Inclement Weather Information
Yakima Waste Systems would like to say how grateful we are to serve you. Our #1 core value is safety. We strive to assure complete safety of our employees, customers and the public in all our operations. To meet these expectations, our drivers and managers are trained on multiple safety techniques and do have to occasionally make the hard decision to be unable to service areas due to inclement weather (which includes snow, ice, freezing rain, rain, mud, high winds, hail or extreme cold).
Injuries and accidents are far greater during these times, so we may not be able to access certain areas. During the times of inclement weather, we update service delays through www.yakimawaste.com, the Yakima Waste Systems app, and the greeting on our phone system.
We understand completely that weather events are an inconvenience, but we do appreciate your understanding. We have included a brief list of Winter Weather Facts, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Tips, to help our customer better understand our #1 core value.
Common factors that may lead a driver to be unable to service your location during inclement weather:- Unable to access trash/recycle container due to being plowed in
- Snow / Ice too deep to push trash/recycle container to truck
- Steep hill or winding road that may be difficult to navigate during snowy or icy conditions
- Poor visibility due to snow/high winds
- No place to turn around due to areas not being plowed
- Your trash/recycle may have been covered or buried in snow and not visible to the driver
- Your trash/recycle may have been placed on or behind a snow mound and may have been inaccessible to the driver/helper to safely reach
- In the event of a State of Emergency being issued
FAQs and Tips
Q. My road was plowed and I was able to drive down my road to go to work. I don't understand why your driver didn't drive down my street."
A: As stated earlier, our drivers have been empowered to make decisions regarding the safe operation of their vehicle. Our vehicles are much larger and heavier than a passenger vehicle and do not handle in the same manner. One of our normal full size collection trucks can weigh over 40,000 pounds when empty and over 70,000 pounds when fully loaded. In comparison, the average passenger vehicle weighs about 4,000 pounds.
Q. "Why can't Yakima Waste use 4 wheel drive vehicles to provide service during the winter months?"
A: During inclement weather there may be hundreds of customers affected. It is not possible or practical for us to be able to service everyone in this manner.
Q. "Why isn't the pickup time consistent during the winter?"
A. Our vehicles are slowed by poor road conditions just as passenger vehicles. In addition, it can take our employees longer to service customers during bad weather. They must use extra caution while getting on and off the truck, while walking on icy surfaces or through deep snow to retrieve waste materials just as you might when you go to your mailbox or to retrieve your newspaper.
A. “Do I get credit for a missed pick up”
A: Per our UTC guidelines “the company is not obligated to extend credit to customers for missed service if the company collects the customer’s accumulated solid waste on the next scheduled service date on which the company deems it to be safe to operate. The company will not charge for extra waste set out in addition to customers’ normal receptacle(s), if the amount of extra waste does not exceed the amount that reasonably would be expected to accumulate due to missed service.
There are several things listed below that you can do to help us service you better during inclement weather.
- For weather related days, please check yakimawaste.com or the Yakima Waste Systems app
- Allow extra time for our drivers to arrive at your location before contacting our office.
- Make sure your cans/carts/dumpsters are visible and easily accessible for our driver.
- We do have different options for your service container that can be changed during the winter.
- Place can/cart/dumpster on a county maintained road to better the chances for service.
- Please understand that our vehicles are different than yours and don't handle the same in snow or icy conditions. Our drivers make everyone's safety their number 1 priority, so sometimes they must decide not to service a particular road to protect everyone from potential injury or property damage.
Please feel free to contact us at 509-248-4213 Monday-Thursday 8AM-5PM & Friday 7:30AM-4:30PM with any comments, concerns or inquiries you may have regarding your service.
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