Spokane Garbage Day, Recycling Week & Yard Waste Schedule 2026
Use this resident-first Spokane trash pickup guide to check your pickup day, understand the 6 AM cart rule, every-other-week recycling, green food and yard waste schedule, holiday delays, missed pickup reports, cart spacing, extra garbage fees, transfer station drop-off and official Spokane Solid Waste contacts.
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Spokane trash pickup schedule garbage collection is address-based. Use the official City of Spokane garbage pickup map to confirm your weekly collection day. Garbage, recycling, and food/yard waste are collected on the same weekday, but recycling is every other week and food/yard waste has seasonal rules.
Set carts out by 6:00 AM on your collection day. Keep carts at least 3 feet from each other, vehicles and obstacles, place carts within 2 feet of the curb, face lids toward the street or alley, and do not exceed the 200-pound cart weight limit.
Spokane Trash Pickup Day Lookup — Find Your Weekly Garbage Day and Recycling Week
Spokane’s city collection system is easy once you separate three things: your weekly garbage day, your every-other-week recycling week, and your food/yard waste service schedule. The weekday is address-based, so the right answer is always the official pickup map, not a generic neighborhood guess.
Open the City garbage pickup map
Use the official City of Spokane garbage pickup map to confirm your weekly collection day. This is the best starting point if you just moved, changed neighborhoods, or are unsure whether your alley or street side is serviced.
Check whether this is your recycling week
Recycling is collected every other week. Your garbage day stays weekly, but the blue recycling cart should follow the assigned odd/even recycling week shown by the City’s recycling map guidance.
Check your green cart service
Food and yard waste collection occurs on the same day as garbage when that service is active. Weekly service runs March through November, with winter pickups only during specific weeks.
Put carts out by 6 AM
The driver may arrive earlier or later than you are used to, so late set-out can look like a missed pickup even when the truck already passed.
Official lookup: Use the City map first, then save your weekly day and recycling week in your phone calendar.
Open Pickup MapSpokane Garbage Set-Out Rules — 6 AM, 3 Feet Apart, Lid Toward Street and No Overloaded Carts
The most common Spokane pickup problems are not complicated: carts are too close together, blocked by vehicles, placed under an obstacle, facing the wrong way, overloaded, or set out too late. Spokane uses automated collection trucks, so the cart needs enough clearance for the lifting arm.
- Place carts at the curb by 6:00 AM.
- Keep each cart at least 3 feet from other carts, vehicles and obstacles.
- Place carts within 2 feet of the curb.
- Make sure the lid opens toward the street or alley.
- Keep lids closed and materials inside the cart.
- Keep the cart under the 200-pound weight limit.
- Do not place carts under an eave or basketball hoop.
- Do not park cars in front of carts.
- Do not let material extend outside the cart.
- Do not overfill the cart and leave the lid wide open.
- Do not assume recycling is weekly.
- Do not place green carts out during non-collection winter weeks unless requesting paid dump service.
Local habit that saves frustration: Put the carts out the evening before only if it is safe and allowed at your property, then double-check by 6 AM. The current City rule that matters most is that the cart must be available by 6 AM when the route begins.
Spokane Solid Waste Video Guide — Three Feet Apart for Carts
This official SpokaneCity video is useful because it explains the exact spacing mistake that causes many missed or skipped collections. Spokane residents should keep garbage, recycling, and yard waste carts at least three feet apart and have them curbside by 6 AM so automated trucks can safely service each cart.
Best for: New residents, homeowners with multiple carts, alley pickup users, recycling-week users, green-cart subscribers, and anyone who has had a cart skipped because it was too close to a car, another cart, an eave, or a basketball hoop.
This video supports the practical guidance in this article. For exact pickup dates, holiday changes, missed collection, cart size, cart replacement, extra garbage fees, disposal site hours, and service alerts, residents should still verify details through official Spokane Solid Waste and Spokane 311 links.
Spokane Recycling Pickup Schedule — Every Other Week Blue Cart and Extra Moving Boxes
Spokane residential recycling is collected every other week. It happens on the same weekday as garbage, but not every week. If your garbage goes out every Tuesday, your recycling cart may still only go out on alternating Tuesdays. Use the City recycling map or calendar guidance to confirm your week.
