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For the seventh straight year, Seattle’s recycling rate has risen, hitting an all-time high of 53.7 percent overall and 70.3 percent for single households. The national recycling average is 32.1 percent. While each city calculates its diversion rates differently, Seattle is considered to be among the national leaders in municipal recycling, especially after the great strides we made in 2010.

Now Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is looking for your input to inform our decision-making as they update the long-term waste plan. Please take a moment to review the draft plan available at www.seattle.gov/util/About_SPU/Garbage_System/Plans/Solid_Waste_Comprehensive_Plan/index.asp. Feel free to choose the section that most interests you:

• The Executive Summary, which gives an overview of the entire plan and summarizes all recommendations in the plan.
• A Breakdown of Recycling Recommendations shows when these recommendations would be implemented in the different sectors of single-family homes, apartments and condos (multi-family), and business (commercial).
• Chapters that contains recommendations:
  • Chapter 3 Waste Prevention, which covers strategies to prevent waste from being created. It also talks about product stewardship, which gets producers and retailers more involved in managing their products at end of life.
  • Chapter 4 Seattle’s MSW System, which goes into more depth about the recycling recommendations. It also talks about the steps in waste management, from collection, through transfer, to processing and landfill disposal.
  • Chapter 5 Other Solid Waste Streams, which contains recommendations to increase construction and demolition debris, as well as for graffiti, illegal dumping, litter, and community cleanup.
  • Chapter 6 Administration and Financing the Plan discusses solid waste education, as well as the financial impacts of the recycling recommendations.

After reading the section(s), please send a quick note to spusurveys@connectionsgroup.org specifying which section(s) you read and including any comments you have on the recommendations, the overall direction of the plan, the recycling goals, or anything else.

Here are a few questions to jumpstart your thinking.

1. Do you support the draft plan’s recycling goals to reach 60% by 2015, and the longer-term goal of 70% by 2022? Do you think Seattle should be more aggressive about recycling, or increase recycling more slowly?

2. SPU’s waste prevention programs include product stewardship activities, which seek increased producer responsibility for wastes. Do you agree producers and retailers should do more to reduce toxics in their products, and make their products more recyclable? Do you think they should pay for managing products at their end of life?

3. The recycling recommendations would be phased in over a number of years. Do you agree with the order and timing of the changes? Do you think customers will have time to get used to a change before the next one comes? Should the timing be more aggressive?

4. Do you support SPU inspectors increasing how often they look in garbage containers for materials that aren’t allowed?

5. Do you think the changes will go smoothly? Are there perhaps some problems SPU planners should take into account before starting a new program?

Lastly, SPU asks that you fill out a five-minute survey when you have a moment. The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/spusolidwasteplan.

Thanks very much for your time. SPU appreciates your feedback!

So, the City’s been talking about improvements to their recycling program that start at the end of March. Great for them, but what about those of us with a different service provider? Here’s the info on how Impact Property Services’ Solid Waste Division is handling the change:

It is with great pleasure to announce Impact Property Services customers will receive the same service in SPU’s “Curb Waste” brochure. This month customers that do not have yard waste service will receive a letter from Impact Property Services explaining the new organic and yard waste.

New Curbside organics collection:
Customers will return the bottom portion of the letter (paid postage response) announcing their selection from a 13 gallon, 35 gallon, or 95 gallon cart, or they can opt out and compost food and yard waste at their home. If a customer does not reply they will be contacted by an IPS service representative or will automatically receive a 13 gallon cart. However, residents that opt out and rather compost on site, they will be contacted by a city inspector to confirm their home composting exemption.

The Cost for the yard waste / organic carts:

• 13 gallon = $3.60 per month
• 35 gallon = $5.40 per month
• 96 gallon = $6.90 per month
• Additional cans, bags, and bundles of yard waste will be charged $2.95 per unit.

Other Collection Services:
Impact Property Service has been proud to offer our customers for years the opportunity to dispose of old televisions, motor oil and appliances. If an Impact Property Service customer requires a special collection they would need to call (206) 716-1310 extension #10.

A friendly customer service agent will assist you with all services and pricing will be explained to you over the phone. All items will need to be outside your home and at the curb for collection, on a scheduled day. After you have a scheduled day for collection a professional driver will arrive and remove the unwanted items, and a follow up call to ensure 100% satisfaction.

We are happy to announce that we have improved our communication with our customers through our new website at http://www.impactpropertyservices.org/solidwaste. There you will find up to date customer information, pay with credit card information.

Impact Property Services Solid Waste Division is committed to, waste reduction, recycling and composting, and fast effective service, as it is our goal to provide complete customer satisfaction.