On August 12, 2024, the Snoqualmie City Council approved a new 7-year contract with Waste Management for garbage, recycling, and yard waste collection services. The contract retains all current service options and levels and goes into effect on June 1, 2025.
The City’s current contract with Waste Management was implemented in 2012 and expires on May 31, 2025, with no further extensions available.
Earlier this year, the City solicited solid waste hauler bids from local providers Waste Management, Recology, Republic Services, and Cedar Grove. Waste Management was the lowest bidder.
The average residential price increase with the new Waste Management contract is 42% compared to current prices established by the 2012 contract and adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the King County garbage tipping fee. The increase was the result of multiple factors, including record inflation, the increased cost of goods and services, and the significant increase in the cost of living over the past decade.
Although customers will experience a price increase, the new rates are comparable to other nearby cities that recently procured new solid waste contracts with similar services, including Sammamish, Kirkland, and North Bend.
Parks and Public Works Director Jeff Hamlin commented, “This was an extremely challenging time to procure a new contract due to uncertainty over the potential of long-term collection costs to outpace the contract inflation escalator, instability in recycling markets, the decrease in the value of recyclable materials, future inflation uncertainty, and supply chain issues.”
The City will provide additional reminders of the new pricing structure in the spring of 2025 prior to the new contract going into effect on June 1, 2025.