To preserve access to essential services for customers within its service area and increase safety at congested recycling and transfer stations, King County Solid Waste Division is now enforcing an existing rule that requires all self-haul customers to verify they live or do business within King County’s 37 cities and unincorporated areas, which excludes the cities of Seattle and Milton.

One of those transfer stations sits on Enumclaw’s eastern edge, on Battersby Avenue just east of Farman Road.

Customers visiting a King County transfer station are being asked to show a government-issued ID, utility bill, rental agreement, vehicle registration, cell phone bill, pay stub or job site invoice with a ZIP Code as proof.

Under King County Code 10.08.020E, which became law in 1986, waste generated outside the service area cannot be accepted at King County facilities, which is similar to waste disposal rules in other jurisdictions.

Verified self-haulers now receive a windshield decal and will not be asked to verify their ZIP Code on subsequent transfer station visits. To assist customers who are turned away, scale operators provide information for solid waste disposal facilities in Seattle, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

Customers can make their visits more efficient by visiting kingcounty.gov/check-the-line before they leave to see how busy a facility is. Pre-sorting garbage from recycling before arriving at a transfer station can make a trip even more efficient, as well as more cost effective since there is no fee to recycle materials such as paper, cans, glass and plastic.