Submitted by the Town of Friday Harbor.

Within the coming weeks, Town of Friday Harbor residential recycling customers will receive 35-gallon, wheeled recycling carts with lift bars to assist refuse workers with loading recycling trucks. Customers are asked to use the new carts in place of their own cans. Pickup dates will remain unchanged.

Town Administrator Denice Kulseth explained that the Town began replacing its aging refuse and recycling truck fleet with toter trucks in 2021 in response to concerns about the risk of crew injury from heavy lifting and repetitive motion. At that time, refuse carts with lift bars were provided to all residential customers. “The Town’s investment in recycling carts provides our hard-working crew the option to use the toter lift for both refuse and recycling pickups, further reducing the potential for back, neck, and shoulder strains and other related injuries,” said Kulseth. The purchase of blue recycling carts is also a response to a state requirement to move to color-coded waste containers (HB1497).

The new carts are for household recycling only, as outlined on the Town’s website at www.fridayharbor.org. As with the Town refuse carts, the recycling carts are stamped with the Town’s logo and are the property of the Town. Carts are to stay with the property when the resident moves. If carts are broken or stolen, replacements will be provided. Customers in need of more than one cart may request additional carts from the Town.

Town residential recycling customers may direct questions to Town Hall at 360-378-2810 or contact the administrator at dkulseth@fridayharbor.org.