Mountlake Terrace council presses Waste Management after reroute disrupted service

Mountlake Terrace — Waste Management told the City Council on March 19 that a 2025 reroute and operational reorganization caused service disruptions and communication failures but that recent months show improvement.

Kevin Kelly, public sector manager for Waste Management, apologized to residents: “I apologize. We should have done better,” and said the company’s year‑over‑year analysis for the most recent three months showed a roughly 30% reduction in reported missed pickups.

The company described the city’s contract (service began in 2022 and the contract runs through 2032 with two two‑year extension options), new compressed‑natural‑gas trucks, a $20,000 annual donation to the city, and a five‑coupon extra‑unit program for residents. Kelly and Grace Fletcher, who oversees education and outreach, outlined a rollout of “smart truck” technology — cameras, GPS and telemetry — and the MyWM mobile app, which can notify customers about service days, allow autopay, and let residents track their truck.

In response to complaints that coupons were not consistently honored, WM said truck cameras can automatically detect extra units and trigger billing rules that would excuse a limited number of extra pickups without a physical coupon. Kelly said the system also helps identify contamination in recycling streams and prompt customer notifications.

Council members pressed the company on multiple fronts. Council member Page asked whether coupons covered trash, recycling and compost; WM replied the coupons apply to garbage only and explained that organics and recycling service are embedded in the baseline garbage fee. Several council members, including Mayor Pro Tem Wall and Council member Worry, said repeated communication failures around the reroute had left residents frustrated and that simply offering an app would not substitute for reliable mailed notices and timely outreach.

City staff said they are working with Waste Management to expand coordinated communications, including using broader social‑media channels, improving utility‑billing staff access to contractor updates, and a shared tracking spreadsheet to escalate resident complaints to monthly meetings with WM. WM pledged to consult city staff before making further operational changes that affect service dates.

WM also outlined state policy changes that will affect operations: an organics management law that requires commercial customers producing at least 96 gallons/week of organics service and an extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework whose enforcement steps will ramp up toward 2029.

The council did not take formal action on the contract at the meeting; members directed city staff to continue regular oversight and to follow up with Waste Management on communications and customer‑service fixes.