Whatcom County, WA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

050 makes recycling automatic, not optional, for anyone who already gets garbage service: every single-family home must receive source-separated recycling pickup at least every other week, on the same day as the trash truck, and multifamily buildings get at least every-other-week service too. A resident who has gone through the county's garbage exemption process can still subscribe to recycling-only pickup, paying the full cost plus an administrative fee. The county, not the hauler alone, must approve container design, and haulers must deliver bins to the door unless the county says otherwise.

The mandatory materials list covers newspaper, mixed waste paper, aluminum and tin-plated steel cans, glass containers, and all plastic bottles (other rigid plastics are added at the county's and hauler's discretion); cardboard, scrap metal under 24 inches and 35 pounds, drained lead-acid batteries, and sealed used motor oil must also be picked up when set beside the recycling cart, though yard waste collection remains formally deferred pending a future amendment. 050(L) lets the county executive suspend the collection requirement for it, at the executive's full discretion and for a stated time period. on collection days. 28 RCW.