Please be advised that the City approved funding for new city-provided trash and recycling containers. These new containers were funded by unused fiscal year 2017 and 2018 funds and will not result in any tax increase.
In addition, the City has proposed updating its trash and recycling rules. Please read these rules carefully. These rules will not go into effect until homes receive the new city-provided trash and recycling containers, which is not slated to occur until later in the summer months. Over the next few months, you will continue to see communications from the City explaining the limited opt-out process for residents (including any forms associated with that process), and the final rules once agreed upon.
Please also know that city-provided trash and recycling containers will only be provided to addresses that are registered with the City of Mount Rainier.
Prior to these rules being agreed upon, we will have a public hearing on these proposed final rules on Tuesday, February 20, 2018, at Mount Rainier City Hall at 7:00 PM. We encourage you to attend that hearing to express any concerns with these rules.
Proposed Trash and Recycling Rules
Proposed Trash Rules
• Pick Up Day: Every Wednesday. If unforeseen circumstances (e.g., truck breaks down, snow emergency, hazardous conditions) or a holiday prevents pickup on Wednesday, pick-up will occur the next business day.
• A “trash container” refers to a watertight and rodent proof container with tight-fitting lid.
• A “city-provided trash container” refers to a 45-gallon container on wheels with tight-fitting lid provided by the City of Mount Rainier.
• Unless an opt-out permit has been approved, the trash container shall be a city-provided trash container. However, in calendar years 2018 and 2019, residents may use up to three secondary trash containers no larger than 35 gallons.
• Beginning with calendar year 2020, residents may have up to three city-provided trash containers. The City shall provide one city-provided trash container at no cost to the resident. Additional city-provided trash containers may be purchased from the City at 50% of the cost of the container.
• In the instance a city-provided trash container becomes inoperable, a resident may appeal for the replacement of such a container provided the resident does not have any additional, operable city-provided trash containers.
• If a new resident’s household does not come equipped with a city-provided trash container, the resident will have 90 days from closing of the purchase of the property to receive one free city-provided trash container.
• Household trash must not be mixed with bulk or yard waste. Regular household trash means usual residential household items from places such as the kitchen, bathroom etc., and does not include plastic bags or styrofoam.
• Trash containers - whether city-provided or otherwise - must be set out any time after 7:00 PM the day before trash collection and no later than 7:00 AM on trash collection days.
Proposed Recycling Rules
• Pick Up Day: Every Friday. If unforeseen circumstances (e.g., truck breaks down, snow emergency, hazardous conditions) or a holiday prevents pickup on Friday, pick-up will occur the next business day.
• A “recycling container” refers to a watertight and rodent proof container with tight-fitting lid.
• A “city-provided recycling container” refers to a 65-gallon container on wheels with a tight-fitting lid provided by the City of Mount Rainier.
• Unless an opt-out permit has been approved, the recycling container shall be a city-provided recycling container.
• The City shall provide one city-provided recycling container at no cost to the resident. Additional city-provided recycling containers may be purchased from the City at 50% of the cost of the container.
• In the instance a city-provided recycling container becomes inoperable, a resident may appeal for the replacement of such a container provided the resident does not have any additional, operable city-provided recycling containers.
• If a new resident’s household does not come equipped with a city-provided recycling container, the resident will have 90 days from closing of the purchase of the property to receive one free city-provided recycling container.
• Recycling containers - whether city-provided or otherwise - must be set out any time after 7:00 PM the day before recycling collection and no later than 7:00 AM on recycling collection days.
• The following items are permitted for recycling as determined by the County and reflect the current rules for recycling (i.e., these rules are in existence today):
• Glass
• Food and beverage containers
• Metals
• Aluminum foil
• Aluminum, bimetal, ferrous, and steel, food and beverage containers
• Empty aerosol cans
• Mixed Paper/Corrugated Cardboard
• All paper
• Aseptic/gable-top milk and juice cartons
• Catalogs
• Flattened corrugated cardboard (boxes with cellophane tape removed)
• Frozen food packaging
• Hard- and soft- covered books
• Kraft paper bags and wrapping paper
• Magazines
• Newspapers with inserts
• Paperboard (cereal and cracker boxes)
• Telephone books
• Unsoiled pizza boxes (boxes MUST BE free of grease, cheese and other food remnants)
• Plastics
• Drinking cups/glasses
• Flower pots
• Containers with code identification numbers 1 through 7
• Prescription bottles
• *Remember to rinse all food and beverage containers and to recap or place the lids in the recycling cart/bin.
• *The County no longer accepts any plastic bags or film (even if the bags are balled up together), nor any coat hangers. Please return coat hangers to the dry cleaners or place metal coat hangers in the scrap metal bins and plastic coat hangers in the rigid plastics bins at public convenience centers.
Opting-Out of New City-Provided Trash and Recycling Containers
• The City of Mount Rainier will offer residents the opportunity to opt-out of using the new city-provided trash and recycling containers if one of the following conditions apply:
• It is impractical for you to use the larger containers - e.g., your house sits on a hill with many stairs leading up to where you would have to keep any trash or recycling container.
• You have a disability or are an elderly resident (62 or older) for whom the larger containers are not practical.
• Opt-out forms will be distributed to residents through a direct mailing effort, which will contain the final trash and recycling rules and an in-depth explanation of the change (including the benefits to residents and the environment of switching to the new containers).
• Residents will have until June 15, 2018 to submit the opt-out forms to the Director of Public Works.
Collection for Senior Citizens and the Disabled
The City will provide on-premise collection of recyclables for senior citizens over 62 years of age and for disabled persons. To qualify, no one living in the home can be under 62 years of age or physically able to carry collection containers to the curb. The resident must make the container(s) readily accessible to Public Works employees, and the resident must sign a waiver of liability for entering onto the premises. To make arrangements, please call 301.985.6583.
PLEASE review and provide comments or mark your calendar and come share your thoughts with Mayor and Council on Tuesday, February 20!
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