Recyclables now must be kept out of garbage

Starting today, recycling paper and cardboard will be mandatory for Seattle residents and businesses.

Residents must also recycle aluminum and tin cans and glass and plastic bottles under new rules aimed at moving the city closer to its green goals.

The new rules will not lead to any immediate rate increases, or penalties for failing to comply. Those who put large amounts of paper and other recyclables in their garbage cans will receive notices this year explaining the new rules.

In 2006, businesses and multifamily dwellings with large trash bins will get three warnings before the city hits them with a $50 charge. People living in single-family homes who violate the rules in 2006 will not have their garbage picked up until they get prohibited materials out of their cans.

Haulers will not be scrutinizing garbage for violations, said Brett Stav, a spokesman for the Seattle Public Utilities. "We're not training people to go in with a magnifying glass. Inspections will be based on immediate visual recognition," Stav said.

As a general rule, more than 10 percent of a garbage can's contents, by volume, would have to be paper or other outlawed items before a customer would receive a warning or fine, he said. Yard waste, which is already excluded from residential garbage, will also be banned from commercial garbage under the new rules.

To learn more Seattle residents can learn more about new recycling rules by calling 206- RECYCLE (206-732-9253), or online at www.seattle.gov/util.

Starting in the spring, residents can put vegetable waste — and compostable paper such as pizza boxes — in their yard-debris containers, which would be collected by the city's haulers and taken to Cedar Grove Composting.

Yard-waste subscribers will also receive a free 96-gallon wheeled container to help them recycle these materials. The new containers will be distributed to customers in late February and early March, said Stav.

The vegetable food-waste plan is awaiting final approval by King County public-health officials before it goes into effect, he added.

Other new services include:

• Yard debris is now collected every two weeks year-round. Previously, yard debris was picked up only once a month in December, January and February. More frequent collections in those three months would address health concerns about food waste sitting for too long in residential containers, if the vegetable food-waste plan is approved.

• Restaurants could have virtually all their food waste — meat and vegetables alike — hauled away to a composting facility instead of a landfill.

• Small businesses would get curbside collection service for recycled paper, similar to what residents have. Now, small businesses tend to discard paper with their garbage.

• Haulers would set up 300 new public recycling receptacles in the city.

In all, the initiatives could boost the city's recycling rate by 6.2 percent, according to Seattle Public Utilities. The city's goal is a 60 percent recycling rate by 2010. Seattle's rate was 39.7 percent in 2002, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

Proposed by Mayor Greg Nickels, the new recycling rules were approved unanimously by the City Council with no debate.

"These new programs are a key step in re-establishing Seattle as a national leader in recycling," Nickels said in a statement released earlier this week.

The annual cost of the new yard-debris program is projected at about $1 million. Seattle Public Utilities plans to use existing cash to cover first-year costs. After that, residential customers might see the yard-debris service increase $9 a year (to $5 per month from $4.25), according to a council analyst.

Tim Croll, community-services director for Seattle Public Utilities, said it's not clear whether the new initiatives will result in a rate increase. "That's all subject to a rate study," Croll said.

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com