Lakewood, WA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Mandatory service
- All dwellings & businesses, LMC 13.06.050
- Pickup frequency
- Weekly, biweekly or monthly
- Recycling frequency
- Every other week, LMC 13.06.110
- Enforcement
- City Manager / Public Works, 13.06.040
- Violation penalty
- Misdemeanor, LMC 13.06.220
- Billing cycle
- Every other month residential, 13.06.210
Summary
In Lakewood, Pierce County, Washington, every dwelling, apartment house and business that generates garbage or trash must pay for collection service from the City's licensed contractor under LMC 13.06.050. The contractor is required to offer weekly, every-other-week or monthly refuse pickup, and recyclables go out every other week unless the code sets a different schedule for that account.
All dwellings, apartment houses, and places of business in which garbage or trash accumulates or may be generated within the City shall be required to pay for refuse collection services of the contractor licensed by the City. ... ... C. The contractor shall offer weekly, every other week or monthly refuse collection service. Recyclables will be picked up every other week except as otherwise provided for in this section.
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
Lakewood's garbage collection is compulsory, not optional. 050 makes every dwelling, apartment house and place of business in the City responsible for paying the licensed contractor for refuse collection, and lets the City set the level of service a customer receives; a customer who generates more garbage than their chosen level allows is reassigned to a higher level and billed accordingly. 110). The code does not require residents to separate garbage from trash for collection. 040, and only the City's contractor, self-hauling residents, or businesses hauling their own incidental waste may lawfully transport solid waste through Lakewood streets.
045 lets the contractor skip pickup where street, alley or driveway conditions are unsafe, or where a vicious animal is loose, and a missed pickup due to weather or road conditions is made up on the next scheduled day with no credit issued. 50, whichever is greater, on delinquent balances.
Violations & Fines
Violating any requirement of Chapter 13.06 LMC, including the mandatory-service and collection-method provisions, is a misdemeanor under LMC 13.06.220. Unlawfully accumulating garbage so as to create a fire or health hazard is also a public nuisance under LMC 13.06.055, and the City Manager can order abatement, bill the property owner for the cost, and file a lien against the property if the bill goes unpaid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I opt out of trash collection in Lakewood, WA?
How often does Lakewood pick up garbage?
What happens if I don't pay my Lakewood garbage bill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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Collection Schedule in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle collection schedule.