Solid Waste Services

Food & Yard Waste Collection

Spokane has a comprehensive solid waste system, including an optional service to pick up yard waste and food scraps at the curb. Customers receive a green cart for their green waste.

The cart can take:

• Food Scraps: Meats, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, breads, eggshells and nutshells, coffee grounds, and tea bags.
• Food-soiled Paper: Pizza boxes, paper towels & napkins, non-shiny paper plates and cups, paper egg cartons, paper grocery bags with food scraps, and coffee filters.
• Yard Debris: Grass, leaves, weeds, pine needles, thatch, plant trimmings, small amounts of sod, and branches less than 3 inches in diameter.

We'll collect it all and send it for composting. For more information about composting, check out our composting page.

Year-round Collection

Starting January 1, 2025, the service will include a once-a-month pickup during the winter months of January, February and December. The “winter schedule” pickup will occur the first FULL week of the month. Weekly collection will continue to run March through November. Please refer to the annual Solid Waste Collection calendar if you need confirmation of collection weeks. Collection occurs on the same day as garbage pickup; please have your cart out by 6 a.m.

2025 Winter Collection Weeks:

• January 6 – 10
• February 3 – 7
• December 1 – 5

Questions about year-round yard waste and food scraps service? View the FAQ!

Rates & Service

Current rates are listed on our Utility Rates page. Your cart needs to be put in a secured location (garage, shed or up by your house) on non-collection weeks. If you need your cart emptied during the winter months on non-collection weeks, it will be dumped as garbage, and you will be billed $15.34 per dump.

There is a restocking fee of $37.61 for customers who cancel their service within twelve months. Food and Yard Waste service comes with a one-year commitment per cart. If service must be canceled before the one-year commitment, there is a minimum length of service fee of three months, plus restocking fees. Similarly, a customer who restarts the service less than twelve months after canceling it will pay $37.61 for redelivery.

Starting service? A yard waste cart will be delivered on your next collection day.

If we've missed your collection or have only partially emptied your cart, visit www.Spokane311.org to submit a service request, or call 311 (inside city limits) or 509.755.CITY (2489) (outside city limits) if you need additional assistance. We will make every effort to return within the same day or the next to remedy this situation (Friday collection will be picked up on Monday; we are closed weekends).