How the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program is Funded
2011 Fees
The Local Hazardous Waste Management Program (Program) is funded through surcharges on solid waste and sewer utility fees. Those surcharges are paid by all wastewater treatment facilities and by all public and commercial solid waste haulers and facility operators throughout King County. They are passed on to the customers of those services in the form of utility user fees.
King County Board of Health sets those surcharge rates on behalf of all residents and businesses throughout King County. The rates were last adjusted in 2006 and are listed in King County Board of Health Code 2.08.090 Part II.
| Surcharge Source | Rate (effective January 1, 2006) |
| Residential solid waste surcharge | $0.80/month/account |
| Commercial solid waste surcharge | $9.07/month/account |
| Transfer station surcharge - Private vehicles | $1.34/visit |
| Transfer station surcharge - Commercial vehicles | $3.50/ton |
| Sewer surcharge 1 | $0.19/month/account (2007 phase-in) |
The effective rate for the sewer surcharge is based on the estimated rate per RCE (residential customer equivalent). As of 2007 the sewer surcharge is $33.92 per million gallons of sewage treated.
- Household surcharges - Single-family households with garbage and sewer service currently pay approximately $0.99 per month to support the Program. Residents who live in apartments, condominiums or other multi-family dwellings probably pay less per month, depending on how their utilities are paid.
- Businesses surcharges - Businesses with their own commercial solid waste accounts currently pay $9.07 per month to support the Program. Businesses that share a dumpster with other businesses (e.g. in industrial parks, office parks, and malls) probably pay significantly less per month. The amount that a business, with its own commercial sewer account, pays depends on the amount of water that business uses, but is at least $0.19 per month.
- Transfer station surcharges – These are assessed when garbage is self-hauled to a transfer station or landfill. Self-haul customers in passenger-licensed vehicles currently pay $1.34 into the Local Hazardous Waste Fund, per trip. Self-haul customers in a non-passenger licensed vehicle pay $3.50 into the Fund, per ton.
- Grants & interest - The Program also receives a small portion of its revenue from state grants and interest on the Program's fund balance.
1 The effective rate for the sewer surcharge is based on the estimated rate per RCE (residential customer equivalent). As of 2007 the sewer surcharge is $33.92 per million gallons of sewage treated.
