Lakewood, WA Trash & Recycling: Bulk Item Disposal (2026)
Key Facts
- Nonconforming items
- Furniture, appliances, tires, concrete, big limbs
- Curbside bulk pickup
- Not collected automatically, LMC 13.06.090(D)
- How to get pickup
- Request a special pickup, extra dispatch fee
- Commercial bulk service
- Drop boxes over 10 cu. yd., 13.06.100(B)
- Illegal dumping
- Unlawful citywide, LMC 13.06.060
Summary
Lakewood, Pierce County, Washington does not include bulky items such as furniture, appliances, tires, concrete or tree limbs and stumps over four inches in diameter in regular curbside garbage pickup. LMC 13.06.090(D) bars the contractor from collecting these 'nonconforming items' left at the curb, so residents must arrange a special pickup, which carries an added dispatch charge.
“Nonconforming items” means all refuse items placed out for collection which do not constitute regular residential or commercial garbage and which by size, weight or unwieldiness pose increased difficulty for garbage collection services. Examples of such nonconforming items are large bulky items, including tree limbs and stumps over four inches in diameter, furniture and appliances, concrete, building materials, tires, etc. ... “Special pickup” means a pickup requested by the customer at a time other than the regularly scheduled pickup time, but which does not involve the dispatch of a truck. If a special dispatch is required additional rate charges will apply. ... ... D. Nonconforming Items. Nonconforming items as defined in this chapter placed out to the curb or edge of the street or alley shall not be collected by the contractor.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 852, passed June 15, 2026).
Full Breakdown
023 as refuse that by size, weight or unwieldiness is too difficult for routine collection: large bulky items, tree limbs and stumps over four inches in diameter, furniture, appliances, concrete and building materials, and tires. 090(D) makes clear that nonconforming items simply left at the curb or alley edge will not be picked up by the contractor's regular route crew. 028 as service outside the regularly scheduled pickup time; if that request needs its own truck dispatch, the customer pays additional rate charges on top of the standard bill. 100(D) for both the haul to the disposal site and the return trip. 055.
Violations & Fines
Leaving nonconforming items for the regular truck instead of scheduling a special pickup just leaves the items uncollected, not a fine by itself, but burying or dumping refuse anywhere in the City is unlawful under LMC 13.06.060, and letting bulky waste accumulate into a fire or health hazard is a nuisance the City Manager can order abated at the owner's expense under LMC 13.06.055, with unpaid abatement costs becoming a lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Lakewood pick up my old couch or appliance at the curb?
Does a special pickup in Lakewood cost extra?
Can I just dump bulky yard debris or old furniture myself?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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Bulk Item Disposal in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle bulk item disposal.