Thurston County solid waste rates poised for first hike in years

A proposed 2026-27 fee adjustment plan calls for higher solid waste, water and sewer rates, as a means to keep up with escalating costs in Thurston County.

If adopted, the rate hikes would mark the first such move since 2012.

The Public Works Department proposal went before the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) at a work session on Wednesday, July 30.

Thurston County Public Works Director Karen Weiss said the plan also covers water and sewer rates, stormwater fees and a noxious weed assessment. 

“Essential services, utilities and programs are needed to keep up with escalating operational costs, capital investment needed to maintain adequate levels of service and address our growing county,” Weiss said. 

Garbage rates

Solid waste fees have held steady since 2012, even though the consumer price index has rise 40% in the same period. 

The county’s disposal facilities handle all garbage in Thurston County, and Weiss said covering expenses without a rate increase is no longer achievable. 

The proposal includes raising the garbage tipping fee for self-haul customers at the Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center from $119 per ton to $136 in 2026 and $154 in 2027. 

The $18 garbage minimum at the Waste and Recovery Center would climb to $21 next year and $23 in 2027, impacting about 51% of its customers. 

For drop-box service, the tip fee per cubic yard is scheduled to move from $18 to $21 in 2026 and to $23 in 2027. 

One of the steepest changes applies to organics with the tipping fee set to climb from $45 per ton to $75 in 2026 and $90 in 2027. The minimum charge for organics would also rise from $9 to $16 in 2026 and $18 in 2027. 

Weiss explained the increase brings the organics rate closer to the $77 per ton the county now pays under contract for processing.  

“We’ve been subsidizing that rate for many, many years. It is best practices to have that rate be lower than the garbage rate,” Weiss said. 

“And as you can see, that is the case, $75 versus $136 for garbage. We do want to incentivize people to do that separation, and separate their organics out and dispose of them in that way," she added.

Rate check 

Even after the proposed increases, Thurston County's garbage tipping rate would still undercut surrounding counties, and its yard waste fee would be the cheapest of all counties compared. 

The county’s current tipping fee of $119 per ton is scheduled to rise to $136 in 2026, while the yard waste rate would move from $45 to $75. 

By comparison, Mason County charges $130.62 for garbage and $94.70 for yard waste, while Clark County lists $127.04 and $91.96, respectively. Kitsap County’s garbage rate stands at $125.19 with yard waste at $100. Lewis County charges $140.85 for garbage and $120 for yard waste. 

Pierce County’s garbage fee is $181.13 per ton, with yard waste at $110, while King County tops the list at $217.20 for garbage and $115 for yard waste. Snohomish County charges $160 for both garbage and yard waste. 

Weiss said the adjustments would also position the county to finance major capital projects, such as the Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center reconfiguration and the proposed South County transfer station. 

Weiss said the plan includes a five-year model, so the board should expect additional adjustments in future years.

Water, sewer rates

Solid waste rates takes the biggest step up, though Public Works says other fees need adjustments too. 

The county’s water and sewer systems serve more than 800 accounts in Boston Harbor, Grand Mound and Tamoshan for water, and Olympic View for sewer. 

Weiss said the proposed adjustments continue implementing a blended rate model adopted in 2024 under the utility consolidation plan. The goal is to reach uniform rates by 2028. 

The proposal provides for: 

Boston Harbor water customers would see the base rate climb by $4.05 in 2026 (7.86%) and another $4.37 in 2027 (7.86%), while consumption charges would rise by $0.15 per 100 cubic feet in both years. 

Grand Mound water base rates would rise by $3.71 in 2026 (7.03%) and $3.96 in 2027 (7.01%), with consumption charges increasing $0.20 and $0.22 per 100 cubic feet, respectively. 

Tamoshan, which currently has the highest water rates, would see reductions of $4.22 in 2026 (5.21%) and $5.38 in 2027 (7.01%), even though its consumption rate grows by $0.16 per 100 cubic feet each year. 

For sewer, Boston Harbor’s rate would increase by $1.47 (1.22%) in 2026 and $1.48 (1.21%) in 2027. Grand Mound adds $6.15 (5.77%) in 2026 and $6.38 (5.66%) in 2027. Olympic View rises $6.75 (5.91%) in 2026 and $2.37 (1.96%) in 2027. Tamoshan sewer rates drop to $5.27 in 2026 (3.70%) and $5.55 in 2027 (4.05%). 

Weiss called the changes “very modest adjustments” and said some customers will pay less under the consolidation model. 

Stormwater rate plan

The stormwater facility, responsible for the runoff control and drainage systems, would increase its base rate by 8% in 2026 and 2027, while the capital rate stays flat. 

For a single-family home, that equals $5.18 more in 2026 and $5.60 in 2027. Duplexes and fourplexes add $3.74 in 2026 and $4.04 in 2027. 

Per acre rates (over one-half acre) increase by $0.08 per acre in 2026 and $0.09 per acre in 2027. Nonresidential would rise by $1.44 per 1,000 square feet of impervious surface in 2026 and $1.56 in 2027. 

Weiss said the increase is based on recommendations from the county’s first comprehensive stormwater study, which was completed earlier this year. 

“These are also monthly, modest increases when you look at them on an annual basis,” she said.

The last stormwater rate change occurred in 2019.  She added that Public Works would issue a request for proposal for a stormwater rate structure review later this year to align with industry best practices. 

Noxious weed fee

The noxious weed program, which pays for invasive plant control on agricultural and rural lands, would raise its assessments by 25% in 2026, with no change planned for 2027. 

The per-parcel assessment, now $4.40, would rise by about $1.10 next year, while acreage charges would increase by $0.10 per acre for parcels between 1 and 5 acres and $0.04 per acre for parcels more than 5 acres. 

Weiss said the percentage sounds large, but results in a small annual increase per property. 

“It makes more sense from a cost effectiveness and efficiency standpoint to do a higher percentage periodically, rather than smaller, incremental changes along the way,” she said. 

The noxious weed rate has not changed since 2016. The proposed change was developed by the Thurston County Noxious Weed Control Board after more than a year of review. It was endorsed following a public hearing on June 23. 

Timeline

The adjustments would be folded into the county’s 2026–27 budget process. A public hearing on the rates would take place in December before the BOCC votes on whether to adopt the plan. 

For solid waste, state law requires a notice of intent to raise solid waste rates to be filed with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission 75 days before the effective date. 

“We will not be waiting 15 years in the future to bring forward rate increases,” Weiss said. “We’ll be trying and doing modeling that on a five-year basis.”