Yelm City Council rejects countywide waste management plan 

The Yelm City Council voted 4-3 to reject the adoption of the 2025 Thurston County Hazardous Waste Management Plan at a meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 12. 

According to documents prepared for the meeting, the plan provides a framework for the management of solid and hazardous waste. 

State regulations mandate the document to include plans for the identification of disposal facilities, waste reduction and recycling, handling of hazardous material and funding mechanisms. 

Jurisdictions in Thurston County have historically worked within the plan. 

Kimberly Graham, from the Solid and Hazardous Waste Division of Thurston County, briefed the council about the plan. Graham said it has not changed significantly from its current version, which was last updated 10 years ago.

She said the only substantial change deals with signage for oil collection facilities. 

However, council members who rejected the plan pointed out two problems. 

Council member Joshua Crossman took issue with a section of the plan discussing the projected population for Yelm, saying the estimated number was too small.  

According to a table in the document, which was based on data from the Washington Office of Financial Management, the populaiton of Yelm is forecast at 13,732 in 2045. 

Crossman said that estimates from other sources put Yelm’s population over 20,000 people in the same period, which made him question how the data was developed. 

Another issue, which the council spent the most time discussing, was that the plan contained a section discussing racism as a public health crisis, which Crossman believed was irrelevant. 

“It's waste management. Is racism involved?” Crossman said. 

Crossman said the plan fails to explain how racism is a problem for waste management, and said that it didn’t present solutions to address racisim.

“If it's serious, let's tackle it. If it's, ‘Hey, I just want some attention. I'm going to throw in the word crisis.’ Well, then what are you doing? What's the point here?” Crossman said. 

Council member David Johnstone echoed Crossman’s remarks.

Council member Tracey Wood said he wanted more information on how racism made it into the plan. He added it would be irresponsible to move forward without additional information. 

Section 6.1

At the core of the issue was Section 6.1 of the plan, which described an analysis of issues that were considered for implementing the plan. 

The part that several council members took issue with has to do with a question asking, “How can we ensure that our messaging is inclusive to all of Thurston County?” 

In discussing this issue, the document went on to state how the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and the Thurston County Board of Health (BOH) view racism as a crisis.  

The document also discussed the development of the county’s first Racial Equity Action Plan, which seeks “to guide the efforts in identifying and mitigating inequities and disparities within the community.” 

The document mentioned that creating materials about waste in multiple languages would support the Racial Equity Action Plan. It also mentioned that the county provides access to online and printed resources so people could learn topics as they relate to the handling and disposal of moderate-risk waste. 

Other questions raised in Section 6.1 included the following: 

• What data is available to ensure equity in access and service levels throughout Thurston County? 

• What facilities and programs will be needed to meet the future needs of households and small quantity generators? 

• What moderate-risk waste reduction methods can be considered? 

• How can people and the environment be better protected from hazardous materials? 

• What options exist for strategic partnerships and collaboration? 

• What additional funding will be necessary to ensure the MRW management system remains healthy and vibrant? 

Mayor DePinto  

Mayor Joe DePinto expressed support for adoption.

“I don't believe it's as big of a deal as Council member Crossman is alluding to,” DePinto said.

He even expressed doubt that the plan mentions racism being a crisis, which Johnstone pointed out was in the document. 

Crossman later clarified that his issue on the projected population was actually the bigger problem for him. 

“That's my biggest concern. The other portion. … I don't think that plays a big part, but I'm kind of concerned about the numbers being skewed,” Crossman said. 

When the council came to a vote, Crossman, Johnstone, Wood and Joseph Richardson voted against adopting the plan. 

Council members who voted for adoption were Brian Hess, Terry Kaminski and Stephanie Kangiser. 

DePinto said the plan would go to the Public Services Committee for further discussion before it returns to the council for more consideration.