Kent customers who didn’t receive garbage pick up from Republic Services during a work stoppage Jan. 12-14 (Wednesday through Friday) will receive a rebate.
Negotiations between city of Kent staff and Republic Services led to the agreement to refund the missed service.
Republic Services will pay a total of $200,000 to cover the rebates, said Kelly Peterson, city deputy public works director, during a March 7 report to the City Council’s Public Works Committee.
The size of the container customers use will determine the amount of the rebate. Those with 13-gallon containers will receive a credit of $2.18 on their next invoice. The rebate goes up based on the container size, including $4.36 for 20 gallons; $7.37 for 32 gallons; $10.80 for 45 gallons; $16.73 for 64 gallons; and $25.08 for 96 gallons.
Most customers in Kent have 32-gallon containers, Peterson said.
Local drivers honored a strike by Republic Services drivers in Southern California during the Jan. 12-14 work stoppage.
Arizona-based Republic Services contracts with the city of Kent to handle garbage, yard waste and recycling services. The contract runs through 2029.
Republic Services issued a statement about the rebates.
“At Republic Services, we understand the frustration our customers experienced from the combined snow and strike events in January. We value our customers and the communities we serve, so we will be issuing a rebate to those affected City of Kent customers from the unexpected work stoppage in January.
“This rebate is based on the service portion of your weekly rate. Rebates are being provided to customers within the City of Kent who were affected by the Jan. 12-14 work stoppage. These rebates will be on your next scheduled invoice.
“We appreciate your patience and understanding during this unfortunate combination of events, and we look forward to continuing to serve you in partnership with the City of Kent.”
Peterson said although customers didn’t have garbage service in December due to snowstorms, inclement weather isn’t covered in the contract between the city and Republic Services as a refundable amount. In those cases, Republic typically picks up twice as much garbage the following week as the customer’s normal weekly service pick up.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated about no rebates due to snowstorms or inclement weather.
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