Contact:
Julie Kuntz                                     Fay Lim
Communications Specialist II        Communications Supervisor
Julie.Kuntz@snoco.org                 Fay.Lim@snoco.org
425-388-6049                                425-388-6413

 Snohomish County Solid Waste Launches New Webcams to Save Customers’ Time before Arriving at Transfer Stations and Drop Boxes

More Time for Other Things Campaign highlights new facility web cams and streamlined commercial services

EVERETT, Wash., August 15, 2019 – Taking advantage of the good summer weather to haul waste has never taken less time.  Snohomish County’s Public Works Solid Waste Division is implementing new initiatives to make customer trips to recycling and transfer facilities a little more efficient and timesaving.  

“Our new campaign, called More Time for Other Things, enables residents to spend less time at the dump and more time… well, doing anything else,” Solid Waste Operations Supervisor Skip Knutsen said. “Customers can now view the wait lines at our numerous recycling and transfer stations, as well as our drop box locations, via newly installed onsite cameras synced to our website.”

“Across Snohomish County, we are finding innovative ways to improve our services and save time for our residents,” said Dave Somers, Snohomish County Executive. “The continuous improvement efforts we launched in 2016 are having an impact and making a difference in our quality of life.”

The new webpage, Check the Lines, provides camera views at all transfer stations and drop box locations with the exception of the Dubuque Road drop box facility. Plans for cameras are scheduled at the Dubuque Road Drop Box and the Household Hazardous Waste Station by the end of 2019.

Detailed information about peak visitor times, and traffic volume information for each site can be found at Solid Waste’s webpage at https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/FacilityLocations. Data shows that visits in the early mornings are the least crowded. Traffic volumes are at their heaviest during the weekend.

“Excellent customer service is one of our top priorities,” Snohomish County Solid Waste Director Matt Zybas said. “We continually look for ways to improve our operations which improves our customers’ experiences.”

Solid Waste will soon introduce an additional way to help move customers quickly through the lines at the facilities. A new paperless billing and web portal payment system will speed commercial clients in and out of the facilities without the need to settle a charge with a staff member on-site.  Paperless billing is expected by early 2020.

“Whether it’s saving time at solid waste stations or seeing less garbage on county roads, our single actions have a large impact,” Solid Waste Superintendent Linda Rhoades added. “We are really proud of our teams’ efforts to work together to keep our county clean.”

Disposal fees paid at county recycling and transfer stations help fund programs like the county’s Household Hazardous Waste Program, Litter Wranglers road cleanup, education and outreach, closed landfill management, disaster debris planning, solid waste planning, and abandoned vehicle removal.

As part of Solid Waste’s coordinated efforts to reduce the litter on roadways, “More Time for Other Things” reusable vehicle litter bags are available to customers at county transfer stations and drop boxes for a limited time.

To view facility webcams, visit the Check the Lines webpage.  

About Snohomish County Public Works

The Snohomish County Public Works Department constructs and maintains county roads; controls and manages surface water quantity, quality, and fish habitats; and oversees the recycling and disposal of solid waste. The department’s main office is located at 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett, WA 98201. For more information about Snohomish County Public Works, visit www.snohomishcountywa.gov/PublicWorks.