What to do with garbage

Some frequently asked questions about the garbage-collection strike:

Q: What should I do with my garbage during the strike?

A: The city of Seattle asks customers whose collections are missed to put all of their garbage and yard waste out next week on their regular collection day.

Other cities have different regulations and policies. In Kent, for example, city officials said that because the company will hire replacement drivers, they don't expect any interruption of service.

Waste Management recommended customers who have collections Thursday and Friday should go to the company's website at www.wmnorthwest.com. Information will be posted by 6 a.m.

Q: Will this affect my garbage bill?

A: No.

Q: What penalties could the companies face if they don't pick up my trash?

A: Under Seattle's contract with Waste Management, the company doesn't get paid if it misses a week of pickups. After that, the company gets fined $250 for each block of missed pickup, which the city said could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Q: Will my recycling still get picked up?

A: Seattle's recycling services are covered by a different contract, and should not be affected by the strike. All customers are asked to keep their recycling out, Ryan said. But according to striking Teamsters Local 174 spokesman Michael Gonzales, members of Teamsters Local 117 — who pick up recycling and yard waste — won't be on strike but will be honoring the picket line. Managers could drive those trucks through the picket lines and turn them over to union drivers, who are under contract through 2012.

The exception is the Allied Waste recycling facility at Third Avenue South and South Lander Street in Seattle, where Local 117 workers authorized a strike in February. Their contract expired in December and members agreed to a contract extension. They could stop work in support of the Waste Management strike, said Paul Zilly, spokesman for Local 117.

Q: Can I just haul my garbage, yard waste and recycling to the local transfer station?

A: Yes, but you'll still have to pay to do that and may need to cross a picket line.