Richland, WA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Enrollment
- Request-only, not automatic
- Pickup frequency
- Every other week
- Accepted materials
- Cardboard, plastic, newspaper, aluminum, tin
- Contamination fee
- Additional refuse container fee added to bill
- Commercial option
- 96- or 300-gallon container, RMC § 15.03.080(D)
Summary
In the City of Richland, Washington, curbside recycling is an optional, request-only service. RMC § 15.03.050(D) delivers a blue container on request with pickup every other week, and RMC § 15.03.060(F) prices the commingled service and requires the same cardboard, plastic, newspaper, aluminum and tin mix.
D. Recycling collection service will be available to all Richland residential customers upon request. If requested, a blue recycling container will be delivered to the customer, and recycling will be collected on an every-other-week basis on a designated collection day. ... ... F. Commingled residential recycling is an optional service at the rates described in the table found in this section. The recycling container is serviced every other week and allows for a mix of recyclable materials which include cardboard, plastic, newspaper, aluminum and tin. No glass is allowed in the recycling containers. Failure to use this container as described will result in an additional refuse container fee added to the utility bill.
Full Breakdown
Richland does not automatically enroll residential customers in recycling. RMC § 15.03.050(D) makes curbside recycling collection available to all residential customers only upon request: once a customer asks, the city delivers a blue recycling container and collects it every other week on a designated collection day, rather than the weekly schedule that applies to the gray household and green yard waste carts. RMC § 15.03.060(F) prices that commingled recycling service according to the daily rate table in the same section and confirms the service is optional, serviced every other week, and open to a mix of recyclable materials limited to cardboard, plastic, newspaper, aluminum and tin, with no glass allowed.
A customer who fails to keep the cart to that list is charged an additional refuse container fee on the utility bill under subsection (F), on top of the container-misuse enforcement at RMC § 15.05.010. Commercial customers have a parallel optional program under RMC § 15.03.080(D), serviced in a 96- or 300-gallon container, and Richland also runs a separate cardboard-only commercial recycling option billed weekly under RMC § 15.03.080(E). Requesting an additional or replacement blue container carries a container delivery fee set by the city's fee schedule plus a daily service charge under RMC § 15.03.050(E), on top of the recycling service charge itself.
Violations & Fines
Mixing glass or other non-listed material into the optional recycling cart draws an additional refuse container fee under RMC § 15.03.060(F) and is separately enforceable as container misuse under RMC § 15.05.010, starting with a compliance tag and escalating to an administrative notice of violation carrying a $10.00 to $100.00 fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to sign up for recycling in Richland?
How often is recycling picked up?
What happens if I put the wrong material in the recycling cart?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Richland
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