From our personal experience, if your pickup was missed this week you’ll be able to leave out double the amount next week.

For more information, visit WM’s website: http://www.wmnorthwest.com/weatherboard.html

by Jack Mayne

Trash on Southwest 128th Street ramps to and from the 509 and the questionable panhandler types who leave it has caused nearby resident Mark Zink to get out his broom and rake, but now he wants some cleanup help from the Burien City Council.

At the Dec. 12 council meeting, Zink said ramps are becoming home to a regular crew.

“We now have them setting up couch cushions under the freeway so they can hang out all day, every day,” he had written in a letter to the council, which included photos. “In one photo, you can notice they walk up and down the freeway off ramp panhandling. This is illegal to be on the off-ramp but (it is) not on the sidewalk under current rules.”

He noted what many Burien residents have seen, that panhandlers leave trash and are usually on the Southwest 148th ramps, also.

He said he has asked for something to be done for years, but to no avail.

“Will the council make a no loitering rule near off-ramps?” Zink asked. “My neighbors and I have suffered with these people and the beer cans and garbage they leave throughout the neighborhood for years now,” Zink said.

“I have volunteered in this neighborhood for years trying to clean it up and spent thousands of hours as Public Works and the Parks Department can verify. I need help. I am tired of picking up after them and don’t feel like I should have to. Please take action now.”

Zink has received no response from the City Council or city staff.

So why does he spend this own time cleaning up the mess?

“The reason I do this volunteer work is that it is healthy for me to give back to my community and gives me a sense of accomplishment,” Zink said in an e-mail. “I also like to see nice things even if I have to help make that happen. Public works and the parks departments do not have the money or the manpower to keep up on all the things that need to be done in this area as far as cleaning graffiti, picking up trash etc.”

He says Burien Police have been very helpful “but we still have a problem with the transients who tend to bring illegal activities with them. Drugs, alcohol, sleeping in the parks, leaving bottles, cans, hypodermic needles, used condoms or whatever else they don’t want anymore.”

Zink is finishing his associate of arts degree at Highline Community College.

His wife, Colleen, is a web editor at kirotv.com, the web site for KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. She says she is proud of all Zink’s volunteer work and “agrees that changes need to be made with the panhandlers because they make Burien look bad.”

Striking garbage workers decided Thursday to throw out their picket signs (at least for now) and return to their jobs as early as Friday morning, but since Burien’s trash pickup days are Mondays and Tuesdays no garbage had piled up here yet.

The Teamsters #174 union says that there’s been no resolution to the disagreement with Waste Management, but the garbage haulers are heading back to work to “prevent a public health crisis and to minimize service disruptions.”

Reports are that around 700 workers will be back on the job, but union leaders are not ruling out another strike.

A spokesman for the Teamsters says that plans are to re-open negotiations with Waste Management on Monday, April 26, to “see if they’re serious about fulfilling their legal obligations they have.”

Waste Management released a statement, saying that the new bargaining session will include a federal mediator. The company claims it delivered a letter to the union on Thursday, renewing an offer made last week to negotiate.

The company says their final offer to each driver was an annual pay and benefits package worth $110,000.

Here’s a video report from our friends at KING5.com:

Wednesday morning (April 21) at 10:30am, garbage hauling members of Teamsters #174 decided to finally haul out their pickets and strike against Waste Management.

The strike affects trash and yard waste pickup for about one million homes in King and Snohomish counties, including the Burien area, which has pickups on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Waste Management presented to the union what it called its “best, last, final offer,” and has so far refused to budge or resume negotiations with the Teamsters.

In early April, more than 1,600 job applicants applied to work as replacement drivers in case of a strike, but Waste Management has not yet announced whether it will use them to pick up trash while union drivers are on the picket lines.

To check the status of garbage pickup or service delays, WM has created a website here: www.wmnorthwest.com/servicedelays.html; as of Wednesday, it implied that it will continue “regular service” for customers with Thursday pickup:

Service Interruption for Wednesday Customers; Regular Service Expected Thursday.

