King County, WA (Unincorporated) Garbage Pickup & Recycling

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King County garbage pickup: collection days, recycling and bulk waste rules.

King County garbage pickup outside city limits is done by state-certificated private haulers, not the county: WM, Republic Services, or Vashon Disposal on Vashon Island. WM’s standard service is weekly garbage and every-other-week recycling on the same day; county code requires recycling at least twice a month. Yard and food waste is a paid add-on. The county’s hauler finder or 206-477-4466 tells you your hauler, which sets your day. What trips people up: yard waste is banned from garbage cans.

• Who collects: private haulers certificated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC): WM, Republic Services, or Vashon Disposal on Vashon Island. The King County Solid Waste Division runs the transfer stations and names your hauler; cities run their own collection
• Your pickup day: depends on your address and is set by your hauler; Who collects my garbage? ↗ or call 206-477-4466
• Holiday changes: WM skips only Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, then runs one day late for the rest of that week; WM holiday schedule ↗
• Missed pickup: call your hauler (WM 800-592-9995); unresolved complaints go to the UTC at 1-888-333-9882; UTC: When to call the Commission ↗
• Contact: King County Solid Waste Division 206-477-4466 (TTY relay 711); Haz Waste Help Line 206-296-4692, haz.waste@kingcounty.gov
• Official website: King County: Garbage, recycling & compost services ↗

Photo: Shops in Snoqualmie, a city in King County, Washington. Joe Mabel, 2007-09-09. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source. Resized for web.

Unincorporated King County garbage and recycling pickup schedule

Cities run their own collection: Seattle Public Utilities serves Seattle, Milton is in Pierce County’s system, Enumclaw and Skykomish collect their own, and each other city has the hauler the county’s finder lists. Outside city limits, several haulers hold UTC certificates, and the UTC approves their rates. The county’s drop-down names these haulers for communities outside the cities:

For any other address, check the county’s unincorporated area map ↗ and call 206-477-4466.

• WM (unincorporated areas north and south of I-90): garbage weekly in a 20, 35, 64 or 96-gallon cart (south of I-90 also offers monthly service); recycling every other week in a blue cart on garbage day; food and yard waste for subscribers, weekly all year north of I-90, and south of I-90 weekly March to November, every other week December to February. Your day is on the calendar WM mails each year.
• WM set-out: carts at the street by 6 a.m., 3 feet apart and 3 feet from cars, trees, mailboxes and fences, lids opening toward the street. A 32-gallon can may weigh 65 pounds, larger carts 180; overweight containers are not emptied.
• Vashon Disposal: one customer-provided can of up to 32 gallons with a detachable lid and two handles, 65 pounds at most, collected weekly (20 or 32 gallons), every other week or monthly. Recycling is a separate subscription: a 96-gallon cart every other week. Everything out by 6 a.m.

Extra garbage goes out on collection day in a tied bag or a 32-gallon can labeled “garbage,” for your hauler’s fee. Haulers must offer special recycling collection to elderly or disabled residents who cannot move containers to the curb. At apartments the property manager sets up recycling; the county helps managers in unincorporated areas at 206-477-4466.

What goes in the unincorporated King County recycling cart

County code sets the minimum list every hauler takes from houses; the county’s Recycling & Compost Guide adds the prep rules. Items go in loose, empty, clean and dry.

• Yes: newspaper, mixed paper, magazines, phone books, envelopes, paper bags, cereal boxes, flattened cardboard up to 3 by 3 by 3 feet, plastic bottles, jugs, jars and tubs, milk and juice cartons, aluminum and tin cans, glass bottles and jars, and scrap metal up to 2 by 2 feet and 35 pounds.
• Rules: keep caps on plastic bottles; loose lids must be at least 3 inches wide; take caps off glass; never bag recyclables.
• No: plastic bags and wrap, foam, plastic take-out containers and clamshells, plastic cups and utensils, foil, empty aerosol cans, hangers, paper towels, shiny coated boxes, broken glass, ceramics and mirrors. WM also refuses shredded paper.

Bow Lake and Shoreline stations take plastic bags and wrap free. Food-soiled paper, including pizza boxes, goes in the food and yard cart. WM tags contaminated carts and may charge for them. Vashon Disposal differs: it takes #1 to #7 plastic bottles with necks narrower than the base, and empty aerosol cans. For single items, search the county’s What do I do with…? ↗ directory.

