Snohomish trash bills to rise April 1

SNOHOMISH — Trash bills will be rising come April 1.
Republic Services is invoking a clause in its city contract to adjust trash bill rates to track with nearly 6% inflation in the consumer price index between October 2021 and October 2022.
For a home with a 32-gallon trash can plus mandatory weekly recycling and yard waste, the future bill every three months for these services would be $115.35.
That's up from $109.68 per quarter for someone with a 32-gallon trash can.
Other taxes and fees apply.
The city will conduct an open call for trash service contractors later this year, city officials said.
A little over half of the city's 2,723 single-family households use a 32-gallon trash can. The bigger and small trash can sizes have bigger and smaller rates.
Add-in cost denied
The city's administration last week had floated a proposal from Republic Services to "blend-in" the cost of the city government's own garbage services to the public rate. It would have further increased rates residents pay.
The City Council disagreed, saying the city should pay its own bills. If council had said yes, the city would free up about $50,250 but a customer's quarterly bill would become $118.20 for a 32-gallon trash can plus mandatory weekly recycling and yard waste.
The city pays for service for about 80 containers. The collections range from more than three dozen public trash cans along First Street to big dumpsters at the City Shop.
Most cities get free service by lumping their city’s garbage service costs onto general residential rates, Republic Services government relations representative Wendy Weiker said last week.