The possibility of a strike by garbage truck drivers and waste collectors in Washington has Issaquah and Sammamish on alert.
Though as of Monday Allied Waste and Waste Management were still in negotiations with their thousands of workers, Eastside cities were still developing contingency plans to keep the streets clean and the rats away should a prolonged strike occur.
This past weekend, union garbage truck drivers voted to authorize a strike as negotiations continued on a new contract. The current contract expires March 31. Thursday, April 1, would be the first possible strike date.
If the drivers do go on strike, managers and other non-union personnel will be recruited to get behind the wheel, according to the waste pickup companies.
According to Issaquah Councilmember Mark Mullet, who chairs the city Utilities, Technology and Environment Committee, the cities are operating on the assumption that the companies will be able to continue operations in the event of a strike with little disruption.
“We’re trying not to get involved or pick sides,” he said. “We feel, at this point in time, that the contingency plans are adequate.”
In preparation for a possible strike, the City of Sammamish Code Enforcement Officer, Joan Burlingame, has prepared some tips for residents.
Separate garbage into three categories
Organic
Food and lawn clippings that can be composted. The most important action is to temporarily reduce the amount of food and clippings until the strike is over. Meats, oils/fats, and dairy goods may need to be double bagged and stored in your freezer until the end of the strike. Make sure to label bags!
If you have a compost system, place the non-meat, non-dairy, non-oil/fat trash into your compost bin. If you don’t have a compost system double bag the food and lawn clippings and store in a container that rats and mice cannot get into.
Recyclable items
Wash these items out so that no food remains on or in them. Running them through a dishwasher cycle may be a good option. Crush and then store until the end of the strike. You may want to temporarily use your recycling bin for trash during the strike and store the recyclable items in bags. Rats and mice are less likely to chew through bags of washed recyclable items and are less likely to get into your closed recycle bins.
Non-recyclable trash
Reduce your packaged goods consumption during the strike. When shopping or when deciding what to cook/use, choose items that produce limited trash over items that have a lot of wrapping. Crush non-recyclable trash and place in trash cans or double bag.
Other options
Take your trash and recycling to a Link text King County Transfer Station. Most van sized loads will be under $18. Make sure the transfer station is open before you go; you don’t want to get stuck with a car full of trash.
During the strike make modifications to your diet that reduces the amount of meats or dairy products that may be left over after the meal. A vegan diet may help to reduce the waste you need to store.
If you have bones left over from a chicken, pork, or beef dinner consider making soup broth. Place bones in a pot with enough water to cover the bones. Add one or two tablespoons of vinegar or juice of a half of a lemon for a better tasting broth. Adding a bay leaf and peppercorns will also add extra flavor. Boil until half of the water has cooked away. Strain remaining broth and use for soup. Boiled bones are less attractive to many rodents.
You can get flushable kitty litter from some of the pet supply stores. (This is better than storing the used litter in your freezer!) Flushable kitty litter may be more expensive – hopefully the strike won’t happen or last too long.
To reduce leakage from your trash bags, mix your liquids with absorbent materials.
Check the City of Issaquah and City of Sammamish Web sites for up-to-date strike information.
