On Aug. 1 (one week after the strikes began), Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn issued a statement that the city will “begin assessing possible fines to be imposed on Waste Management for non-collection of garbage, recycling, and food and yard waste, with funds to be returned to the public in the form of bill adjustments.”

Fines could reach as high as $1.25 million a day.

"This service disruption is creating a hardship for residents and businesses, and we expect Waste Management to fulfill their contract," McGinn said in a press release.. "We will be looking for every missed collection by Waste Management and with the public's help we will hold them accountable. I urge both sides to return to the table to reach a mutually acceptable solution."

The mayor said Seattle Public Utilities inspectors will “begin fanning out across Seattle looking for missed collections and assessing possible penalty fees.”

This is where the public’s help comes into play. The city is asking any Wednesday (Aug. 1) customers to leave their uncollected carts out until Thursday (Aug. 2) to help assess missed pickups. Thursday customers should do the same until Friday.

Additionally, citizens can report their missed collections at the Seattle Public Utilities website (www.seattle.gov/util) or, if you have a personal Twitter account, use the hash tag #theymissedme with a picture of your carts and the street and block number where you live.The city does not need your actual address, just the block number (example: as opposed to 3725 xx Ave S.W., use 3700 xx Ave S.W.).

The city is offering free trash drop off to private citizens during the strike at the South and North transfer stations. More details on that here.