Burien, WA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)

Burien Municipal Code § 8.15.120 applies to businesses with a physical location in Burien other than home occupation businesses. Subsection (2) requires each of them to maintain access to and use recycled material collection services. Subsection (1) of the same section separately requires garbage collection service with a franchise hauler, so a business needs both accounts, and restaurants carry a third duty covered on the organics page.

Two definitions in BMC 8.15.010 give the rule its reach. Maintain access to means have a current active account with a collection services provider to pick up all solid waste from an authorized solid waste container, or a valid agreement with an abutting business to share collection services consistent with the code. A shared arrangement with a neighboring business therefore counts, but only if it is a valid agreement. Recycled material means waste material and byproducts that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste and that can be utilized in place of raw or virgin material in manufacturing a product, including material derived from post-consumer waste, manufacturing waste, industrial scrap, and agricultural wastes.

The City Council stated the purpose in BMC 8.15.005: effective waste reduction and source separation strategies that protect the natural environment, the economy, and the health of residents. Under BMC 8.15.140(2)(b), enforcement of the commercial solid waste requirements began after a grace period of 12 months from the effective date of the ordinance. Chapter 8.15 contains no residential curbside recycling mandate, bin size, or pickup day, so this page covers the business requirement only.