Kennewick's Trash & Recycling: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles trash & recycling a little differently. In Kennewick, Washington, there are 6 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Pickup Rules & Schedules

Kennewick residential customers receive weekly curbside garbage and recycling collection from Waste Management (WM Northwest) under the exclusive franchise authorized by KMC 9.04. Carts must be at the curb by 5:00 a.m. (June-September) or 6:00 a.m. (October-May). Holiday rules: WM collects on all holidays except Christmas Day and New Year's Day; when a service day is missed for a holiday, all collections that week shift one day later. Bagged-leaf yard waste collection happens during the first full week of November, December, and January.

Key details: Service Frequency: Weekly garbage and weekly single-stream recycling. Set-Out Time: By 5:00 a.m. Jun-Sep / 6:00 a.m. Oct-May; night-before placement allowed. Holiday Exceptions: Christmas Day and New Year's Day - service shifts one day later for rest of week. Yard Waste Window: First full week of November, December, January (bagged leaves only). Customer Service: WM Northwest 1-877-466-4668.

Failure to subscribe to franchised service is enforced under KMC 9.04 with the accelerated 20-day Compliance Warning Letter track, then a Notice and Order with a $500 minimum civil penalty. Carts left at the curb past the day-after-collection or placed where they obstruct sight distance, pedestrian travel, or driveway access are addressable under KMC 9.48 nuisance authority. Cart contents that exceed weight limits (65 pounds in a 32-gallon cart, up to 180 pounds in larger automated carts) or that include prohibited materials (hazardous waste, batteries, electronics) are not collected by WM and are returned to the customer for proper disposal at the WM Transfer Station or the Benton County Moderate Risk Waste Facility (1709 S Ely St, Kennewick) for household hazardous waste.

Bin Placement Rules

Waste Management's published Kennewick cart-placement rules require carts to be placed at the curb with the wheels and handle facing the house, the lid-arrow pointing at the street, and at least three feet of clearance from parked cars, mailboxes, utility poles, fences, low branches, and other carts so the automated truck arm can grab them. Carts must not block the sidewalk. Recycling and garbage carts should be set side-by-side with the required three-foot spacing rather than touching.

Key details: Cart Orientation: Wheels and handle toward house; lid-arrow toward street. Side-to-Side Clearance: At least 3 feet from any other object or cart. Overhead Clearance: At least 12 feet (no low branches or wires). Sidewalk Blocking: Prohibited; cart must not obstruct pedestrian travel. Extra Bundles: Place 3 feet away from cart (not touching).

If a cart is placed too close to an obstruction for the automated arm to service it, WM marks the cart as not-serviced and the customer is responsible for re-staging the cart for the next route day; an additional return-trip fee may apply if WM is dispatched specifically to re-collect. Carts left on the sidewalk obstructing pedestrian travel, or left at the curb beyond the day after collection, can be cited under KMC 9.48 nuisance authority with a 45-day Compliance Warning Letter timeline (or shorter where the city's right-of-way obstruction provisions apply). Carts placed in the travel lane creating a traffic hazard can be addressed by Kennewick Police under standard right-of-way obstruction rules.

The rules around bin placement rules in Kennewick lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Bulk Item Disposal

Bulky items - mattresses, furniture, large appliances - are not collected on the regular curbside route in Kennewick. Customers schedule a special bulk pickup by appointment with Waste Management (WM Northwest) for a per-item fee. The Benton County alternative is self-haul to the WM Kennewick Transfer Station at 2627 S Ely St (a permitted solid-waste handling facility under WAC Chapter 173-350). White goods containing CFC refrigerants require certified refrigerant recovery before disposal under federal Clean Air Act Section 608.

Key details: Bulk Pickup Provider: WM Northwest, appointment only, 1-877-466-4668. Self-Haul Site: WM Kennewick Transfer Station, 2627 S Ely St. Transfer Station Authority: WAC Chapter 173-350 (Solid Waste Handling Standards). Household Hazardous Waste: Benton County Moderate Risk Waste Facility, 1709 S Ely St, Kennewick (free to residents). Refrigerant Items: Refrigerant recovery required (Clean Air Act 608; 40 CFR 82 Subpart F).

Setting a bulky item at the curb without scheduling a paid WM appointment is not on the route, the item is not collected, and the resulting curbside accumulation can become a KMC 9.48 property-blight nuisance if left out. Dumping a bulky item on someone else's property, on a vacant lot, in a county park, on a roadside, or on public land is illegal dumping under RCW 70A.205.195 - a class 3 civil infraction for less than one cubic foot, a misdemeanor for one cubic foot up to a cubic yard, and a gross misdemeanor (plus litter-cleanup restitution) for one cubic yard or more. Disposing of a refrigerator or freezer without certified refrigerant recovery violates federal Clean Air Act Section 608 (42 U.S.C. 7671g) and EPA 40 C.F.R. Part 82 Subpart F, with civil penalties up to $44,539 per day per violation.

Kennewick is more permissive than most cities when it comes to bulk item disposal. That said, there are still limits.

