Seattle, WA Waste Collection Schedule

Complete waste management schedule including trash pickup, recycling, bulk waste, and special collections for Seattle.

Population: 749,256
84 sq mi
Updated: January 18, 2025

Collection Zones & Pickup Days

Find your neighborhood to see your collection schedule

View Interactive Zone Map

Northwest - Ballard & Magnolia

Trash:Monday
Recycling:Monday
Yard Waste:Monday

Neighborhoods:

  • Ballard
  • Crown Hill
  • Sunset Hill
  • Loyal Heights
  • Adams
  • Magnolia
  • Interbay
  • Queen Anne (western portion)
  • Discovery Park area
  • Shilshole

North - Fremont & Green Lake

Trash:Tuesday
Recycling:Tuesday
Yard Waste:Tuesday

Neighborhoods:

  • Fremont
  • Wallingford
  • Green Lake
  • Greenwood
  • Phinney Ridge
  • Woodland Park
  • Tangletown
  • Meridian
  • Licton Springs
  • Northgate (western portion)

Northeast - University District & Ravenna

Trash:Wednesday
Recycling:Wednesday
Yard Waste:Wednesday

Neighborhoods:

  • University District
  • Ravenna
  • Roosevelt
  • Maple Leaf
  • Northgate (eastern portion)
  • Lake City
  • Wedgwood
  • View Ridge
  • Windermere
  • Sand Point
  • Laurelhurst
  • Bryant

Central - Capitol Hill & Eastlake

Trash:Thursday
Recycling:Thursday
Yard Waste:Thursday

Neighborhoods:

  • Capitol Hill
  • First Hill
  • Eastlake
  • Montlake
  • Madison Valley
  • Madison Park
  • Portage Bay
  • Leschi
  • Madrona
  • Denny-Blaine

Downtown & Central Core

Trash:Friday
Recycling:Friday
Yard Waste:Friday

Neighborhoods:

  • Downtown
  • Belltown
  • South Lake Union
  • Denny Triangle
  • Queen Anne (eastern portion)
  • Lower Queen Anne
  • Seattle Center area
  • Pike Place Market area
  • Waterfront
  • Pioneer Square
  • Chinatown-International District

South Central - Beacon Hill & Central District

Trash:Monday
Recycling:Monday
Yard Waste:Monday

Neighborhoods:

  • Beacon Hill
  • Central District
  • Mount Baker
  • Judkins Park
  • Atlantic
  • North Beacon Hill
  • Mid-Beacon Hill
  • Holly Park
  • NewHolly
  • Othello

Southeast - Rainier Valley & Columbia City

Trash:Tuesday
Recycling:Tuesday
Yard Waste:Tuesday

Neighborhoods:

  • Rainier Valley
  • Columbia City
  • Seward Park
  • Rainier Beach
  • Hillman City
  • Brighton
  • Dunlap
  • Lakewood
  • Genesee
  • Atlantic
  • Mount Baker (southern portion)

South - Georgetown & SODO

Trash:Wednesday
Recycling:Wednesday
Yard Waste:Wednesday

Neighborhoods:

  • Georgetown
  • SODO (South of Downtown)
  • South Park
  • Duwamish
  • Terminal 91
  • Harbor Island area

West Seattle - Alki & Junction

Trash:Thursday
Recycling:Thursday
Yard Waste:Thursday

Neighborhoods:

  • West Seattle Junction
  • Alki
  • Admiral
  • Fauntleroy
  • Delridge
  • High Point
  • Gatewood
  • Genesee Hill
  • Seaview
  • North Admiral
  • South Delridge
  • Roxhill
  • Westwood
  • Arbor Heights

Service Provider

municipal

Seattle Public Utilities

Monday-Friday: 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM

Bulk Waste Pickup

Frequency
On-call
Registration
Required

Scheduling Method:

Both

(206) 684-3000

Accepted Items

  • Large furniture (sofas, chairs, tables, dressers)
  • Mattresses and box springs
  • Appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers, stoves)
  • Water heaters
  • Televisions and computer monitors
  • Computers and electronics
  • Small appliances and electronics
  • Carpets and rugs
  • Toilets and sinks
  • Metal items and scrap metal
  • Wood and lumber
  • Shelving and cabinets
  • Exercise equipment
  • BBQ grills
  • Small gas canisters (propane)
  • Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs)
  • Household batteries
  • Foam blocks
  • Used cooking and motor oil

