The Newcastle Chamber of Commerce will host Waste Management at its March luncheon.

David Della, Waste Management’s public sector manager for the region, will talk about the company’s public outreach efforts. Waste Management is responsible for collecting the Newcastle community’s waste every week.

The company is a regular sponsor of Newcastle Chamber and city of Newcastle events. Most recently, Della awarded the Newcastle Chamber Diamond Award trophy for Education to Margaret Strong.

The March luncheon begins at 11 a.m. March 11 at Tapatio Mexican Grill. The cost is $20 for chamber members and $25 for non-members.

Learn more here.

The city of Newcastle honored a group Feb. 26 that far too often goes unnoticed — volunteers.

Each year, volunteers devote countless hours to city events. It is volunteers that help plan summer activities, care and advocate for the city’s vast trail network and protect Newcastle’s history.

About 50 volunteers and summer event sponsor representatives gathered at The Golf Club at Newcastle Feb. 26, where they were treated to snacks, an orchestra and a personal thank you from Newcastle Mayor Steve Buri and City Manager Rob Wyman.

Volunteerism is a big part of what makes Newcastle one of the best small cities in the country. So, here’s a special shout out to some of the groups and people that willingly offer their time to better the city:

• Community Activities Commission — Diane Lewis, Linda Newing, Zaquis Ross, Russ Segner, Jim Price and Victoria Sandoval, and past members Angela Ursino and Victoria Hupf
• Planning Commission — Karin Blakely, Elizabeth Thompson, Orville McDonald, Jon Simpson, Rob Lemmon, Allen Dauterman and Thomas Magers
• Boy Scout Troops 499, 577 and 626
• Student volunteers from Hazen High, Liberty High, Maywood Middle and McKnight Middle schools
• Newcastle Trails — Garry Kampen, Peggy Price
• Newcastle Weed Warriors — Grace Stiller
• Newcastle Historical Society
• Little Rhody Park neighborhood group
• Newcastle Days car show planning committee
• Earth Day planning committee
• Newcastle Chamber of Commerce Board

The event also honored the following sponsors that contributed to city events over the summer:

• AvalonBay — Brian Fritz
• Waste Management — David Della
• Regency Newcastle — John Kotalick
• The Golf Club at Newcastle — David Uchida
• Coal Creek Family YMCA — Sara Biancofiori
• Boeing Employees Credit Union — Molly Andrews
• AT&T — Carol Tagayun
• UW/Valley Medical Center — Liz Nolan
• Animal Hospital of Newport Hills — Kent Thomazin
• HomeStreet Bank – Travis Monen
• KeyBank — Jimmy Ng
• Apple Physical Therapy — Randy Johnson

Anyone who has given his or her time to the city of Newcastle, whether it be volunteering at a summer event or helping with various trail projects, is invited.

Volunteers from Newcastle Trails, the Newcastle Historical Society, Weed Warriors, the Planning and Community Activities commissions, and local Boy Scout troops will be among those honored at the celebration.

The event is from 6:30-8 p.m. in The Golf Club at Newcastle’s Prestwick Terrace. It will start with a social, featuring free desserts and beverages, followed by a speaking program headlined by Newcastle Mayor Steve Buri.

Newcastle relies on volunteers to support its summer events lineup and keep its trail system, one of the community’s most significant commodities, in top condition.

The city will also honor summer event financial sponsors such as The Golf Club at Newcastle, Waste Management, Regency Newcastle, the Coal Creek Family YMCA and more, at the Feb. 26 celebration.

Want to get involved in your city? Contact Newcastle’s community activities liaison Wendy Kirchner at wendyk@ci.newcastle.wa.us or 649-4444, ext. 142.

Newcastle residents should continue to place their garbage and recycling materials at the curb according to their regular Waste Management collection schedule, despite a workers strike by the Teamsters Local 117 union announced July 25.

If materials are not collected by the end of the regular collection day, residents are asked to bring them back inside and and Waste Management will collect a double load on the next collection day. Newcastle residents can check the Waste Management website for daily collection information at www.wmnorthwest.com.

Waste Management provides the city of Newcastle with curbside collection of garbage, recycling and yard/food waste for residents and local businesses. The Teamsters Local 117 represents about 16,500 workers at more than 200 employers throughout the Puget Sound.

The union and Waste Management have spent more than six months in unsuccessful contract negotiations through 16 proposals.

“We are perplexed that the union chose to go out on strike and negatively impact the public in this way,” said Robin Freedman of Waste Management in a statement. “This was simply unnecessary, especially considering the fair and generous last, best and final package offered to Teamsters Local 117 over four weeks ago. Once again the union leadership has chosen political gamesmanship rather than allowing their members to vote on the offer.”

