Bothell, WA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)

Bothell Municipal Code § 8.20.010(N) defines what the City of Bothell's organics collection accepts as yard debris. It means leaves, grass, and clippings of woody as well as fleshy plants. Unflocked whole holiday trees are acceptable. Materials larger than four inches in diameter or four feet in length are excluded, so a branch past either limit stays out of the cart and bundles.

Extra material has a defined path. Bundles of yard debris up to two feet by two feet by four feet in dimension are allowed, and they must be secured by degradable string or twine, not nylon or other synthetic materials. Kraft paper bags and untied reusable plastic bags can hold extra yard debris beyond the amount that fits within the customer's yard debris cart.

Yard debris travels in the organics cart. Section 8.20.010(K) defines organics as separately or combined yard debris and food waste/scraps, and § 8.20.020(B) requires the city-contracted collector to give every customer a cart for organics, described as yard debris or food scraps. The public works director or designee can exempt particular customers from organics service for space limitations, persistent contamination, or similar unusual circumstances.

Collection follows the residential rules in § 8.20.080. For single-family customers it is one pickup per week, with solid waste, recyclables and yard debris placed out together, between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The contractor collects organics placed at curbside in contractor-provided wheeled carts. Under § 8.20.180, organic material is removed at least once weekly from occupied premises in the residential sections.

Section 8.20.191 protects the yard debris stream from contamination. A container with visible contamination gets a notification tag and the collector can reject the load or dump it as garbage, billing the customer for the dumping.