Yard waste and food scraps

County code bars yard waste from garbage containers in unincorporated areas: a hauler will not empty a garbage can with visible yard waste mixed in, and tags it. Yard waste service is a subscription from your hauler.

• Yes: leaves, grass, plants and branches up to 4 inches thick and 4 feet long; where food collection is offered, food scraps including meat, bones and dairy, and non-shiny food-soiled paper such as pizza boxes, napkins and paper plates.
• No: plastic of any kind, plastic-coated paper, produce stickers, grease, liquids and pet waste.
• WM extras: paper yard bags, 32-gallon cans labeled “Yard” or bundles tied with sisal twine up to 4 by 2 feet, for a fee. Never plastic bags.

Unflocked Christmas trees go out with yard waste, cut into 4-foot lengths. Seven county sites take separated yard waste (Bow Lake, Cedar Falls, Enumclaw, Factoria, Shoreline, South County and Vashon) for $20.70 up to 320 pounds, then $129.38 a ton; no sod, soil, rock, plastic bags or pieces over 8 feet.

Bulk trash pickup in unincorporated King County

The county does no curbside pickup of any kind, bulky items included. WM collects mattresses, sofas, appliances, console TVs, furniture and building materials by special arrangement at a price that varies; call 800-592-9995 or email pnwrsservices@wm.com. Or haul it yourself:

• Garbage: $40.25 minimum up to 320 pounds, then $243.38 a ton. An unsecured load adds $25.
• Mattresses, futons and box springs: $30 each to recycle at Bow Lake, Enumclaw, Factoria, Shoreline and Vashon, up to 6, none wet; stains and tears are fine. Cedar Falls, Houghton and Renton take them as garbage for $33.39 each.
• Appliances: not accepted as garbage. Recycle them at Bow Lake, Enumclaw, Factoria, Shoreline, South County or Vashon; refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers and heat pumps cost $30 each.
• Tires: tire bins at Bow Lake, Factoria and Shoreline, 4 per customer. Residents may leave up to 4 passenger tires at other stations. No truck tires.
• Clean wood: $20.70 minimum, then $129.38 a ton.

Customers with a ProviderOne, EBT or ORCA LIFT card get the Cleanup LIFT discount: $20 off each type of waste, each visit.

Unincorporated King County holiday garbage schedule

County code makes each hauler set and announce its own holiday schedule. WM skips only Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day; if your day falls on or after the holiday that week, pickup is one day later, and Friday customers go on Saturday. Every other holiday is a normal pickup day. Republic Services and Vashon Disposal announce their own changes. All county stations close on Thanksgiving, December 25 and January 1.

Hazardous waste, electronics and drop-off sites

The county’s Hazardous Waste Management Program takes household hazardous waste free, with no appointment, from any King County resident: cleaners, pesticides, oil-based paint, thinners, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, batteries, fluorescent lights and propane tanks. The traveling Wastemobile makes three-day stops February to October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Wastemobile schedule ↗), up to 50 gallons a trip in containers of 5 gallons or less. Residents 65 or older, or with a disability, can book a free Wednesday home pickup at 206-296-4692; it skips latex paint, tires, electronics and medicines.

The ten county stations and drop boxes all take garbage and recycling from people who live or work in the county’s service area, which excludes Seattle and Milton. Bring proof such as a driver’s license, vehicle registration or utility bill.

