On January 27, 2022, the City of North Bend formally requested that Republic Services, the solid waste company under contract with the City until March 2024, provide customer billing credits and reimbursement for City expenses due to Republic’s extended time period without performance.
Republic has declined to agree to customer credits or reimburse city expenses to date.
As documented, during the 3 to 5 weeks of extended missed service, depending on location, customers did not receive contracted solid waste service from Republic. The City issued an emergency health and safety order and stepped up to provide relief to its residents by using Public Works employees to perform solid waste operations and retain a separate contractor to collect and haul away the garbage.
The City maintains that it is appropriate for Republic to provide credits to Republic city customers and added that there is a contractual obligation to reimburse the City incurred expenses to offset costs otherwise burdened to our taxpayers.
Republic’s law firm has responded to the City of North Bend’s credits and reimbursement request saying Republic was unwilling to pick up solid waste in late December and early January, due in part to a “high risk of an avalanche blocking I-90”.
Republic Services is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and is the USA’s second-largest waste disposal provider. The City is in the process of responding to Republic, and once a resolution is reached, we will provide a community update.
Comments
Good to see the city step up and work through this issue directly with Republic.
“High Avalanche Danger on I-90” ?????
Lame, just LAME!
Curious why Sammamish got credits and we haven’t!!!
Too bad unincorporated KC is SOL on this – as a matter of fact I got a call saying my payment was late!!! They stink!
Sounds like NB is a contract they are willing to lose.
If they provide credits to the City or to City customers…unincorporated King County should also be included. I for one did not enjoy hauling 20 plus bags of garbage to the curb (in and out of containers) three times only to find out they issued a late same-day no show notice. 4 weeks is NOT reasonable even if they say “well it’s okay because we offered additional pickup afterward”. That much garbage collects and draws vermin and pests into the home. If it is outside the coyotes and bears will get into it, affecting their health and making a giant mess too. After 4-5 weeks the leftover roast and bird we had for Christmas…plus party stuff from NYE…really started to reek and get gross.
I filed a complaint with the state insurance commission. So far a few updates from them that were not encouraging but the process is not completed either. They are mostly siding with Republic but said they had over 100 complaints. For my own, I ended up hauling a bunch of stuff to the transfer station at Wilderness Rim, only to be turned away because Republic was contracted to get stuff there too and they were totally full (I was the first car turned away too). Ended up hauling my own garbage all the way to the nearest open facility in Factoria.
WHY DONT WE USE WASTE MANAGEMENT INSTEAD? They provide better service and dont leave more garbage behind then they pick up…like litter everywhere.