Renton will switch to new waste collector in 2027

Published 3:58 pm Monday, March 9, 2026

The city of Renton will be switching from Republic Services to Recology King County for solid waste services in April 2027. The switch will result in a higher bill, but more services, than extending a contract with Republic.

At the March 2 Renton City Council meeting, the council approved a 10-year waste collection contract with Recology for the projected amount of $241,000,000 for garbage, recyclables, and compostables services in a split decision.

With the new contract, Recology will provide residential and commercial garbage, recyclables, and compostables collection as well as processing and marketing of collected recyclables and compostables.

However, a new contract with Recology will increase the projected overall customer rates by an estimated 15%, while an extension with Republic Services would have resulted in an estimated 4% increase for customers, according to a recent agenda bill.

“With Recology, we expect an increase of about $4.46 per month for single-family customers with a 35-gallon garbage cart (which is a 13% increase over what rates would be Republic Services),” according to a city of Renton press release from March 6. “Commercial customers with a 4-yard garbage dumpster collected once a week are expected to have an 8% rate increase over rates with Republic Services, or about $37.26 more a month.”

During the Jan. 26 Committee of Whole Committee, Solid Waste Program Manager Meara Heubach outlined her department’s reasons for wanting to change providers. Heubach listed “persistent performance issues” with Republic Services, late and inaccurate educational material, and untimely responses to city requests as reasons for the change.

After the council heard arguments from both sides during the public comment period on March 2, the council heard two options. First option was to side with the majority report from the Utilities Committee to not approve the Recology contract and take the two-year contract extension with Republic Services instead. The minority report was to approve the contract with Recology.

Councilmembers Carmen Rivera, Kim-Khánh Văn and Ryan McIrvin voted in favor of the extension with Republic Services, while Councilmembers Ruth Pérez, Valerie O’Halloran, Ed Prince and James Alberson Jr. voted against the extension.

For Republic Extension

Rivera made the motion and argued keeping rates down and avoiding possible disruption of service from new drivers was the best move for the city in the discussion before the vote.

“The big thing for me was the increase in cost as was identified by many individuals here tonight and has been communicated to us as a council,” Rivera said. “I cannot pass the contract with Recology knowing how much the increase is when we can possibly extend with Republic instead and keep rates down for another two years, and work with Republic to do better.”

Văn seconded the motion due to the need for community stability, protecting jobs, and minimizing financial burdens on residents and businesses.

“It’s not just increasing rates to our community. Whether it’s a penny more, it’s still a penny more for the community and the businesses that have suffered through the global pandemic, through ARPA funds not really allocating properly, through everything that piles on,” Văn said. “I think that as far as the fascist regime and everything that’s going on right now, stability is important, and I will not displace workers”

McIrvin saw the contract extension as the safer option for the community and wanted to give Republic Services a chance to “prove it.”

“I would absolutely want to hold Republic accountable to all the things we’ve been asking from them,” McIrvin said. “A lot of the things we’re talking about that change in this contract, while (our residents) will have long-term improvements I think are good for the city and some of the things we’re asking for, I’m not sure that’s what our residents are going to see. They’re going to see the bill, they’re going to see the amount going up, and they’re not going to understand necessarily why it’s going up.”

For Recology Contract

Alberson said switching to Recology was not a hard decision for him because Republic failed to fulfill their contractual obligations over the past decade and should not be rewarded for “11th hour” promises.

“We’ve seen six presentations overall regarding this potential change, and every time with each presentation I hear something that is more of a positive for Recology than anything else,” Alberson said.

He said many arguments against the switch have been presented in a misleading fashion. He said the claim that driver-customer relationships will be lost and drivers would lose their jobs was misleading because Recology has told the city they look to hire 25 or more drivers. He also said using the percentage change instead of the actual cost difference makes it more “untenable.”

“The fact of the matter is, in the Committee of the Whole report back in January, the difference is about $3.22 a month. Not meaning to dismiss that because that can be a lot to everybody, but I would guess that many people spend more than that at Starbucks each month,” Alberson said. “To present this as though it is the backbreaker to a Renton resident, I think is not appropriate.”

Prince agreed Recology had nine years to prove themselves and only began making an effort when their contract was at risk.

“There’s been no conversation about what happens after the two-year contracts are expired, what the rate increase will be then,” Prince said. “I think that’s the thing that I think we owe our residents is not just, ‘Oh, things are going to be the same,’ but they won’t be the same. There will be a rate increase either way.”

After the failed motion for an extension, Alberson made a motion to sign a contract with Recology. The council voted 6-1 with Văn opposed.

The new contract will include the current standard of biweekly garbage collection, with the option for weekly service for an extra fee, and unlimited recycling for all customers, according to the city’s presentation. Improvements include expanded curbside special item recycling, an option of a second recycling cart, and better inclement weather response.

Other advantages of Recology include an accessible call center open on Sundays, local staff based in the area, an interpretive line for non-English speakers and people with hearing impairments, a recycling facility in south Seattle, and a “robust outreach program and excellent contract management.”

Recology will also provide 21 brand-new trucks powered by renewable natural gas with options to add electric vehicles by 2031. Trash services with Republic Services will continue until March 31, 2017, and Recology will take over the following day.