needs and exploration of technology and data. “We’ll also ask the commission to concur on maintaining existing weekly collection service levels and the embedded rate structure,” he said.

Staff described state policy drivers that will affect the procurement, including recently adopted organics-management laws and a recycling reform requirement intended to ensure materials processors demonstrate responsible end-market destinations. On city policy, presenters noted Bellevue’s Diversity Advantage Plan 2035 and the Sustainable Bellevue Plan, which include targets for recycling and materials goals.

Commissioners’ questions focused on how contractors’ proposals translate into household rates, the role of contract performance fees and penalties, and how the city will address compost access for multifamily properties. Staff said cities typically evaluate both qualitative and cost components of bids and that the interlocal agreement with King County informs regional planning and disposal arrangements.

Rep. from Republic Services, municipal services manager Wendy Weicker, told the commission her company plans to respond competitively to the RFP and highlighted the operator’s track record: “We are proud of our service record and proud of our safety record in the city of Bellevue,” she said.

After discussion, a commissioner moved and the body took a roll-call vote. The commission voted 7–0 to concur with staff’s recommended objectives and the requested direction to preserve weekly collections and the embedded rate structure. Staff said they would prepare a memorandum of the commission’s recommendation to accompany the presentation to City Council later in March.

What’s next: staff will finalize the services package for the RFP, brief the City Council as scheduled, and return to the commission with updates during the procurement. The current contract remains in effect through June 2028.