Trash pickup in Seattle, WA

Who collects trash in Seattle, how trash day works, and which holidays move pickup. Checked against official city and hauler pages on Oct 15, 2026.

Next holiday to check: Thanksgiving Day, Thu, Nov 26, 2026Not announcedSee every holiday

At a glance

Who collects
Contracted haulers by area
Haulers
2: WM, Recology
Recycling
Every other week
Holiday schedule
2026 not posted yet, 2027 not posted yet
Last checked
Oct 15, 2026

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) runs residential garbage, recycling and food and yard waste service and bills customers, but the trucks belong to two contractors, each serving its own areas. WM serves Northwest Seattle (west of I-5, north of the Ship Canal), West Seattle and South Seattle (south of I-90). Recology serves Northeast Seattle (east of I-5, north of the Ship Canal) and Central Seattle (north of I-90, south of the Ship Canal). Single-family homes get garbage and compost every week and recycling every other week. Look up your day by address on SPU's site.

Who picks up trash in Seattle

Contracted haulers by area.

WM (Waste Management)

Private haulerTrashRecyclingYard wasteOrganicsBulk
Area
Northwest Seattle (west of I-5, north of the Ship Canal), West Seattle and South Seattle (south of I-90). SPU's MLK Day notices group these areas together on the regular schedule, and Waste Dive (Aug 2026) names WM for the Northwest and South areas.
Neighborhoods
Northwest Seattle, West Seattle, South Seattle
Phone
(206) 684-3000 (SPU customer service; residents contact SPU, not WM)

Under contract to Seattle Public Utilities from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2029; July 2025 Solid Waste Advisory Committee minutes mention possible extensions up to 2033. Bulky item pickups are scheduled with the designated collector. WM also won Seattle's recyclables processing contract starting April 2027, which doesn't change who collects at the curb. WM's general Seattle number, 866-849-0076, is for commercial and dumpster service, not SPU residential.

Recology (Recology King County)

Private haulerTrashRecyclingYard wasteOrganicsBulk
Area
Northeast Seattle (east of I-5, north of the Ship Canal) and Central Seattle (north of I-90, south of the Ship Canal). SPU's MLK Day notices name these as the areas delayed under Recology's labor agreement with the Teamsters, and Waste Dive (Aug 2026) names Recology for the Northeast and Central areas.
Neighborhoods
Northeast Seattle, Central Seattle
Phone
(206) 684-3000 (SPU customer service; residents contact SPU, not Recology)

Under contract to Seattle Public Utilities from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2029. Recology's labor agreement makes MLK Day a non-service day, so these areas run one day late the week of MLK Day.

Not covered

Seattle Housing Authority properties use SHA's own collection; contact SHA. Commercial recycling and food and yard waste are often handled by private haulers. Apartment and condo garbage, recycling and compost are part of the City's contracts.

How trash day works in Seattle

Each address has a fixed weekly day. Look it up by address with SPU's Look Up Collection Day tool or in the Recycle It app.

Find a trash day on seattle.gov

Recycling: every other week. SPU says that for single-family homes, "garbage and compost is collected every week while recycling is collected every other week." Apartments and condos may have more frequent collection.

Carts go at the curb or in the alley on collection day. For set-out times, see SPU's Setting Out Waste for Collection page. Bulky items go out by 7 a.m., Monday to Friday of the scheduled week (SPU, 2020).

Seattle trash pickup holiday schedule

Upcoming holidays in Seattle and what each does to pickup. Seattle hasn’t announced yet how these holidays change pickup.

SPU announces holiday changes in posts on its At Your Service blog shortly before each holiday, not in a yearly calendar. It hasn't posted anything yet for Thanksgiving 2026, Christmas 2026, New Year's Day 2027 or MLK Day 2027. In 2022-2025 posts, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day had no collection citywide, and that day's routes and the rest of the week slid one day. In 2023-2026 posts, MLK Day delayed only the Recology areas (Northeast and Central) by one day. No SPU source lists Memorial Day, July 4 or Labor Day as affecting collection.

