Seattle, WA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Who's covered
- Single-family, multifamily, and mixed-use residents
- Required separation
- Paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, metal, food waste
- Curbside/backyard violation fee
- $1 extra per can collection
- Detachable/drop box violation fee
- $50 extra per collection
- Exemption path
- Storage-space exemption from SPU Director
Summary
Seattle requires every resident in a single-family home, multifamily building, or mixed-use structure to separate paper, cardboard, glass and plastic bottles/jars, aluminum and tin cans, food waste, and compostable paper for recycling under SMC 21.36.083. None of it belongs in the garbage: curbside violators pay $1 extra per can, detachable-container customers pay $50 extra per collection.
A.Recycling required of paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminum, tin, food waste, and compostable paper1.All residents living in single-family structures, multifamily structures, and mixed-use buildings shall separate paper, cardboard, glass and plastic bottles and jars, aluminum and tin cans, food waste, and compostable paper for recycling, and no paper, cardboard, glass or plastic bottles and jars, aluminum or tin cans, food waste, or compostable paper shall be deposited in a garbage container or drop box or disposed as garbage at the City's transfer stations.2.Any violation of this Section 21.36.083 by residential curbside or backyard customers shall result in an additional collection fee of $1 per can collection. Any violation of this Section 21.36.083 by detachable container and drop box customers shall result in an additional collection fee of $50 per detachable or drop box collection.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 44 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
A requires 'all residents living in single-family structures, multifamily structures, and mixed-use buildings' to separate a defined list, paper, cardboard, glass and plastic bottles and jars, aluminum and tin cans, food waste, and compostable paper, and prohibits depositing any of it in a garbage container, drop box, or as garbage at the City's transfer stations. 2 charges 'residential curbside or backyard customers' an additional $1 per can collection for a violation, while customers using detachable containers or drop boxes pay a steeper $50 per collection.
040 and can also approve shared recycling containers among contiguous multifamily structures. 02. 082, this section makes source separation of recyclables a citywide baseline rather than a voluntary program, Seattle Public Utilities' curbside contractors are the ones who actually flag noncompliant carts and apply the per-collection fee.
Violations & Fines
A contaminated curbside or backyard can draws a $1 surcharge per collection under SMC 21.36.083.A.2; detachable container and drop box customers, typically larger multifamily or mixed-use accounts, pay $50 per collection instead. The fee is billed automatically through the utility account rather than issued as a separate citation, and repeats each time a load is found noncompliant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is recycling mandatory for Seattle residents?
What happens if I put recyclables in my garbage can?
Can an apartment building skip recycling for lack of space?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Seattle
Compare Seattle to another location·View the Washington trash & recycling overview
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Recycling Requirements in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle recycling requirements.