Council to Hear Results of Solid Waste Survey Monday

By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager

The County Council will review the results of the public opinion survey on solid waste services and solutions on Monday, August 30, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Council’s hearing room in Friday Harbor. The survey report is available online through a link on San Juan County Council’s agenda page at: www.sanjuanco.com/council/displayAgenda.

“The objective of this project was to characterize county residents’ attitudes, beliefs, and values about solid waste management through a transparent, inclusive process allowing any interested resident to participate,” said Nina Rook, of Marketing Resources who designed and conducted the survey on behalf of the county.

Four thousand of the 9,000 households in the county were randomly selected to receive a survey questionnaire in the mail. A total of 1052  (26.3%) of this core group responded, and their answers and comments provided a substantial base for statistical analysis.  The results are shown in the report both county-wide and in comparisons between islands.

The report to be presented at Monday’s workshop charts community-desired services, consideration of different organizational structures, attitudes towards paying for services, and support of different budget options.

The report also analyzes responses from the additional 233 persons who participated in a publicly accessible version of the survey.

“This survey gives us the opportunity to listen to voices representing opinions from a cross section of the community, especially those who may be under-represented at public meetings,” said Steve Alexander, Solid Waste Manager at the Public Works Department.

On September 22, the Solid Waste planner Elizabeth Anderson will begin a series of public meetings on the survey results and next steps. Information about participating in these meetings is available from Anderson at 360-370-0531.