Collection is not being provided for some King and Snohomish county customers today due to a strike announced at 10:30 this morning by Teamsters Local 174.

If your garbage, yard waste or recycling container was not emptied, please keep the uncollected material until your next regular collection day for each container, when the extra material will be collected at no extra charge.

We regret this inconvenience, and appreciate your cooperation.

We expect to resume regular collection on Thursday morning, April 22. However, please check this website for regular updates as negotiations proceed.

Thank you, Waste Management

Tips for Managing Extra Garbage & Recycling.

The Teamsters have also set up a website with news on the strike: www.seattletrashwatch.com, with the following statement:

Waste Management is the most profitable waste company in the U.S., provides trash collection services for King County and souther Snohomish Count. The company, however, is attempting to lock out its employees or force a strike.

Sanitation work is the fifth most dangerous job in the country. Although sanitation workers expose themselves daily to hazardous substances and perform backbreaking physical labor, the company is refusing to provide workers with the same health care protections provided by all other sate companies in our area.

When Waste Management locked out its workers in Oakland, California many residents did not get their trash picked up for one month.

Union garbage collectors who work for Allied Waste reached a tentative agreement in March, so anyone served by that company will not see any service interruptions.

Waste Management serves the Burien area, and, far as we know, the cityfolk here have no contingency plan. On the other hand, the City of Normandy Park’s leaders had a plan where, if Allied Waste workers went on strike, they would lease equipment back and have their own public works staff go out and collect garbage.

Here’s a video report on the strike from KING5.com:

As this story progresses, we’ll continue posting updates.

On Thursday morning (April 15), the Port of Seattle demonstrated a new environmental program at Sea-Tac Airport – a centralized off-aircraft recycling system they claim will reduce waste sent to landfills, improve ramp safety, decrease air emissions, and save more than $250,000 each year.

“This is a cost-effective and convenient recycling system that is coordinated by the airport in order to save money for every airline participating,” said Elizabeth Leavitt, director of Planning and Environmental Programs at Sea-Tac. “Our goal is to recycle 50% of our waste by 2014. This will take us another major step toward that effort.”

Six pairs of large capacity (30 cubic yards) computer-monitored compactors have been installed at convenient locations for all airlines to access. The larger compactors allow more collection, while computer-monitoring provides alerts when they are full, thus reducing the amount of pickup trips by 75%.

Previously, airlines coordinated their own trash pickups. The new system has resulted in 89 fewer pickups per month and could reduce pickups to as few as one or two per month at most locations. Reducing pickups also mean fewer vehicles on the ramp which increases safety, reduces air emissions and saves money.

In March alone, the beginning of the program has already seen an additional 12 tons of recycled trash picked up, equal to 9% of the airports total airfield waste.

The program includes financial incentives encouraging airlines to recycle. Each airline has a key card to access the system which records how much is deposited in separate compactors designated for trash or recycling. Using the recycling compactor is free of charge. Plus, credits are given for the ratio of recycling versus trash to reducing annual bills.

Currently 90% of Sea-Tac’s air traffic is participating in the program. As participation increases, savings are expected to rise as well.

“These new compactors not only help make recycling easier, they also help us track our progress in this effort,” said Jacqueline Drumheller, environmental projects manager for Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines. “Horizon began its recycling program right here at Sea-Tac in the mid-1980s, and the Port of Seattle has been a close partner in our commitment to reduce waste as much as possible,”

Within Washington State, about 75 percent of Horizon Air’s food and beverage service waste generated in flight is recycled, including coffee grounds. Horizon’s inflight recycling program prevents an estimated 300 tons of waste from being added to landfills each year.

Off-aircraft recycling adds another element to Sea-Tac Airport’s award-winning comprehensive recycling program which diverted more than 1,300 tons of recyclable or compostable material from landfill in 2009.

In addition, the Port of Seattle is expected to save more than $300,000 from an approved budget of $1.6 million for the project.

