Spokane: Stuff Green Carts with Food and Yard Waste

~ Spokane City Reminds Residents of Winter Pick-Up for Green Carts

As the winter months approach, the City of Spokane is reminding subscribed curbside food and yard waste customers that they can have their green carts emptied. This service, which runs weekly from March through November, will also have one week per month pick-up during the winter season.

According to Kirstin Davis, Communications Manager for the City of Spokane, this decision was made based on customer feedback and in preparation for upcoming required expanded services. The first winter pick-up week will be from December 1st to 5th, 2025. The other two pick-up weeks will be from January 5th to 9th and February 2nd to 6th in 2026.

Marlene Feist, Public Works Director, explains that this decision was made in response to requests from residents for residential services after November. "Especially when the weather allows for people to do more yard clean up," she says. "It's also a way to remind the community to use their green cart for food disposal."

With holiday feasts often producing significant amounts of food waste, residents are encouraged to plan ahead and prepare adequately-sized meals to reduce waste. Guests are also encouraged to bring their own "to-go" containers to take leftovers home. Any remaining food waste should be disposed of in green carts with yard waste.

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To help with this effort, residents who subscribe to the food and yard waste green cart service are urged to put as many leaves and yard waste as possible into their green carts before Friday, December 5th. It is important not to push leaves from the yard into the street as this can block stormwater and snow melt-off from reaching neighborhood drains.

The 90-gallon food and yard waste green cart can be filled with all types of yard waste including leaves, pine needles, grass, pumpkins, pinecones, weeds, vines, thatch, plant trimmings, small amounts of sod, and branches. However, it is important not to overload the carts and to make sure the lids are fully closed.

Residents should also be aware that plastic bags do not belong in food and yard waste green carts. Green carts with plastic bags will be billed as garbage. Paper leaf bags are acceptable in the green cart or can be left next to the green cart. Customers who subscribe to food and yard waste collection are eligible for a discounted disposal of up to three extra paper bags full of leaves. These leaves will be sent to a composting facility. However, if plastic bags with leaves are left out, there will be a larger disposal fee per bag and they will go into the trash.

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To further reduce food waste, residents are encouraged to put scraps in their green carts. This includes meat, poultry, fish, beans, dairy products, fruit, vegetables, breads, grains, pasta, eggshells, nutshells, coffee grounds, tea bags and leftovers. Food-soiled papers such as greasy pizza boxes, coffee filters and paper towels can also be disposed of in the green carts.

For those who do not currently have this service but would like to add it on for their residential property can do so by going online at Spokane311.org or by calling 311 if within city boundaries or (509) 755-2489 if outside.

Recyclers and composters can still recycle yard and food waste at the City's Waste to Energy (WTE) facility which is open from 7:30am to 5pm daily. Clean green materials are accepted year-round at WTE with a minimum charge of $7.62 for up to 200 pounds of clean green material. There is also a self-haul fee of $2.49.

With these reminders from the City of Spokane about winter pick-up for green carts, residents can do their part in reducing waste and keeping their neighborhoods clean.

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