Anchorage, AK Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Curbside recycling in Anchorage is bundled with the mandatory residential refuse service run by Solid Waste Services (SWS), the municipal utility created under AMC Chapter 26.70. Every household receiving refuse collection gets one recycling roll cart at no charge under AMC 26.70.070.A.1; SWS colors or labels the recycling and trash carts differently so crews can tell them apart on collection day, and the customer is responsible for keeping the cart clean. A unique serial number ties each cart to the customer's account, and the first set of containers is delivered free when service begins, under subsection A.2.

SWS publishes a list of accepted recyclables and reserves the right to inspect any cart's contents under subsection A.3: a cart found holding contaminants gets tagged to notify the customer, its full contents are then collected and billed as ordinary refuse rather than recycling, and the customer is charged $30.00 every time contamination is found. Only material placed inside the SWS-issued cart with the lid fully closed counts as recycling; anything left outside the cart or piled on top is treated as excess refuse and billed separately under subsection A.4.

Carts must go to the curb or alley within three feet of the drivable roadway, with three feet of clearance from poles, mailboxes, vehicles, other carts, or snow berms, and residents are responsible for clearing snow blocking access to their own containers. The cart remains SWS property throughout the subscription, and a customer who loses or damages one beyond normal wear, or fails to return it when service ends, is billed $158.80 per cart for replacement.