- Confirm this is your assigned recycling week.
- Place the blue cart out by 6:00 AM.
- Leave 3 feet between carts and obstacles.
- Keep recyclables clean and dry.
- Break down cardboard so it fits better.
- Use drop-off sites for extra clean recyclables.
- Single-family residential customers may stack broken-down moving boxes and packing paper next to the recycling cart.
- The City describes this as a one-time courtesy pickup for extras that do not fit.
- Foam peanuts, bubble wrap and non-recyclable packing materials are not accepted as recycling.
- Non-recyclable materials can be left or charged as garbage.
Battery warning: Lithium-ion batteries should not go in trash or recycling carts because of fire risk. Spokane guidance points residents to Battery Smart Spokane and transfer-station options for safe handling.
Spokane Food and Yard Waste Pickup — Green Cart, Weekly Season and 2026 Winter Collection Weeks
Spokane food and yard waste is an optional curbside service using a green cart. The cart can take food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard debris. Collection occurs on the same weekday as garbage when service is active, and carts must be out by 6 AM.
- Meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, breads and eggshells.
- Coffee grounds and tea bags.
- Pizza boxes and food-soiled paper towels or napkins.
- Paper egg cartons and paper grocery bags with food scraps.
- Grass, leaves, weeds, pine needles, thatch and plant trimmings.
- Branches less than 3 inches in diameter.
- Weekly collection occurs March through November.
- Winter pickup occurs once a month in January, February and December.
- 2026 winter weeks: January 5-9, February 2-6 and December 7-11.
- Keep the green cart secured on non-collection weeks.
- Non-collection week green-cart dump requests may be billed as garbage.
Winter mistake: Do not place the green cart out every week in January, February or December unless it is the official winter collection week or you specifically requested service. Food and yard waste trucks do not operate on non-collection weeks.
Spokane Holiday Garbage Pickup — When Collection Runs One Day Late
Spokane solid waste holiday rules are simple but easy to forget. Collection crews observe six major holidays. If your collection falls on or after one of these holidays, service is generally one day late, and Friday collection takes place on Saturday.
| Holiday | 2026 Date | Day | Resident Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | January 1, 2026 | Thursday | Thursday and Friday collections should check one-day-late schedule. |
| Memorial Day | May 25, 2026 | Monday | Routes after the holiday are typically one day late. |
| Independence Day | July 4, 2026 | Saturday | Verify City notice because weekday routes may not shift when the holiday falls Saturday. |
| Labor Day | September 7, 2026 | Monday | Routes after the holiday are typically one day late. |
| Thanksgiving Day | November 26, 2026 | Thursday | Thursday and Friday collections should check one-day-late schedule. |
| Christmas Day | December 25, 2026 | Friday | Friday collection should verify Saturday pickup or official City notice. |
Important: Spokane often keeps normal service for holidays that are not one of the six observed solid waste holidays. For example, City notices have said garbage and recycling can run normally on some civic holidays. Always check the current Spokane release when a holiday week arrives.
Spokane Extra Garbage, Cart Sizes and Vacation Hold — What to Do When It Does Not Fit
If extra material does not fit inside the cart, Spokane may pick up bundled material next to the cart for an extra fee when it meets City rules. Extra material must not be longer than 4 feet. If you regularly have overflow, it is better to change your garbage cart size instead of repeatedly paying extra fees.
- Bundle extra material no longer than 4 feet if it qualifies.
- Expect extra fees for extra material outside the cart.
- Use Spokane 311 to change garbage cart size.
- Self-haul overflow to the Waste to Energy facility when practical.
- Use recycling drop-off for clean recyclables instead of garbage.
- Notify the City in advance if you need to place service on hold.
- Garbage can be suspended a maximum of two times annually.
- Hold must be two weeks or longer.
- One-week vacation holds are not available.
- You are not billed while service is suspended.
Need service changes? Use Spokane 311 for cart size changes, service holds, missed pickup or cart replacement.