Not Accepted

  • Hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, pesticides)
  • Construction and demolition debris
  • Tires (take to transfer station)
  • Vehicle parts
  • Concrete, rocks, or dirt
  • Medical waste
  • Propane tanks larger than 1 pound
  • Business or commercial items

Special items collected on your next regular garbage collection day after scheduling. Place items at curb by 7:00 AM on collection day. PRICING: Foam blocks and used cooking/motor oil - FREE. Small propane canisters, CFLs, household batteries - $5.00 per pickup per item type. Special Items box (for multiple small items like electronics, batteries, small appliances) - $20.00 per pickup. Large furniture, appliances, TVs larger than 2'x2'x2' - $30.00 per item. Items containing CFCs (refrigerators/freezers manufactured before 2005) - $38.00 per item. Schedule online or call at least 3 business days in advance. Payment charged to utility bill.

Recycling Program

Type
single-stream
Frequency
Weekly (same day as garbage and food/yard waste)
Cart Color
Blue

Accepted Materials

  • Cardboard and paperboard (flattened boxes)
  • Newspaper and magazines
  • Office paper and mixed paper
  • Mail and envelopes (windows OK)
  • Phone books and catalogs
  • Paper bags
  • Plastic bottles and containers (#1-7)
  • Plastic cups, tubs, and buckets
  • Glass bottles and jars (all colors)
  • Aluminum cans and foil
  • Steel and tin cans
  • Metal items (pots, pans, coat hangers)
  • Empty aerosol cans
  • Milk and juice cartons (aseptic and gable-top)
  • Bottle caps (leave on bottles)
  • Shredded paper (in paper bag)
  • Paper egg cartons

Not Accepted

  • Plastic bags and film (return to grocery stores)
  • Styrofoam and foam packaging
  • Food waste (use green compost cart - REQUIRED)
  • Yard waste (use green compost cart)
  • Hazardous materials
  • Electronics and batteries
  • Clothing and textiles
  • Plastic plant pots (take to transfer station)
  • Ceramics, dishes, or pottery
  • Window glass or mirrors
  • Light bulbs (take to HHW facility)
  • Diapers
  • Food-soiled paper (use green compost cart)
  • Waxed cardboard

Recycling service is FREE and INCLUDED with garbage service for all Seattle residents - no separate recycling fees. Containers should be empty, clean, and dry. Keep items loose in blue cart - DO NOT bag recyclables (plastic bags contaminate recycling). Flatten cardboard boxes. Caps can stay on bottles. Place cart at curb by 7:00 AM on collection day with handles facing street. Cart lid must be fully closed. Keep carts 3 feet apart from each other and obstacles. Extra recyclables can be placed beside cart in paper bags or flattened cardboard boxes. Seattle Municipal Code requires all residents and businesses to separate recyclables from garbage. Use SPU's "Where Does it Go?" online tool to look up specific items.

Holiday Schedule

Seattle observes 3 holidays that affect collection: Thanksgiving, Christmas Day (December 25), and New Year's Day (January 1). If your regular collection day falls on one of these holidays, collection is delayed by ONE DAY for the rest of that week (Wednesday becomes Thursday, Thursday becomes Friday, Friday becomes Saturday). Collection continues as normal on all other holidays including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4th), Labor Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Transfer stations are closed on July 4th (North only), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Place carts at curb by 7:00 AM on collection day. Check seattle.gov/utilities or call (206) 684-3000 for holiday week confirmation.

Important Information

Seattle has MANDATORY recycling and composting laws (Seattle Municipal Code) - it is ILLEGAL to put food scraps, recyclables, or compostable paper in your garbage. Violations may result in warning notices. Food waste ban has been in effect since 2015 to help Seattle achieve zero waste goals. All three carts (black garbage, blue recycling, green food/yard waste) are collected on the SAME day, once per week. Collection day is address-specific - use the online lookup tool at seattle.gov/utilities to find your exact schedule. Seattle provides collection services in partnership with Waste Management and Recology. Seattle Public Utilities is a department of the City of Seattle. Place all carts at curb by 7:00 AM on collection day with handles facing the street. Keep carts at least 3 feet apart and away from obstacles like parked cars, basketball hoops, or mailboxes. Cart lids must close completely. Free kitchen compost pails available from SPU. Seattle diverts over 60% of waste from landfills through recycling and composting programs. All Seattle residents have access to two transfer stations and two household hazardous waste facilities. Payment is included on your SPU utility bill (billed bi-monthly). For questions, to report missed collections, or to request cart size changes, call (206) 684-3000 or visit seattle.gov/utilities.