Grays Harbor County, WA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum materials
- cardboard, cans, mixed paper, newspaper, #1-#2 plastic
- Regulator
- WUTC under Ch. 81.77 RCW
- Hauler plan review
- company recycling plan, § 8.32.120
- Reporting
- quarterly tonnage reports, § 8.32.080
- Noncompliance remedy
- county may contract for collection, § 8.32.110
- Citation
- GHC Code § 8.32.030(D)
Summary
Grays Harbor County Code § 8.32.030(D) sets the minimum list of materials a certificated hauler must accept in every single-family curbside recycling cart in unincorporated Grays Harbor County: cardboard, metal cans, mixed paper, newspaper and #1-#2 plastic bottles. Haulers may add more, like glass, but can't collect less.
D.Materials Collected. The following recyclable materials, at a minimum, shall be collected from single-family residences when properly prepared and meeting the material description as specified.1.Cardboard — corrugated cardboard and Kraft paper, including unbleached, unwaxed paper with a ruffled ("corrugated") inner liner.2.Metal cans — tin-coated steel cans and aluminum cans, excluding aerosol spray cans.3.Mixed-waste paper — clean and dry paper, including: glossy papers; magazines; catalogs; phone books; cards; laser-printed white ledger paper ... 4.Newspaper — printed groundwood newsprint, including glossy advertisements and supplemental magazines that are delivered with the newspaper.5.Plastics. Bottles #1-7: primarily polyethylene terephthalate (PET - #1), such as softdrink, water, and salad dressing bottles; and high-density polyethylene (HDPE - #2) such as milk, shampoo, or laundry detergent bottles; but including any bottle with a neck narrower than its base.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 8.32 sets minimum levels of service for residential recycling that every solid waste collection company certificated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) must provide in unincorporated Grays Harbor County. Section 8.32.030(D) lists five categories a hauler must collect at a minimum when properly prepared: corrugated cardboard and Kraft paper; tin-coated steel and aluminum cans, excluding aerosol cans; mixed clean, dry paper such as magazines, catalogs, phone books and ledger paper; newspaper, including inserted glossy advertisements; and plastic bottles numbered #1 (PET) and #2 (HDPE) with a neck narrower than the base. Subsection (E) lets a hauler collect more than the minimum, such as glass, food waste or scrap metal, and subsection (F) requires the county to discuss any change to the required list with haulers before amending it.
The rules were adopted to meet the state's recycling goals under Chapter 81.77 RCW, and the county certifies each hauler's company recycling plan against them under § 8.32.120. A hauler's tariff filed with the WUTC must build in the cost of collecting this list, and the county reviews quarterly and annual reports under § 8.32.080 showing tonnage collected by material and the resulting recycling rate. If a certificated hauler's program isn't fully implemented, meaning WUTC-approved tariffs are in place and service is available to everyone who wants it, the board of county commissioners can exercise the county's authority under RCW 36.58.040 to contract directly for recycling collection instead, per § 8.32.110.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 8.32 doesn't set a fine for residents; it binds certificated haulers instead. If a hauler doesn't fully implement the required material list and service levels within 120 days of the county's notice, the county can exercise its authority under § 8.32.110 to contract with a different collector for residential recyclables, and can ask the WUTC to revoke the hauler's certificate under § 8.40.030(D)(6).
Frequently Asked Questions
What must my recycling hauler collect curbside in unincorporated Grays Harbor County?
Can my hauler refuse to expand what it recycles beyond the minimum list?
Who makes sure Grays Harbor County recycling haulers follow the material rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Grays Harbor County
Compare Grays Harbor County to another location·View the Washington trash & recycling overview
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