Marlene Feist, Public Works, (509) 625-6505
Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 8:24 a.m.
The City of Spokane will resume curbside yard and food waste pickup on Monday, March 1. The optional service runs from March through November.
It’s snowing so customers may not have a lot of yard waste, but they can use the 96-gallon green carts to dispose of food scraps and food-soiled paper. Acceptable scraps include meat, poultry, fish, beans, dairy products, fruit, vegetables, breads, grains, pasta, eggshells, nutshells, coffee grounds, tea bags, and leftovers. Acceptable food-soiled papers include greasy pizza boxes, coffee filters, paper towels, paper napkins, uncoated paper plates and cups, paper egg and berry cartons, and paper grocery bags with food scraps.
Yard waste that can be placed in the carts includes grass, leaves, pine needles, pine cones, weeds, vines, thatch, plant trimmings, and small branches. Customers can even cut up and throw in the old Christmas tree that’s been parked in their yards for weeks.
Yard and food waste carts are collected on the same day as garbage carts. The material is composted at a local facility. The cost of the service is $17.79 a month, with no charge when the service is suspended for winter. City of Spokane Solid Waste Collection customers can add the service by calling the City at 3-1-1. Food and yard waste also can be recycled at the City’s Waste to Energy facility. The materials are accepted year-round at the facility, which is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Citizens can learn how to turn yard waste into compost through the Master Composter/Recycler Program. The next six-week course will start in March. See the program web site for details. Remember, the City is switching to an every other week collection schedule for residential customers’ blue recycling carts on May 3.
