BELLINGHAM - Sanitary Service Co. customers can ignore duplicate billings for trash service they may have received this month, said Amber Jones, the company's chief financial officer.

Jones estimated that about 30 percent of residential customers inside the city limits, who normally get a May 1 bill to cover April and May service, got a second billing in June for the same April-May period.

Jones said that was due to an error by the billing service. Although the duplicate bills were mailed out June 1, Jones said they still bear a May 1 date.

Customers who already paid the May 1 bill last month can toss the second one, Jones said. Those customers will receive their next regular bill July 1 to cover trash service for June and July.

But some customers on a different billing cycle normally get a bill dated June 1 for May and June service, Jones said, and those bills need to be paid as usual.

Reach JOHN STARK at john.stark@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2274.