Waste Management is now shifting its focus to customer communication and implementing its contingency plan, according to the company.

The Teamsters Local 117 cites dangerous working conditions and alleged violations of federal labor laws as reasons for further negotiation, detailing four Puget Sound recycling workers that have been killed on the job since 2005.

Picket lines were established at several Waste Management facilities at 10 a.m. this morning.

The National Labor Relations Board is investigating a number of alleged violations committed by the company, including bad-faith bargaining, coercing and direct dealing with its employees, threatening to retaliate against workers, and unilaterally changing working conditions, according to the Teamsters Local 117.

“Waste Management has forced this labor dispute through its blatant disregard of U.S. law,” said Local 117 secretary-treasurer Tracey A. Thompson. “Now they are on the verge of provoking a public health crisis. Waste Management needs to realize that this community will not sit idly by while they put our families at risk. We call on Waste Management to return to the bargaining table immediately and bargain a fair contract in good faith that recognizes the health and safety hazards its drivers face on the job.”

There are 153 recycle and yard waste drivers employed by Waste Management that have been working without a contract since May 31. On June 2, the drivers unanimously voted to authorize a strike.

“With the health and safety hazards we face every day, we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The last thing we want is a strike, but Waste Management is using illegal bullying tactics to threaten our livelihood,” said Brent Barrett, a Waste Management yard waste driver who works out of the company’s Seattle facility, in a statement.

The city of Newcastle and Waste Management received a Washington State Recycling Association Recyclers of the Year award May 1 for their competitive project to increase neighborhood recycling last year.

Recipients are selected by a panel of association members representing several aspects of the recycling industry, including collectors and processors, government agencies, businesses and nonprofit organizations.

“Through innovative programs like the recycling challenge, cities and other organizations can assist in reducing environmental impacts,” Newcastle City Manager Rob Wyman said in a statement. “Newcastle is proud of the award and of its citizens who rose to the challenge.”

During Newcastle’s Waste Less, Recycle More, Win Big event, residents were encouraged to recycle more, reduce what they sent to the landfill and lower the community’s carbon footprint. Two neighborhoods competed for a $5,000 neighborhood improvement grant. The campaign resulted in a citywide 22.8 percent increase.

The neighborhoods were split into two down Coal Creek Parkway. The Recycling Renegades took the title from the Waste Less Warriors in Waste Management’s Newcastle Neighborhood Recycling Rewards competition.

On average, Renegade households recycled about a half-pound more each month than Warrior homes, Waste Management communications representative Robin Freedman said.

During the five-month competition, the city recycled nearly 550 tons of materials — an increase of more than 100 tons of materials compared to the same five-month period in 2010. Residents also increased food composting and yard waste participation by 50 tons.

The $5,000 grant was used to erect a new flagpole outside of City Hall at the Newcastle Professional Building.

Other association awardees include the city of Tacoma, city of Bellevue, Bellevue School District, Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Gonzaga University, Harborview Medical Center, Microsoft, Stevens Pass Mountain Resort and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The awards banquet will be held in at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane.

The association advocates and educates for the expansion and economic vitality of recycling as a part of sustainable resource management. Formed in 1976, it boasts 280 member organizations and more than 700 individual members including private, community and governmental agencies.

Go to www.wsra.net or call 206-244-0311 to learn more about the award. Award applications are available each November on the website.

The city of Newcastle and Waste Management will receive a Washington State Recycling Association Recyclers of the Year award May 1 for their competitive project to increase neighborhood recycling last year.

Recipients are selected by a panel of WSRA members representing several aspects of the recycling industry, including collectors and processors, government agencies, businesses and nonprofits.

“Through innovative programs like the recycling challenge, cities and other organizations can assist in reducing environmental impacts,” Newcastle City Manager Rob Wyman said in a statement. “Newcastle is proud of the award and of its citizens who rose to the challenge.”

During Newcastle’s “Waste Less, Recycle More, Win Big” event, residents were encouraged to recycle more, reduce what they sent to the landfill and lower the community’s carbon footprint. Two neighborhoods competed for a $5,000 neighborhood improvement grant. The campaign resulted in a citywide 22.8 percent increase.

The neighborhoods, which were split into two down Coal Creek Parkway, the Recycling Renegades took the title from the Waste Less Warriors in Waste Management’s Newcastle Neighborhood Recycling Rewards competition.

On average, Renegade households recycled about a half-pound more each month than Warrior homes, Waste Management communications representative Robin Freedman said.

During the five-month competition, the city recycled nearly 550 tons of materials — an increase of more than 100 tons of materials compared to the same five-month period in 2010. Residents also increased food composting and yard waste participation by 50 tons.

