Summary

King County Solid Waste Division now requires customers to wear masks or face coverings when visiting one of its recycling and garbage transfer stations.

Story

In compliance with Gov. Jay Inslee’s statewide mask order, King County’s Solid Waste Division requires all customers visiting one of its recycling and garbage transfer stations to wear masks or face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The division will make masks available to any customer who needs one. Customers who do not comply will not be allowed to dispose of their waste or recycling at a King County facility.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, King County’s recycling and garbage transfer stations have remained open to provide essential services to its service area customers. Customers have done their part by practicing social distancing at stations and postponing non-essential trips. Requiring masks is another way to keep King County employees safe so garbage and recycling transfer stations can remain open.

Self-haul customers within the King County service area with an essential need to dispose of waste, primarily waste that could smell, rot, or attract pests, can make their trips quicker by visiting transfer stations in the mornings when lines are shorter. Long lines at stations have been occurring toward the end of the day and to ensure transfer stations operate within normal hours, the Solid Waste Division will be limiting access to self-haul customers who arrive at or near closing time. 

Pre-sorting garbage from recycling before arriving at a transfer station can make a trip even more efficient, as well as more cost effective since there is no fee to recycle materials such as paper, cans, glass and plastic.To preserve critical services for King County solid waste customers, the division will continue to require customers verify their residence or business is within King County’s service area, which includes 37 cities and unincorporated areas and excludes the cities of Seattle and Milton. 

King County is also asking people to keep essential workers in mind by limiting their trips when possible. For self-haul customers who cannot delay a visit, please be patient with possible long lines and service delays, which come out of measures needed to protect the public and the workers. 
People can also support Solid Waste Division frontline workers by taking the following actions:

• Practice social/physical distancing by staying at least six feet from others.
• Stay in their vehicle while waiting at the scales.
• Pay with a card rather than cash.

Customers exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, or sharing a household with someone who does, should not visit King County Solid Waste facilities.
For questions about COVID-19, visit the Public Health – Seattle & King County website: www.kingcounty.gov/covid and subscribe to the Public Health Insider blog: www.publichealthinsider.com.