Spokane County, WA Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Mandatory materials
- Newspaper, cardboard, aluminum/steel cans, #1-2 plastics
- Optional materials
- Glass, batteries, mixed paper, cell phones
- Vehicle ID rule
- Hauler name/phone visible on every truck
- Scavenging rule
- Only certified hauler may collect set-out recycling
- Noncompliance cure period
- 60 days, extendable 60 more days
Summary
Certified haulers serving unincorporated Spokane County's urban areas must collect a defined list of recyclables under SCC 8.58.040, must display their business name and phone number on collection vehicles, and must contain materials so nothing leaks, spills or litters during pickup. County code fixes mandatory items like cardboard, cans and #1-#2 plastic jugs, with additional materials collected only voluntarily.
(k)The business name and telephone number of the certified hauler shall be clearly visible on each side of each vehicle used to provide residential recycling service. The certified hauler shall contain, tie, or enclose all collected materials to prevent leaking, spilling or littering...Certified Haulers shall collect the following materials: 1.Newspaper (including magazines, catalogs and telephone books);2.Cardboard boxes (including brown paper bags);3.Aluminum cans;4.Steel/tin cans;5.#1 and #2 plastic jugs and beverage containers.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
58 of the county code. 040(c) directs certified haulers to collect the materials set out in the chapter's Exhibit B. Exhibit B makes five categories mandatory: newspaper (including magazines, catalogs and telephone books), cardboard boxes (including brown paper bags), aluminum cans, steel and tin cans, and #1 and #2 plastic jugs and beverage containers. Haulers may additionally collect mixed paper, aluminum foil and food trays, #3 through #7 plastic containers, glass bottles and jars, household and automotive batteries, and cell phones with their batteries and chargers.
Materials can be added to or removed from Exhibit B only once a year, by amendment, and without a public hearing only if the county, the solid waste system, certified haulers and material recovery facility operators all agree and the change doesn't require a WUTC tariff increase; otherwise a public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners is required. 040(k) requires haulers to display their business name and telephone number on each side of every collection vehicle and to contain, tie or enclose collected materials to stop leaking, spilling or littering en route.
040(j) bars anyone other than the area's certified hauler from collecting recyclables set out at the curb without the resident's consent, protecting the certified system from freelance scavenging of set-out bins.
Violations & Fines
Only the certified hauler assigned to an area may pick up recyclables placed at the curb; anyone else who collects, hauls or removes set-out material without the occupant's consent violates Section 8.58.040(j). If a certified hauler falls short on the chapter's service, collection or container requirements, the solid waste system issues written notice and gives the hauler sixty days, extendable another sixty, to cure the noncompliance before the county can contract for service in that hauler's area under RCW 36.58.040.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must my recycling hauler pick up in Spokane County?
Can I let a scrapper or neighbor take my recycling bin's contents?
What if my hauler keeps missing recycling pickups?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane County
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