UPDATE: No garbage/recycling pickup Monday; delays all week

(Near 35th/Henderson, photographed by Mary Burki)

8:59 PM SUNDAY: Biggest question of the night: Will there be garbage/recycling pickup tomorrow? The Seattle Public Utilities update we included in afternoon coverage remains the newest information:

If there is still snow and/or ice on the ground Monday and conditions are determined to be unsafe for SPU contractors, the Utility will operate on a one-day delay for garbage, recycling and food/yard waste pickup this coming week. SPU will be sure to communicate just as soon as decisions are made.

Whenever we get word of that decision, we’ll update this story.

6:23 AM MONDAY: Still no announcement.

7:50 AM: No pickup today, says Waste Management: “Attention Monday Residential Customers: Your services cannot be provided today. Please leave carts at the curb. We will collect tomorrow or as conditions allow. We will collect materials missed during this delay – no extra charge.”

9:36 AM: And, as per the original city announcement above, the rest of the week will be delayed too, SPU says.

25 Replies to "UPDATE: No garbage/recycling pickup Monday; delays all week"

  • garbage customer February 14, 2021 (9:43 pm)

    None of the side streets in my neighborhood have been plowed. From past experience, garbage trucks did not pick up trash with amount of snow that is still on the streets. Of course, it’s their decision. I hope there is a lot of overnight melting.

  • onion February 15, 2021 (6:02 am)

    The photo in your story illustrates an important point. People can help out tremendously by clearing snow from on top of and around their waste and recycling containers.

  • drM February 15, 2021 (6:21 am)

    Was hoping to see much less snow. While there is a definite decrease, streets still covered here in Admiral area near Bonair. 

  • Lola February 15, 2021 (7:45 am)

    I came from 50th & Alaska this morning.  My whole street still covered with melting snow.  I was fine once I got over to 48th & Alaska went straight up as no snow on Alaska except for the Downhill lane.  They have a sign at the top of the hill at the Junction saying road closed which is good for now since most people are probably going up  Alaska Street.  Did W Marginal this AM as my other route would be too hilly and don’t want to chance it not making it up and out.  Be careful out there and please don’t tailgate even if it looks clear.

  • Kyle February 15, 2021 (7:47 am)

    I bet they won’t pick up garbage until all the snow melts from the alleys. In my unscientific opinion, that’s at least another 1-2 days away.

  • Anne February 15, 2021 (8:00 am)

    There was so much snow-still is , main  arterials  seem pretty good-but side streets & alleys aren’t.  Not to mention trying to drag your cans through the snow out to the curb as many have to do. 

    • sigh February 15, 2021 (11:53 am)

      Yeah, it was hard for me to do that, but I did it because I didn’t want to miss collection and the bins are supposed to be out by 7am.  Wish they had told me I didn’t need to bother.

  • norskgirl February 15, 2021 (8:18 am)

    The snowplowing created a 3 foot high burm along the parking strip-street.  I would have to shovel a path to get to the parking strip, and then shovel some more to open a space for the garbage bin to be placed and accessed.  

    • sigh February 15, 2021 (11:39 am)

      Yep.  And yet they expected people to do just that.

  • sgs February 15, 2021 (8:39 am)

    That is the coolest photo!   Love nature.

  • Community Member February 15, 2021 (9:08 am)

    I just got a text from the city that all garbage pick-up this week will be delayed by one day.

    • WSB February 15, 2021 (9:24 am)

      Yes, they have finally sent a city alert, one hour after WM posted it.

  • sigh February 15, 2021 (9:10 am)

    I just wish they had had the decency to let us know sooner. 

    When they expect bins to be out by 7am, and don’t announce a delay until 9am the very day of?

    I know it’s small peanuts, but it was a real drag (no pun intended) to shovel a path to take the bins out, then take them out and line them up in the alley last night.  

    But of course I had no choice!  Because were they to have been picked up, we of course had to have them out by 7am.

    This was poorly done by SPU–not the decision to delay pick up, that makes sense.  But the timing of the announcement?  Poorly done, and preposterously late.