Photographer Francis Zera dropped by the airport demo, where he took these photos:

Click to Play Francis Zera’s Slideshow

UPDATE 4/1/10: Our news partners at The Seattle Times update us that a 1am agreement Thursday morning has averted a garbage strike, at least for now.

Here’s what The Times said:

Jackie Lang, the spokeswoman for Waste Management, said early Thursday morning that the company and garbage collectors had agreed at about 1 a.m. to continue negotiating and, in the meantime, to avoid a work stoppage.

That means people should continue putting out their trash on scheduled days, because it’s work as usual for garbage collectors.

PREVIOUSLY (3/31/10):

Our news partners at The Seattle Times report that union negotiators reached a tentative agreement with Allied Waste, one of the two garbage collection companies whose labor agreements were set to expire at midnight Wednesday, March 31.

Unfortunately, Allied doesn’t serve Burien, which means that, pending a last-second deal, a garbage strike will begin at midnight here.

However, there will be no garbage strike in Normandy Park, since Allied is the provider there.

According to The Times:

Allied Waste Services, which provides trash collection for about 123,000 homes in King and Snohomish counties, confirmed Wednesday evening that a labor pact had been reached.

But the region’s biggest garbage company, Waste Management, which services more than 1 million customers, said its negotiations with 500 union garbage haulers have stalled, increasing the possibility of a garbage-collection strike for its customers across much of King and Snohomish counties starting Thursday.

Waste Management serves the Burien area, and, far as we know, the cityfolk here have no contingency plan. Normandy Park’s leaders had a plan where they would lease equipment back from Allied Waste, and, if necessary, have their own public works staff go out and collect garbage.

According to an email we received from Katherine Salinas of Waste Management:

“Waste Management collects from Burien residential customer on Mondays and Tuesdays. Therefore, we do not have any residential collection scheduled for Thursday or Friday.

Next week, we encourage customers to check our website www.wmnorthwest.com/burien for collection schedule updates.”

Also, according to WM’s strike-related portion of their website, here’s what Burien residents should do with their garbage:

Please put your garbage, recyclables and yardwaste at the curb as usual. If we do not pick up your material on Thursday up to twice as much material will be collected on your next regularly scheduled collection day for each container*.

We will provide priority collection for locations where public health is a high priority, such hospitals, nursing homes, day care facilities and grocery stores.

Please check our website daily for updates and changes as negotiations proceed.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work towards resolution of this situation.

WM also says that their contingency plan is to bring in replacement workers to drive the routes of striking haulers. The company also placed help wanted ads for replacement workers in area newspapers and Craigslist on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Read the full story here.

King County’s free Household Hazardous Wastemobile is coming to the Burien Fred Meyer on the weekend of Sept. 11-13th, from 10am to 5pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Fred Meyer is located at 14300 First Ave South in Burien (206-433-6446).

Operated by King County as part of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program, the Wastemobile offers King County residents the ability to drop off hazardous household waste items, including:

• Pesticides
• Chlorine bleach
• Oil-based paints
• Automotive products (oil, antifreeze, auto batteries, etc.)
• Fluorescent bulbs/ballasts
• And other items

All free of charge!

By properly disposing of these materials and keeping them out of drains and landfills, King County residents are helping safeguard the environment.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to the toxic waste after you drop if off, here’s some info:

• Corrosive Liquids – such as drain cleaner, pool chemicals, etc. are neutralized at a treatment facility.
• Latex paint – uncontaminated latex paint can be blended and tinted for reuse, then sold as new product. Latex paint that isn’t recyclable into new paint may be used as an additive in the manufacture of certain cement compounds.
• Lead acid batteries – recycled at smelters in the US, reclaiming the lead.
• Mercury – processed through retort and prepared for use in commercial applications.
• Oil-base paints, solvents and thinners – blended into a fuel mixture for use at facilities such as cement kilns.
• Pesticides and poisons – kept in their original containers or sealed in a bag if the container is rusty or leaking. Each container is nestled one-by-one into layers of absorbent granules inside steel drums. These wastes are incinerated or placed in a hazardous waste landfill.
• Used Motor Oil – accepted at the Wastemobile or by private sector businesses is re-refined into new lubricating products or reused as fuel for ships and cement kilns.

