Bellevue, WA Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)

060 sets the operating standards for dumpsters and drop boxes under the city's Anti-Litter Code. Subsection A requires litter placed in a dumpster or drop box to be deposited so it cannot be carried or blown by the elements onto a street, sidewalk, other public property, or any other private property. Subsection B bars anyone from depositing litter in a dumpster or drop box that is designated for the sole use of a specific business or multifamily residence unless that person is licensed to use it by the business or residence, meaning unauthorized third-party dumping into a commercial or apartment bin is a separate violation from ordinary littering.

Subsection C is the physical standard: dumpsters must be equipped with a lid that prevents the contents from being scattered by the elements and prevents dogs or other animals from getting in, and those lids must remain closed at all times unless the container has some other protection against animals or wind scattering its contents. 020 supplies the size definitions that distinguish the two container types: a "dumpster" holds at least one and one-quarter cubic yards and not more than eight cubic yards, while a "drop box" holds at least ten cubic yards and not more than thirty cubic yards.

11, so a property owner who lets a dumpster sit open and scattering trash is exposed to the same enforcement path as someone who dumps litter directly on the ground.