    • K. Davis February 15, 2021 (9:33 am)

      Seriously?  This is your complaint?  Did you just move here?  Were you not capable of figuring this out for yourself?  Anyone with an ounce of common sense knew that there wouldn’t be pick-up today … and likely not tomorrow either, barring a bunch of rain.  The streets are icy an not easily navigable for WM trucks.  Get over it.  

    • Anne February 15, 2021 (10:41 am)

      Huh? Seriously?

      • sigh February 15, 2021 (11:37 am)

        Davis, Anne:

        Yep, seriously.

        Maybe I just hold people to a higher standard than the both of you, but I firmly believe that if paying for a service certain minimum courtesies are met.

        The garbage service requires bins to be out by 7am.  For them to not announce until hours past that time that collection will not occur is inappropriate.I absolutely concur that garbage collection should not occur today. 

        What bothers me is that the announcement was incredibly late.  Remember–this is a service we all pay for–it is a VERY profitable service, these companies make tons of money.  And they made a big mistake by not making an executive decision about collection at an appropriate time.

        Tease me all you want, I firmly believe this is a reasonable take.

        • Will S. February 15, 2021 (1:10 pm)

          I’m with Sigh. And I don’t understand why people with low expectations get mad at people who expect decent performance from city government–but I’ve seen it quite often in my time here. 

  • Alki resident February 15, 2021 (11:25 am)

    Garbage gnomes…. uff da

  • Lola February 15, 2021 (12:46 pm)

    If everyone read what the article said Monday’s P/U will now be Tuesday or when the snow clears.  If you have your can’s at the curb just leave them.  It is not as if the Waste Mgmnt. planned this snow.  Everyone has to deal with it.  If you have elderly who live by you please help them out if you can.  We all have to deal with this till it melts and goes away. 

  • Mj February 15, 2021 (1:52 pm)

    I’ve seen Amazon Prime making deliveries today!  

  • sgs February 15, 2021 (2:39 pm)

    It’s going to be crazy when the earthquake hits if people are going to complain about something like this……I’d rather have people pull together rather than complain (even if it was a bit of a hardship).

    • reed February 15, 2021 (4:10 pm)

      No kidding. Complaining about being inconvenienced for a few days with a little snow while millions in the midwest face days of power outages and dangerous temperatures. 

      • sigh February 15, 2021 (7:07 pm)

        Complaining about being inconvenienced for a few days with a little snow while millions in the midwest face days of power outages and dangerous temperatures. “

        And what of complaining about comments on blogs?  

        Look: I get that it is a minor quibble.  I get that.  I haven’t (and won’t) complain to SPU, and I don’t want anyone fired.  But they made a mistake, and I don’t see any shame in pointing that out.

        Corporations, garbage collection included, shouldn’t play by a separate set of rules.  They want bins out by 7am, and don’t announce a canceled day of service until 9am?  That shouldn’t happen.  They had the relevant information–even posters on this forum have noted that garbage collection wasn’t going to happen.  So why didn’t the company itself?

        Is this a tragedy?  No.  But then I am not the one comparing this to earthquakes and people freezing to death in the midwest.  That’s on all of you and, frankly, it’s a stupid game to play.  Who can’t one-up someone whenever they complain about anything?  It’s easy, but it’s simply not cricket.

        I know this is a minor annoyance, and I have repeatedly stressed that I acknowledge it’s minor.  But the garbage collection agency had enough time, and enough information, to simply announce on Sunday that collection would be delayed.  That they didn’t is inappropriate, given it inconvenienced hundreds of people.  One person, making a reasonable executive decision, could have avoided that.  That decision should have been made and executed, and it’s annoying that it didn’t happen.

  • Garbage customer February 15, 2021 (2:57 pm)

    Side streets in my neighborhood have improved since this morning. Streets are a mix of slush and wet pavement. They are drive-able now except for the steep inclines or shaded areas. My guess is that garbage trucks will be picking up trash tomorrow.

  • Sugar February 17, 2021 (1:02 pm)

    I’m going to have 1 garbage bin full which was from last week not pick up. I’m going to leave the same amount of full garbage tide up in a bags outside next to the garbages bin. So that will be 2 full loads. 

Sorry, comment time is over.