Garbage: One less thing for us to worry about

Some things work best when they’re least visible. A baseball umpire is a good example. If you don’t remember much about him after the game, he probably did his job well.

Garbage is in the same category. (Easy, ump, we’re not making that kind of connection.) If it just goes away each week without a thought, you probably have an efficient disposal system.

That describes Snohomish County’s solid waste system, and it gets even better today with the opening of the completely rebuilt Southwest Recycling &Transfer Station in Mountlake Terrace. This user-friendly, state-of-the-art facility joins the county’s other two transfer stations – the Airport Road facility near Paine Field and the North County station in Arlington – and gives South County residents a convenient place to take that extra trash that builds up after spring cleaning or a remodeling project.

For folks who just leave their trash at the curb each week, the new facility helps ensure that their can will continue to be emptied regularly at a reasonable cost. In other words, without much of a thought.

That couldn’t be said not so long ago. In the late 1980s and early ’90s, a garbage crisis loomed in Snohomish County. Local landfills were full, and a new one was being readied near an old one at Cathcart – hardly the best use for that prime acreage.

Then, an opportunity arose and county leaders had the good sense to seize it. They made garbage an export, opting to send it by rail to a willing taker – a huge regional landfill in south-central Washington. That’s where it goes today, and the Klickitat County facility should be able to handle our garbage for the next 100 years or more.

The new recycling and transfer stations are expected to meet our growing county’s needs for 20 years or more, and with capacity and efficiencies that should get customers in and out quickly. And it’s worth noting that these facilities were built without tapping the county’s general fund, meaning no sales or property taxes went toward their construction. Disposal fees cover it all, making garbage collection the self-sustaining operation it should be.

The new stations also blend in remarkably well with their surroundings. Until you’re actually at the entrance gate, these facilities look like just another warehouse.

So when you take your trash can to the curb this week, or when you deliver a load to one of the county’s transfer stations, think about the interesting journey your garbage is about to take. Then, don’t give it a second thought.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Saturday, Feb. 8

A sketechy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

bar graph, pie chart and diagrams isolated on white, 3d illustration
Editorial: Don’t let state’s budget numbers intimidate you

With budget discussions starting soon, a new website explains the basics of state’s budget crisis.

Comment: Democracy depends on support of local journalism

A state bill provides funding to support local news outlets through a modest tax on tech businesses.

Comment: Love is intoxicating; romance doesn’t have to be

Navigating sobriety while dating, with Valentine’s Day coming up, is possible and fulfilling.

Comment: State attempt at single-payer health care bound to fail

Other states have tried, but balked when confronted with the immense cost to state taxpayers.

Forum: Requiem for a lost heavyweight: Sports Illustrated

SI, with Time and NatGeo, were a holy trinity for me and my dad. Now, it’s a world of AI clickbait.

Forum: Political leaders should leave trash talk to ballplayers

Verbal intimidation is one thing on the basketball court; it shouldn’t have a place in our politics.

The Buzz: Why, no, we have complete trust in Elon Musk

But whatever he and Trump are doing to the country, could they please wish it into the cornfield?

Curtains act as doors for a handful of classrooms at Glenwood Elementary on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Schools’ building needs point to election reform

Construction funding requests in Arlington and Lake Stevens show need for a change to bond elections.

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2017, file photo Jaìme Ceja operates a forklift while loading boxes of Red Delicious apples on to a trailer during his shift in an orchard in Tieton, Wash. Cherry and apple growers in Washington state are worried their exports to China will be hurt by a trade war that escalated on Monday when that country raised import duties on a $3 billion list of products. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic via AP, File)
Editorial: Trade war would harm state’s consumers, jobs

Trump’s threat of tariffs to win non-trade concessions complicates talks, says a state trade advocate.

A press operator grabs a Herald newspaper to check over as the papers roll off the press in March 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald file photo)
Editorial: Push back news desert with journalism support

A bill in the state Senate would tax big tech to support a hiring fund for local news outlets.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, Feb. 7

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.