Members of Teamsters Local 117 who collect recycling and yard waste in Renton and elsewhere went on strike Wednesday morning.

It’s unknown how long the strike will last, but the City of Renton is telling residents to place their garbage on the curb on their regular collection day and leave it there until its collected in the next few days.

According to the City of Renton, it was unclear whether members of Teamsters Local 174, which represents garbage-truck drivers, would honor the strike.

The strike does not impact residents served by Allied, which serves part of Renton, nor does it affect the King County Transfer Stations.

In the event the drivers do not return to work, the City of Renton is coordinating with WMI on their contingency plan and continues to closely monitor the situation, according to a city press release.

The contingency plan includes bringing staff from operations across America to serve as route drivers while Local 117 is striking. Typically this takes about a week to organize and implement.

As per the city’s contract with WMI, performance fees or fines may be applied for any missed collection beginning the week following a strike, and it is the city’s intention to track collections and apply the fines should WMI fail to perform their contractual obligation, according to the city.

The City of Renton’s Solid Waste Utility will not be issuing refunds to customers during this initial period, as a collection contingency is in place similar to the city’s inclement weather policy. The city will also forward all customer calls regarding missed collections to the Waste Management Call Center at 1-800-592-9995.

The city contracts with WMI for residential, multifamily and commercial garbage, recycling and organics collection services. City solid waste customers are encouraged to stay informed on the progress of the strike and service interruptions by visiting the WMI website at www.wmnorthwest.com/servicedelays.  Questions or concerns should be directed to WMI or at 1-800-592-9995.