Kirkland, WA Trash & Recycling: Yard Waste Collection (2026)
Key Facts
- Free service
- 1 gray yard waste cart + 1 blue recycling cart
- Extra 96-gal yard debris fee (2024-26)
- $27.65 to $30.38 per occurrence
- Extra 32-gal container fee (2024-26)
- $7.74 to $8.05 per occurrence
- Cart contents
- Yard waste combined with food scraps
- Low-income rate
- 60% of standard charge under KMC 5.90.050
Summary
Kirkland gives every residential collection customer one free gray yard waste cart alongside the blue recycling cart under KMC 16.12.030. Grass clippings and branches go in that cart combined with kitchen food scraps as 'organic waste' under KMC 16.04.125, and extra yard debris containers carry a per-occurrence fee set annually by the city.
One gray yard waste cart and one blue recycling cart are provided to each customer at no extra charge. The contractor will charge a fee for additional yard waste receptacles above the first set provided. The contractor will provide a thirty-five- or ninety-six-gallon recycling cart on request to new residents and those residents needing less or additional capacity than provided by the default sixty-four-gallon recycling cart.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4945, passed July 21, 2026).
Full Breakdown
KMC 16.04.125 defines 'organic waste' as yard waste and food waste collected together in the same residential gray cart: yard waste covers grass clippings and branches, while food waste covers plate scrapings, meat, bones, fruit and vegetable peelings, and food-soiled paper like pizza boxes and napkins. KMC 16.12.030 sets the collection rates and confirms that one gray yard waste cart and one blue recycling cart come with every account at no extra charge; a resident who wants more capacity pays an added fee for each extra receptacle.
Under the 2024-2026 rate table, an additional 96-gallon yard debris cart runs $27.65 in 2024 rising to $30.38 in 2026, and an extra 32-gallon container runs $7.74 to $8.05, both billed per occurrence. Qualified low-income customers pay only 60 percent of the standard rate under KMC 5.90.050, cross-referenced directly in 16.12.030. Because yard waste carts are collected on the same route as garbage and recycling, they are subject to the same placement rules in KMC 16.08.070: set out no earlier than 24 hours before the collection day, pulled back within 24 hours after pickup, and positioned with two feet of clearance from obstructions so the automated truck arm can service it.
Violations & Fines
Yard waste service is billed through the standard utility account, and container placement or condition violations fall under KMC 16.08.125, which routes enforcement through Chapter 1.12 code enforcement, the same civil-fine framework ($100-$500 per day of noncompliance) applied to other solid waste placement violations citywide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kirkland charge extra for a yard waste cart?
Can I put food scraps in Kirkland's yard waste cart?
When can I set my Kirkland yard waste cart at the curb?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kirkland
Compare Kirkland to another location·View the Washington trash & recycling overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Yard Waste Collection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle yard waste collection.