Bellingham residents of duplexes, triplexes or quadplexes can combine their recycling and waste collection services with other units on their property by requesting a waiver from the city.
In January, local hauler Sanitary Service Company started rolling out the FoodPlus food and yard waste collection service, which costs $13.69 per month, to all Bellingham single-family households and multiplexes up to four units.
Organics collection will eventually be mandatory in all larger Washington cities due to recent state legislation. With organic matter making up a third of the waste stream, the action should help the city cut down on landfilled material and meet its climate goals.
But during a Bellingham City Council meeting Monday, Feb. 10, council members shared that they’d been hearing complaints from constituents about the new service’s added cost, how it is required even for home composters, and how it brings the number of household waste receptacles to three bulky rolling toters.
Because of the new requirement, residents in a duplex will see six bins on their property: a garbage, recycling and FoodPlus bin for each unit. Triplexes and quadplexes will have even more.
In response, the city is testing out a waiver program for residents in multiplexes who want to combine their collection services with their neighbors. The application form must be completed by either the tenants or building manager or owner, depending on who is listed on the SSC account.
Residents are eligible to combine services only if their dwellings have insufficient space to accommodate the bins, and if the volume of combined waste generated is not greater than a single garbage, recycling or compost bin can accommodate.
Waivers are granted at the discretion of the city solid waste manager and need to be renewed when occupancy changes or when residential waste collection services are adjusted. If a waiver is approved, SSC will adjust billing and service accordingly, and one account holder will receive the bill for the service.
Solid Waste Manager Sean O’Neill told the city council on Feb. 10 that since the program’s inception last month, the public works department had approved eight waivers and only denied two requests.
Another frequently cited concern will not be addressed, according to city staff. Bellingham does not allow exemptions for residents who have at-home compost systems.
The Department of Ecology is expected to release guidance to local governments on how to offer exemptions, but not until the end of 2026, and those exemptions are expected to come with “a lot of hooks attached,” Public Works Interim Co-Director Mike Olinger said. He said verification of adequate home composting would mean staff-intensive site visits and might need to be offset with a higher utility tax.
“An exemption process for some would lead to higher rates for all,” Mayor Kim Lund said. “That is the tension that council would need to balance in this.”
She pointed out that more restaurants are complying with the city’s single-serve plastic ban and moving to compostable to-go containers, which can be disposed of in FoodPlus bins, but may not break down in backyard composting systems.
“As someone who has been opting into FoodPlus for years, there are benefits that extend beyond leaf litter and garden surplus,” Lund added.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