• Factoria Recycling & Transfer Station, 13800 SE 32nd St, Bellevue, WA 98005. Weekdays 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Hazardous waste Tuesday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also yard waste, clean wood, appliances, mattresses, tires, textiles and sharps.
• South County Recycling & Transfer Station, 35101 W Valley Hwy S, Algona, WA 98001. Weekdays 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekends 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Hazardous waste 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays except Wednesday, weekends 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also yard waste, clean wood, appliances, mattresses, tires, textiles and plastic film. The Auburn hazardous waste site is permanently closed.
• North Seattle hazardous waste facility, 12550 Stone Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133. Sunday to Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• South Seattle hazardous waste facility, 8100 2nd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108. Thursday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station, 18800 Orillia Rd S, Tukwila, WA 98188. Open 24 hours Monday to Thursday, Friday until 11:30 p.m., weekends 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; recycling and yard area weekdays 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Also yard waste, clean wood, appliances, mattresses, tires, plastic bags, bicycles and sharps.
• Shoreline Recycling & Transfer Station, 2300 N 165th St, Shoreline, WA 98133. Weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekends 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Same extras as Bow Lake plus textiles, and a Second Use area for reusable doors, windows and furniture.
• Enumclaw Recycling & Transfer Station, 1650 Battersby Ave E, Enumclaw, WA 98022. Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also yard waste, clean wood, appliances and mattresses.
• Houghton Recycling & Transfer Station, 11724 NE 60th St, Kirkland, WA 98033. Weekdays 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., weekends 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Also textiles and scrap metal.
• Renton Recycling & Transfer Station, 3021 NE 4th St, Renton, WA 98056. Weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekends 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Also textiles.
• Vashon Recycling & Transfer Station, 18900 Westside Hwy SW, Vashon, WA 98070. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tuesday and Thursday. Also food and yard waste, appliances, mattresses and sharps.
• Cedar Falls Drop Box, 16925 Cedar Falls Rd SE, North Bend, WA 98045. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Tuesday and Thursday. Also yard waste; loads up to 3 cubic yards.
• Skykomish Drop Box, 74324 NE Old Cascade Hwy, Skykomish, WA 98288. Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in winter and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. Pay by card or with a $40.25 one-trip county card sold at Sky Gas & Grocery and Skykomish Town Hall.

TVs, computers and monitors go free to E-Cycle Washington sites; county stations refuse them. Syringes go in a hard container to a station that takes sharps, free. Medicines go to Safe Medication Return drop-offs or free mail-back envelopes.

Fees and billing

Your hauler bills you at rates the UTC approves. County code asks haulers to include a mini-can rate, recycling-only and yard-only service, and reduced rates for eligible elderly and low-income customers. Recycling is part of the garbage bill except on Vashon Island, at Snoqualmie Pass, and in Pacific and Skykomish.

WM bills every three months; rates exclude taxes and its commodity rebate. South of I-90, monthly service costs $10.80 for 20 gallons and $12.25 for 35. North of I-90, a wildlife-resistant cart adds $12.65.

Missed pickup, damaged carts and new carts

Report a missed pickup to your hauler. WM takes missed-collection, cart and bulky requests on its online form, by live chat, or at 800-592-9995, weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. County code gives haulers one business day to collect missed recycling after a verified complaint, and a driver who refuses a container must leave a note saying why. When weather or roads stop a WM truck, it takes up to twice as much at no charge on your next pickup, with no credit. Haulers own the recycling carts and replace worn or crew-damaged ones; you pay for damage you cause. WM’s garbage rates include cart repair. Unresolved billing or service complaints go to the UTC at 1-888-333-9882 or consumer@utc.wa.gov, after you ask the hauler for a supervisor.

Set-out rules and fines

• Yard waste in the garbage: the can is left unemptied and tagged.
• Contaminated recycling: WM tags the cart and may add a contamination charge.
• Arriving at a county station with an unsecured load costs $25 under King County Code 10.12.040.

Materials with their own rules

• Needles and sharps: containers, designated drop boxes and mail-back.

• Used motor oil and filters: separate oil collection and local filter preparation.

• Acetone and bleach: household solvent and cleaner collection limits.

• Paint: free at PaintCare drop-offs; hardened latex paint can go in the garbage with the lid off.

• Lithium-ion batteries: never in carts; take them to a hazardous waste site.

• Household hazardous waste: free at four sites and the Wastemobile.

• Mattresses: $30 recycling at five county stations.

• Pizza boxes: food-soiled ones go in the food and yard cart.

• Christmas trees: unflocked, in 4-foot lengths with the yard waste.

• Tires: Bow Lake, Factoria and Shoreline, 4 per customer.

• Aerosol cans and propane tanks: empty aerosol cans go in the garbage; propane tanks go to hazardous waste sites.

More in Washington

• Washington trash and recycling rules
• Seattle
• Holiday changes by city
• Bulk pickup rules by city
• Missed pickup contacts by city
• Drop-off locations by city