Recycling Requirements

Kennewick residential single-stream recycling is collected weekly by Waste Management (WM Northwest) and accepts paper, cardboard, plastic bottles/cups/jugs/tubs, and aluminum/steel/tin food and beverage cans. Glass is NOT accepted in curbside recycling. Plastic bags are NOT accepted. Materials must be clean and empty. Mandatory subscription to franchised collection under KMC 9.04 covers both garbage and recycling.

Key details: Hauler: Waste Management (WM Northwest) - exclusive franchise. Service Frequency: Weekly, same day as garbage. Glass: NOT accepted in curbside recycling. Plastic Bags / Film: NOT accepted - return to grocery drop bins. Accepted: Paper, cardboard, plastic bottles/cups/jugs/tubs, food and beverage cans (clean, empty, loose).

Cart contamination (placing non-accepted items like glass, plastic bags, or food waste in the recycling cart) can cause WM to refuse the cart or to charge a contamination fee under its published rate schedule, and persistent contamination can lead to cart removal. Recycling that ends up in the wrong place at the curb (loose in the gutter, blown across the neighbor's yard) is addressable under KMC 9.48 nuisance authority. State authority for the recycling-service-level mandate is RCW Chapter 70A.205; failure to subscribe to recycling service through the franchised hauler is enforced the same way as failure to subscribe to garbage - 20-day Compliance Warning Letter, then Notice and Order with a $500 minimum civil penalty under KMC 9.04.

The rules around recycling requirements in Kennewick lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Yard Waste Collection

Kennewick does not have a year-round curbside yard-waste cart program. WM Northwest collects bagged leaves on the regular garbage day during the first full week of November, December, and January (three weeks total per season). Outside that window, yard waste goes in the garbage cart (within weight limits), self-haul to the WM Kennewick Transfer Station, or backyard composting. Outdoor burning of yard waste is regulated by the Washington Department of Ecology and the Benton Clean Air Agency; burning is generally prohibited inside urban growth areas where alternatives exist.

Key details: Year-Round Yard-Waste Cart: Not offered - no green cart. Bagged-Leaf Collection Window: First full week of November, December, and January (3 weeks/year). Off-Season Disposal: Regular garbage cart, self-haul to WM Transfer Station, or compost. Outdoor Burn Authority: Benton Clean Air Agency + WAC Chapter 173-425. Urban-Growth-Area Yard Burning: Generally prohibited (RCW 70A.200.040).

Putting yard waste at the curb outside the three-week winter leaf-collection window is not collected; bags left out can be cited under KMC 9.48 property-blight provisions if they accumulate. Illegal outdoor burning of yard waste inside the urban growth area is enforced by the Benton Clean Air Agency under WAC Chapter 173-425 and RCW Chapter 70A.200 (Waste Reduction, Recycling, and Model Litter Control Act), with civil penalties up to $10,000 per day per violation under RCW 70A.15.3160 (Washington Clean Air Act). Forest-jurisdiction burning that creates a fire hazard is enforceable by the Department of Natural Resources under RCW 76.04.660, including summary abatement and cost recovery. Burning prohibited materials (plastic, rubber, garbage) is a separate violation regardless of location.

Illegal Dumping

Illegal dumping inside Kennewick is enforceable under the Washington statewide statute RCW 70A.205.195, which tiers penalties by volume: a class 3 civil infraction for less than 1 cubic foot, a misdemeanor for 1 cubic foot to less than 1 cubic yard, and a gross misdemeanor (plus mandatory litter-cleanup restitution) for 1 cubic yard or more. Local enforcement is by Kennewick Police and Code Enforcement; on private property the city pursues remediation under KMC 9.48 nuisance authority and may bill cleanup costs via RCW 35A.21.405.

Key details: Statewide Statute: RCW 70A.205.195 (volume-tiered penalties). Tier 1 (<1 cubic foot): Class 3 civil infraction (RCW 7.80.120). Tier 2 (1 cubic foot to <1 cubic yard): Misdemeanor (up to 90 days / $1,000). Tier 3 (1+ cubic yard): Gross misdemeanor (up to 364 days / $5,000) + mandatory cleanup restitution. Innocent Landowner Protection: Authority must identify dumper before requiring owner to clean (2023 amendment).

Penalty tiers under RCW 70A.205.195: less than 1 cubic foot = class 3 civil infraction (RCW 7.80.120); 1 cubic foot to less than 1 cubic yard = misdemeanor (up to 90 days / $1,000); 1 cubic yard or more = gross misdemeanor (up to 364 days / $5,000) plus mandatory litter-cleanup restitution split between the landowner and the jurisdictional health department. Continued or commercial-scale illegal dumping can be charged as a felony under separate provisions of RCW Chapter 70A.205. Disposal at a site that is not a permitted solid waste handling facility violates WAC Chapter 173-350 and triggers enforcement by the Washington Department of Ecology. On the property side, Kennewick may abate the dump under KMC 9.48 and recover costs as a special assessment under RCW 35A.21.405.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Kennewick actively enforces its illegal dumping requirements.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Kennewick gives residents more room on trash & recycling. 3 of the 6 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

These rules come from Kennewick's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.