Please note that latex paint is no longer accepted during household hazardous waste collection events. Research has shown that dried or solidified latex paint can be safely disposed in the regular garbage.

Created in 1989, the Wastemobile was the first program of its kind in the nation. In its 18 years in operation, the program collected more than 14,771 tons of household hazardous waste from nearly 330,000 customers.

For more information, including acceptable materials, quantity limits and how to properly dispose of latex paint at home, call the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program’s Hazards Line at 206-296-4692, Monday through Friday between 9am and 4:30pm, except holidays. Recorded information is available after hours.

Full details are available on the Wastemobile Web Site at http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/disposal/wastemobile.

The Normandy Park and Burien Spring Recycling Event and Rain Barrel Sale is scheduled for this Saturday, May 16th from 9am – 3pm at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center, which is located at 19010 First Avenue South.

At this event you can safely dispose of numerous unwanted materials, some for free, others for a small fee.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Normandy Park & Burien Recycling Collection Event

WHEN: Saturday, May 16th from 9 am to 3 pm

WHERE: Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center

INFO: Recycle these household wastes:

• TIRES: Bias ply, steel belted, and studded tires accepted. Limit 6 passenger tires per household (18 inches and below) free of charge. $1.50 charge for each tire on a rim. $5 charged for each large truck tire and $15 charged for each truck tire on rim (cash only). No oversized tires accepted.
• MOTOR OIL, FILTERS, & ANTIFREEZE: Motor oil, oil filters, antifreeze, brake fluid, transmission fluid, 2-cycle oil, steering fluid, crankcase oil, kerosene, and home heating fuel. Do not mix with antifreeze, solvents, gasoline, or other substances.

Items Must Meet the Following Guidelines:

• LEAD ACID BATTERIES: Car, truck, marine, and motorcycle batteries accepted.
• ALKALINE BATTERIES: AAAA, AAA, AA, A, B, C, and D cell batteries only.
• CARDBOARD: Please flatten. No wax coated cardboard.
• REUSEABLE HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND CLOTHING: Clothing and miscellaneous household items in good condition will be collected by Seattle Goodwill. Mattresses and furniture will not be accepted. Items in need of repair will not be accepted.
• PORCELAIN TOILETS AND SINKS: $5 charge (cash only). Toilet seats, hardware, and base wax rings must be removed.
• PROPANE TANKS: Residential tanks only. $5 charge (cash only).
• CLEAN SCRAP WOOD: Includes milled wood, plywood, pallets, and other untreated and unpainted wood. No peg board, particle or press board.
• BULKY WOOD: Includes large tree branches (minimum 6 inches in diameter), logs, and stumps. No leaves, grass, small branches, sod, or brush. Please lay a tarp under material for ease of removal.
• ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT: DVD players, VCRs, stereo equipment, printers, copiers, fax machines, scanners, cellular phones and computer peripherals such as keyboards and mice. Computer monitors and televisions will not be accepted. You can recycle these items for free at other locations – see the E-Cycle box for more information.

Household Hazardous Wastes can be taken to the Household Hazardous Wastemobile or one of three household hazardous waste collection sites. Normandy Park and Burien residents may use the South Seattle Household Hazardous Waste Facility – 8105 5th Avenue South, Seattle. Open 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (except holidays). Volume restrictions apply.

Latex paint is no longer considered hazardous waste and the household hazardous waste facilities in King County (the Wastemobile, Factoria, and two Seattle sites) no longer accept it. Residents who cannot use up latex paint, please dry it out and put it in the garbage with the lid off. Visit the King County website www.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/swd for more information on how to dry out latex paint.

DON’T BRING:

• No Scrap Metal
• No construction/demolition debris
• No plastic toys, hoses, etc.
• No window glass
• These hazardous wastes:
• No oil based paint
• No pesticides/herbicides
• No household chemicals
• No cleaning products
• No fluorescent lights

For event information, call 206-248-7603 or visit www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/disposal/ or call the Household Hazards Line Monday to Friday 9 am to 4:30 pm except holidays at 206-296-4692.

