(1) Company information. A company that provides traditional solid waste service must maintain a business office and must, at least once a year, notify its customers of its:

(a) Regular business hours. Regular business hours must include at least four hours each day between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays;

(b) Toll-free business telephone number; and

(c) Mailing address.

(2) Messaging. A company must have voice mail, an answering machine, or answering service to receive calls when company personnel are unavailable.

(3) Responding to customer inquiries.

(a) A company must respond to urgent messages within twenty-four hours and to all others within forty-eight hours, excluding weekends and holidays.

(b) A company must acknowledge and respond to a customer's written inquiry within two weeks of receipt.

(4) Notice of change in address or phone number. A company must advise current customers of any change in its address or telephone number at least ten days before the effective date.

(5) Notice of change in pick-up date. When a company changes the pick-up date for its certificate area, or a portion of its certificate area, the company must notify all customers in the affected area of that change. Notice may be made via mail, personal contact, or by a notice being affixed to the customer's solid waste can at least seven days before implementation of the new pick-up schedule.

(6) Consumer brochure. A company must provide a copy of the commission's consumer brochure to each new applicant for service, and must once a year notify its current customers of the availability of the brochure and how to obtain a copy. A company may copy the commission's brochure and may add appropriate company-specific information.

(7) Program information.

The commission requires that each new applicant for service, and, at least once a year the company's current customers, must receive a list, brochure, newsletter or similar document that describes available solid waste and recycling services:

(a) Material requirements defined. Materials may be provided by local government solid waste divisions or solid waste coordinators directly to the public, or to the solid waste companies for delivery. This information may include reference to available local commercial recycling service options, service levels, and to methods for reducing solid waste. If such materials are not available, or if they do not include the information described in (a)(i) and (ii) of this subsection, companies must provide materials. Materials prepared by a company must describe:

(i) All service options and service levels available to the customer through the company; and

(ii) Company methods and programs available to recycle and reduce solid waste. This information may contain reference to nonregulated commercial recycling services also provided by the certificated company.

(b) Delivery options defined.

(i) If local government solid waste divisions or solid waste coordinators provide materials to the company, the company must distribute those materials to the company's customers.

(ii) If local government solid waste divisions or solid waste coordinators do not provide information to the company, the company's obligations under the provisions of (a) of this subsection may be satisfied if the local government solid waste divisions or solid waste coordinators distribute the information as part of the local government's solid waste, recycling, and waste reduction educational activities.

(iii) If required materials are not distributed by solid waste divisions or solid waste coordinators as part of educational activities or the solid waste divisions or solid waste coordinators do not provide the information to the companies for distribution, the company must provide the materials described in (a) of this subsection.

(8) Information that must be available for review in company office. A company must make the following items available to customers for review at all times the company's business office is open. The company must notify its customers, either in its consumer brochure, a newsletter, or similar document that the items are available for customer review and state the location at which they are available for that review.

(a) The commission's solid waste rules, chapter 480-70 WAC;

(b) The company's current rates and regulations (tariff);

(c) The company's current certificate;

(d) The commission's consumer brochure; and

(e) A map of the company's service territory.