(The Center Square) – A recent audit of King County’s Solid Waste Division planned capital projects found that per-ton garbage disposal fees could double in 10 years as a result, but the division notes delaying these projects could also increase fees for customers.
Last week’s King County Auditor’s Office report found that per-ton garbage disposal fees could increase from $203 per ton in 2025 to over $413 per ton by 2034 in order to cover the estimated $1.36 billion cost between 2025 and 2040 for capital projects.
According to the audit, “SWD funds capital spending largely through bond sales, and the increase in capital spending means that debt service for these bonds could grow over 450 percent between 2024 and 2034.”
Residential customers could see a wide range of garbage disposal fee hikes.
An increase of about $210 to $252 per ton for commercial haulers by 2034 would also result in an average residential curbside annual increase of around $73 to $396, depending on customer can size.
For self-haul minimum users, who make up almost half of all self-haul trips to transfer stations, per-ton garbage disposal fee increases mean that the cost to enter transfer stations to dispose of garbage could increase from $32.60 in 2025 to over $68 per transaction in 2034, according to the audit.
The King County Solid Waste Division provides garbage transfer, disposal, and recycling services for approximately 1.9 million people in King County. With a large number of customers that would be affected by the fees, the division acknowledged the report’s findings and is reevaluating its future capital programs.
“King County’s Solid Waste Division will be seriously considering the auditor’s feedback to better inform our capital project investments,” Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director John Taylor said in a statement. “Already, our teams are reevaluating our capital program, and we will include the Auditor’s recommendations in this review.”
However, customers could see costs increase no matter what the division chooses to do. King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Communication Specialist Joe Basile told The Center Square in an email that delaying capital projects will likely contribute to higher garbage disposal fees for customers in the long run. This is due to planning and construction costs increasing over time.
Basile noted the Solid Waste Division has already paused the planning of a redevelopment project for its transfer station in Renton and is currently building a new transfer station in south King County that is anticipated to open sometime in 2026.
The division is also in the planning phase of a new station in Kirkland.
These projects are intended to replace aging stations across the county in order to make recycling and transfer of waste materials easier for the public and safer for employees.
“These new modern recycling and transfer stations are needed across King County to serve a growing population with services such as recycling, yard waste, and household hazardous waste disposal,” Basile told The Center Square. “They will replace facilities that are past their life use and were built when stations were designed to only accept garbage.”
Along with Solid Waste Division leadership, the King County Council and county executive would be required to approve legislation to delay any capital projects as part of a plan to minimize rate impacts on customers.
