H-2838.3  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2226

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      53rd Legislature     1994 Regular Session

By Representatives Horn, Rust and Cooke

Read first time 01/11/94.  Referred to Committee on Local Government.

Requiring cities and towns to provide notice for rate increases for solid waste handling services.

    AN ACT Relating to solid waste handling; adding a new section to chapter 35.21 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 35A.21 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that local governments and private waste management companies have significantly changed solid waste management practices in an effort to preserve landfill space and to avoid costly environmental cleanups of municipal landfills.  The legislature recognizes the efforts of local governments and the waste management industry for helping the state to achieve one of the nation's highest recycling rates.

    The legislature also finds that solid waste rates have increased substantially in order to pay for the cleanup of past disposal practices and new recycling services that preserve landfill space and avoid future cleanup costs.  The legislature further finds that city-managed collection systems are required to notify private collection companies of rate changes but are not required to notify the public.  The legislature declares it to be the policy of the state that city-managed systems provide public notice of rate increases.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 35.21 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) A city or town that contracts for the collection of solid waste, or provides for the collection of solid waste directly, shall publish a notice of a proposed rate increase.  The notice shall be published once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the collection area beginning at least forty-five days prior to the effective date of the rate increase for any solid waste handling service.

    (2) For purposes of this section, "solid waste handling" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 70.95.030.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 35A.21 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) A city that contracts for the collection of solid waste, or provides for the collection of solid waste directly, shall publish a notice of a proposed rate increase.  The notice shall be published once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the collection area beginning at least forty-five days prior to the effective date of the rate increase for any solid waste handling service.

    (2) For purposes of this section, "solid waste handling" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 70.95.030.

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