Appliances and scrap metals will not be collected at this event. Appliances and scrap metals will be collected at a similar event this fall. Washington now has a FREE recycling program called “E-Cycle Washington” for computers, computers monitors, laptops, and televisions. Call 1-800-RECYCLE or visit 1800recycle.wa.gov to find authorized E-Cycle Washington collection locations. In the Burien/Normandy Park area you may drop off computers, computers monitors, laptops, and televisions at no charge at the following E-Cycle Washington locations: Burien Goodwill Store (1031 SW 128th Street, Burien, WA 98146) and Salvation Army Burien Store (16033 1st Ave S, Burien, WA 98148). Please note – drop off locations may change. Quantities accepted are limited. Please also note that computer peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and printers are not included in this program but will be accepted at City Recycling Collection Events.

Rain Barrel & Compost Bin Sale:
To encourage the use of recycled content material and more efficient use of water, the cities of Burien and Normandy Park are offering recycled plastic rain barrels at a huge discount. In addition, start backyard composting with a compost bin to save resources and money. Composting is a natural process that turns yard waste into rich soil. Yard waste—grass, leaves, old flowers—contain mostly water. Once the material decomposes, rich soil is all that’s left.

$20 each. Cash only. While supplies last. No pre or post event sales.

Here’s the latest from Waste Management:

Residential service for Monday garbage customers and those scheduled for recycling and/or yard waste service today. If this is not a regular recycling or yard waste collection week, customers will need to wait for service until the week of Jan 5-9.

Double/triple volume accepted; Tips for Managing Extra Garbage & Recycling.

Please remove snow from on top of and around containers. If your street is still snowy, please move your containers to a more accessible location for service.

CONTACT INFO:

Email: info@wmnorthwest.com
Phone: 1-800-592-9995
Fax: 1-866-284-1337

City of Burien Garbage and Recycling Help Line: 206-933-0992

We’ve got ours out, neatly arranged in triplicate and ready to go…have you?

There will be NO garbage/recycling collection in Burien Saturday or Sunday (12/27-28), with up to triple amounts of stuff accepted during the next pickup.

Here’s the latest update from Waste Management (more info available at their website here):

Saturday, December 27, 8:00 AM: Unsafe road conditions have unfortunately required Waste Management to once again postpone residential curbside collection in Snohomish County and most of King County, including Burien, Renton, and all East King County areas.

No residential collection will be provided on Sunday, as previously reported. Waste Management needs to preserve driver time for long work hours next week as we clean up the accumulated material resulting from numerous collection delays.

King County residents outside the City of Seattle may take garbage and recycling to King County transfer stations, including:

• Bow Lake in Tukwila
• Enumclaw
• Renton
• Factoria
• Houghton
• Shoreline

Call 206-296-4466 or visit http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/facilities/transfer.asp for addresses and hours.

Remove Snow Accumulation. To keep containers accessible, please remove snow and extra material from around or on top of them.

Clear Storm Drains to Prevent Street Flooding: As snow melts, water run-off can result in flooding, which further impedes collection. Please clear storm drains of snow and debris to prevent flooding.

Tips for Extra Material Storage and Set Out: Waste Management suggests that residents use the following options for storing and setting out extra materials:

Extra garbage: Place next to garbage container in:

• Securely tied plastic bags labeled “Garbage” or
• 32-gal can with handle and lid (65 lb limit) labeled “Garbage”

Extra recycling: Place next to recycling cart in:

• Plastic recycling bins or
• Cardboard boxes (2x2x2 ft. limit) labeled “Recycling”
• No recycling in plastic bags

Extra yard trimmings (No food scraps or plastic): Place next to yard cart in:

• Heavy paper yard bags (available at hardware stores) or
• Reusable polywoven yard bags (available at hardware stores) or
• 32-gal cans with handles & lids (65 lb limit) labeled “Yard” or

Bundles tied with sisal twine (4′x2′ limit)