The $5,000 grant was used to erect a new flagpole outside of City Hall at the Newcastle Professional Building.

Other WSRA award winners include the city of Tacoma, city of Bellevue, Bellevue School District, Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Gonazaga University, Harborview Medical Center, Microsoft, Stevens Pass Mountain Resort, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency, among others.

The awards banquet will be held in at the Davenport Hotel Spokane.

The WSRA advocates and educates for the expansion and economic vitality of recycling as a part of sustainable resource management. Formed in 1976, it boasts 280 member organizations and more than 700 individual members including private, community and governmental agencies.

Go to www.wsra.net or call 206-244-0311 to learn more about the award. Award applications are available each November at www.wsra.net.

As most of Western Washington continues to dig out of hazardous conditions due to snow and ice, the city of Newcastle will again have limited staffing today.

The city is encouraging residents to call City Hall at 649-4444 to see if the services you need are available if you have questions.

The Public Works Department is working to plow priority 1 and priority 2 streets today.

Coal Creek Utility District’s business offices will close at 2 p.m. today due to inclement weather. CCUD will operate with limited emergency staff only. If you have a utility-related emergency, call 235-9200.

To view the city’s snow and ice priority route map, go to http://www.ci.newcastle.wa.us/documents/SnowIce_8.5×112011.pdf.

Links to the Bellevue and Renton snow and ice priority route maps are also available at the city’s website at www.ci.newcastle.wa.us.

Waste Management will not service any routes today in Newcastle. It will collect up to twice your regular amount of recycling, garbage and food and yard waste on your next regular service day.

If your collection day was Tuesday or Wednesday and your waste was not collected during those times, Waste Management will collect up to twice your regular amount of waste on your next service day.

If conditions approve by Saturday, Waste Management’s commerical and roll of vehicles will collecting that day.

According to the National Weather Service, an ice storm warning is in affect as a warm front will continue to spread rain over portions of Western Washington, including Newcastle, until 2 p.m. Temperatures will remain below freezing with freezing rain expected at the surface until tonight.

Total ice accumulations could be between a quarter of an inch to three quarters of an inch, which could impact travel and power outages in some areas are likely, according to the NWS.

Ice accumulations can lead to snapped power lines and falling tree branches.

As state transportation officials urge residents to use caution or stay off roads entirely today as snow coated local arteries, the city of Newcastle will have limited staffing today.

The Public Works Department is working to plow priority 1 and priority 2 streets today.

To view the city’s snow and ice priority route map, go to http://www.ci.newcastle.wa.us/documents/SnowIce_8.5×112011.pdf.

Waste Management will not service any routes today in Newcastle. It will collect up to twice your regular amount of recycling, garbage and food and yard waste on your next regular service day.

Weather conditions left roads treacherous, and the state Department of Transportation reminded motorists to prepare for hazardous conditions on interstate highways and secondary roads, and possible impassible conditions on outlying roadways.

The agency also encouraged people to avoid driving if possible.

“I can’t emphasize enough to people the importance of gathering information available on weather forecasts and road conditions to make the best decision before venturing out,” Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said in a statement released Tuesday, as crews braced for a major snowstorm. “Our crews will be out there plowing and treating the roads, but we need drivers to do their part and prepare for really challenging travel conditions.”

The snow and cold temperatures — combined with heavy commutes — lead to significant backups and potential lengthy delays.

Statewide, the agency’s 1,250 maintenance personnel used almost 500 pieces of equipment to treat and plow roadways. Crews clear roads on a priority basis, with interstate highways and major arterials at the top of the list, followed by more rural roadways.

“We have all our resources deployed for this series of storms, but recognize that every storm is different,” Chris Christopher, director of maintenance operations for the agency, said in a statement. “We have been treating roadways and plowing nonstop, but the effectiveness of our preparations may be limited by fast-changing weather conditions.”

Motorists should use caution and drive for conditions, especially around large trucks and buses. Even a single collision can lead to a chain-reaction crash, resulting in long commute times.

All residential and commercial recycling and garbage routes through Waste Management are running today but are delayed by approximately two hours. Waste Management will not be collecting any yard waste or organics in Newcastle, Renton and Burien.

Waste management asks residents to leave containers out until 5 p.m. If service is postponed, the company will post updates on its website and call customers as needed.

View Waste Management updates at its website at http://www.wmnorthwest.com/weatherboard.html.

They will be made official board members at the chamber’s first board meeting in 2012.

Provide feedback by going to the chamber’s website at www.newcastlecc.com and click the “Board of Directors” link under the “About the Chamber” tab to contact members of the board.