| June 11, 2003
News Release In a move to become more efficient while still providing good customer service, the King County Solid Waste Division is proposing to change operating hours at its eight transfer stations and Cedar Hills Regional Landfill. The division has been given a budget target of at least $7 million in efficiencies for 2004. The proposed reduced hours of operation are expected to deliver approximately $3.5 million in savings. The proposed changes will reduce operating hours when customer activity is low and the use of technology could make operations more efficient. Currently, facilities are open 362 days a year and one facility is open until 11:30 p.m. five days a week. No closures are proposed for urban transfer stations. The county intends to work closely with the cities to ensure that transfer station operations will meet the needs of local cities and customers. "Our goal is efficient, reliable service at reasonable rates," said Division Manager Rod Hansen. "We have had good support from labor and are near agreement on new work schedules, which provide us with flexibility to provide more efficient operating schedules." The County's six urban transfer stations would be open eight hours a day on summer weekends instead of the current nine-and-a-half hours. They would be open seven hours a day on winter weekends. The rural transfer stations potentially would be closed two or three days in the middle of the week. It is proposed that Cedar Hills would be closed on Sundays, which is when only four percent of the tonnage arrives at the 900-acre facility. Cedar Hills is not open to the public. Updates on operating hours will be made available as soon as finalized. The proposed changes will be sent to King County Executive Ron Sims for his consideration and agreement before implementation in 2004. The new schedules require approval from the Metropolitan King County Council. Countywide, 91 percent of King County residents depend on curbside garbage pickup and most rarely use a transfer station. Approximately nine percent of King County residential customers use a transfer station more than four times a year. King County Solid Waste serves 1.2 million customers and provides garbage disposal services to all cities except for Seattle. It operates eight transfer stations, two drop boxes and the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill. Related Information |
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