Spokane Valley, WA Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

SVMC § 7.05.040(D) groups accumulations of garbage, recyclables, furniture, and machinery together as public nuisances. Paragraph D(2), "Garbage, Recyclables, Compost, and Infestations," states in subparagraph a that a nuisance exists where there is "Garbage or recyclables not properly stored in a receptacle with a tight-fitting lid." The same paragraph also reaches, in subparagraph b, "any accumulation of broken or neglected items, litter, salvage materials, or junk not in an approved enclosed structure," and, in subparagraph c, accumulations of foodstuffs or dead vegetation, while expressly excluding "properly maintained residential compost piles" from that category.

The code does not set a specific curbside placement time, screening height, or setback for garbage carts themselves; the operative requirement is that the can or bin actually have a lid that closes tightly, which keeps out scavenging animals and prevents odor and litter nuisances. A resident who stores trash in an open bin, a torn bag, or a container with a broken lid is out of compliance the same as one who piles loose garbage directly on the ground. As with every § 7.05.040 nuisance, enforcement runs through SVMC § 7.05.030 and Chapter 17.100: a field observation or complaint triggers a warning, a correction window, and, if uncorrected, a notice and order with an escalating civil penalty.