Spokane provides a comprehensive solid waste collection and disposal system that stresses the priorities of reduce, reuse, and recycle. We use a single-stream recycling system, which allows significantly more recyclables to be collected curbside than ever before.In the first year of single-stream recycling, City of Spokane residential solid waste customers increased their recycling by 80 percent. And about 6,000 customers downsized their garbage carts in the first 15 months because they were recycling so much.Each residential customer is provided with a 64-gallon rolling cart with handles—nicknamed “Big Blue”—to collect recyclables. The blue carts allow for fully automated collection, increasing efficiencies and reducing operating costs. Position your recycling cart at least 3 feet away from other collection carts or objects.The recyclables that are collected are taken to a new facility owned and operated by private company, Waste Management, where they are sorted, processed, and prepared for marketing. View the Smart Recycling page of their website.Recycling pickup is weekly in the City of Spokane, with recycling collection the same day as garbage collection. See our map to find your collection day.Spokane County recycling grew to its highest level yet in 2012, reaching 54.7 percent. Spokane County residents and businesses recycled 352,912 tons of the 645,250 tons of municipal solid waste generated in 2012. The Spokane County rate exceeds the Washington statewide recycling rate of 50.1 percent.

Located in the heart of the Inland Northwest, the City of Spokane is home to more than 200,000 residents; there are nearly 420,000 residents in the metropolitan area.The City of Spokane incorporated more than 125 years ago; we are the second largest City in the state of Washington. The City provides a host of critical services: police and fire protection; water, sewer, and garbage utilities; maintenance of streets; parks; libraries; neighborhood services; and programs for youth and low-income residents.The City will delete offensive comments including profanity or hate speech.To deliver efficient and effective services that facilitate economic opportunity and enhance the quality of life.Police Services, Fire Protection, Water Delivery, Wastewater Management, Garbage Collection & Disposal, Single Stream Recycling, Street Repair and Maintenance, Planning & Permitting, Economic Development, Housing & Homelessness Planning and Assistance, Policy Development, Etc.

Spokane's Waste to Energy (WTE) Facility is part of our community's overall comprehensive solid waste system that encourages recycling and waste reduction—along with the recovery of energy. The facility burns municipal solid waste to recover energy in the form of electricity.The facility can handle up to 800 tons of municipal solid waste a day and can generate 26 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 13,000 homes. We sell the power to Spokane's Avista Utilities and earn about $6 million in power sales annually.The process burns the solid waste at 2500 degrees and reduces the solid waste by 90 percent by volume and 70 percent by weight. The resulting ash is biologically inert and is sent to a landfill in Klickitat County for final disposal.The plant is operated by the City of Spokane's Solid Waste Disposal Department. The City took over operations of the plant in November 2014 to reduce costs and ensure ongoing efficient operations. The change in operations coincided with other changes in how the Spokane community's solid waste is managed. Previously, the plant was operated by a private company under contract with the City.The facility is regulated by Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the Spokane Regional Health District.The Waste to Energy Facility went on line in late 1991, as part of an overall solution to handle the community's solid waste, replacing non-compliant, leaking landfills.We selected waste to energy over landfilling because of its waste reduction capacity and because Spokane sits on top of the region's sole-source aquifer. The State of Washington joined us in this effort with a $60 million investment, recognizing our facility as a preferred alternative to aging landfills.