Open Spokane 311Spokane Waste to Energy Facility, Transfer Stations and Free Recycling Drop-Off
Spokane County residents have three major one-stop drop-off options for recyclables, household hazardous waste, yard waste and trash. The City operates the Waste to Energy Facility Recycling & Disposal Site at 2900 S. Geiger Blvd. The County also operates North County and Valley transfer stations.
| Facility | Address | Hours / Notes | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waste to Energy Facility | 2900 S. Geiger Blvd. | 7:30 AM – 5 PM daily; closed major holidays. | Trash, clean recyclables, yard waste, many special disposal needs. |
| North County Recycling & Transfer Station | 22123 N. Elk-Chattaroy Road | 7:30 AM – 5 PM daily, year-round. | North-area transfer station and recycling drop-off. |
| Valley Recycling & Transfer Station | 3941 N. Sullivan Road | 7:30 AM – 5 PM daily, year-round. | Valley-area transfer station and recycling drop-off. |
- Trash disposal rate listed at $152.60 per ton.
- Minimum charge listed at $24.93 for up to 320 pounds.
- Self-haul transaction fee listed at $2.68 per vehicle.
- Clean green/yard waste rate listed separately.
- Bring proper identification.
- Clean recyclable materials can be dropped off free of charge.
- Household hazardous waste disposal is listed as free.
- Accepted recyclable items include glass bottles and jars, paper, cardboard, aluminum and metal cans, small scrap metal, and many plastic containers.
Waste to Energy Facility Map
Missed Garbage Pickup Spokane — What to Check Before Filing a 311 Request
If your cart was not collected, check the common reasons before reporting it. Spokane says it will make every effort to return the same day or next day to remedy a missed or partially emptied cart, with Friday collection handled on Monday because crews are closed weekends.
Confirm it was your correct day
Use the pickup map. If recycling was not collected, confirm it was actually your every-other-week recycling week.
Check the 6 AM rule
If the cart was placed out late, that is not the same as a missed pickup. Spokane routes can arrive earlier or later than expected.
Check spacing and weight
Make sure the cart was 3 feet from obstacles, lid facing the street or alley, within 2 feet of the curb, not overloaded, and under 200 pounds.
Report through Spokane 311
Use Spokane311.org, dial 311 inside city limits, or call 509-755-CITY from outside city limits.
Official missed pickup: Submit a service request through Spokane 311.
Report Missed PickupCity of Spokane Solid Waste Phone Number, Address, Map and Official Resources
| Need | Official Contact | Use This For |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane 311 | 311 inside city limits | Missed pickup, cart problems, service changes, pack-out help. |
| Outside City Limits | 509-755-CITY (2489) | Spokane service help from outside city limits. |
| Solid Waste Disposal | 509-625-6580 | Waste to Energy tours, disposal questions and solid waste disposal information. |
| City Hall | 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane, WA 99201 | General City of Spokane contact location. |
| Waste to Energy Facility | 2900 S. Geiger Blvd., Spokane, WA | Trash, recycling and disposal drop-off site. |
City Hall Map
Official Spokane Trash and Recycling Links
Related Trash Pickup Guides — Washington, Bulk Items and Nearby Collection Help
Use these related guides when you want to compare local collection calendars, bulk pickup, holiday rules, recycling drop-off and statewide Washington disposal options.
Spokane Trash Pickup FAQ — Local Resident Questions Answered
Source Verification and Editorial Note
Independent information guide — not affiliated with the City of Spokane. trash-pickup.org is a public information resource. We do not operate garbage collection, recycling pickup, food and yard waste service, Spokane 311, transfer stations, or the Waste to Energy Facility.
Pickup day guidance, 6 AM set-out rule, three-foot cart spacing, 200-pound weight limit, every-other-week recycling, food and yard waste rules, 2026 winter green-cart weeks, missed pickup reporting, transfer station hours, disposal fees, and official contact details were checked against official Spokane sources as of May 2026. Routes, rates, holiday notices, accepted materials and facility rules can change. Always verify through City of Spokane Solid Waste and Spokane 311 before acting.
Official Sources — Verified May 2026
- City of Spokane — Solid Waste Services
- City of Spokane — Residential Solid Waste Services
- City of Spokane — Garbage Pickup Day Map
- City of Spokane — Food and Yard Waste Collection
- City of Spokane — Recycling Services
- City of Spokane — Disposal Locations, Fees and Hours
- City of Spokane — Waste to Energy Facility
- Spokane 311 — Service Requests
- SpokaneCity — Three Feet Apart for Solid Waste Carts
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