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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Seattle to begin warning those who don’t recycle

Seattle garbage collector Anousone Sadettanh empties a residential garbage bin into his truck on Monday as larger yard waste and recycling bins stand behind. (Associated Press)

SEATTLE – Fail to recycle in Seattle and you can get a ticket from the garbage collector.

The city said it will start enforcing new recycling requirements on Jan. 1 with warnings tags. Careless residents will start seeing fines July 1 on their bills – $1 per violation, $50 for a commercial or apartment building.

KING reports garbage collectors will peek in the trash bin to see if more than 10 percent of the waste is food scraps and recyclable materials.

“Most of our city’s businesses and residents are already composting,” said Tim Croll, Solid Waste Director for Seattle Public Utilities. “This requirement is a progression of our collective efforts that help our city become even greener.”

Seattle Public Utilities estimates 36 percent of what’s currently in the trash shouldn’t be there. The new ordinance is expected to divert as much as 38,000 more tons of food scraps from the landfill each year.

It’s part of the city’s goal to reach a 60 percent recycling rate in 2015.