2026

  1. Thanksgiving Day, Thu, Nov 26, 2026

    Not announced

    All SPU residential collection (WM and Recology areas)

    Not announced yet. In 2022-2025, SPU had no garbage, recycling or food and yard waste collection on Thanksgiving, and "service for that day, and the remainder of the week, will be delayed by one day" (Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday). Check SPU's At Your Service blog the week before.

    Source: atyourservice.seattle.gov

  2. Christmas Day, Fri, Dec 25, 2026

    Not announced

    All SPU residential collection (WM and Recology areas)

    Not announced yet. In past years, SPU had no collection on Christmas, and Thursday and Friday routes slid one day. Christmas 2026 is a Friday. Check SPU's At Your Service blog the week before.

    Source: atyourservice.seattle.gov

2027

  1. New Year's Day, Fri, Jan 1, 2027

    Not announced

    All SPU residential collection (WM and Recology areas)

    Not announced yet. In past years, SPU had no collection on New Year's Day, and the rest of that week slid one day. Jan 1, 2027 is a Friday. Check SPU's At Your Service blog the week before.

    Source: atyourservice.seattle.gov

  2. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mon, Jan 18, 2027

    Not announced

    Recology areas (Northeast and Central Seattle)

    Not announced yet. In 2023-2026, SPU said Recology's labor agreement with the Teamsters makes MLK Day a non-service day: Northeast and Central Seattle slid one day, Monday through Saturday, while Northwest, West and South Seattle (WM areas) stayed on their regular days. Check SPU's At Your Service blog in January.

    Source: atyourservice.seattle.gov
Not announced
The city hasn’t said yet. The note has what’s known, such as last year’s pattern.
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Questions about trash pickup in Seattle

Who picks up trash in Seattle?

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) runs residential garbage, recycling and food and yard waste service and bills customers, but the trucks belong to two contractors, each serving its own areas. WM serves Northwest Seattle (west of I-5, north of the Ship Canal), West Seattle and South Seattle (south of I-90). Recology serves Northeast Seattle (east of I-5, north of the Ship Canal) and Central Seattle (north of I-90, south of the Ship Canal). Single-family homes get garbage and compost every week and recycling every other week. Look up your day by address on SPU's site.

How do I find my trash day in Seattle?

Each address has a fixed weekly day. Look it up by address with SPU's Look Up Collection Day tool or in the Recycle It app.

Is recycling picked up every week in Seattle?

No, every other week. SPU says that for single-family homes, "garbage and compost is collected every week while recycling is collected every other week." Apartments and condos may have more frequent collection.

Is trash picked up on Thanksgiving in Seattle?

Thanksgiving is Thu, Nov 26, 2026. All SPU residential collection (WM and Recology areas): Not announced yet. In 2022-2025, SPU had no garbage, recycling or food and yard waste collection on Thanksgiving, and "service for that day, and the remainder of the week, will be delayed by one day" (Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday). Check SPU's At Your Service blog the week before.

Is trash picked up on Christmas in Seattle?

Christmas is Fri, Dec 25, 2026. All SPU residential collection (WM and Recology areas): Not announced yet. In past years, SPU had no collection on Christmas, and Thursday and Friday routes slid one day. Christmas 2026 is a Friday. Check SPU's At Your Service blog the week before.

Is trash picked up on New Year’s Day in Seattle?

New Year’s Day is Fri, Jan 1, 2027. All SPU residential collection (WM and Recology areas): Not announced yet. In past years, SPU had no collection on New Year's Day, and the rest of that week slid one day. Jan 1, 2027 is a Friday. Check SPU's At Your Service blog the week before.

Sources

Official city and hauler pages, checked Oct 15, 2026. News and other sites used for details the official pages don’t give are listed separately. Schedules change, especially around holidays: check the city’s page before you plan routes. Something out of date? Email taylor@bincleanmarketing.com.

Other sources (2)
  • wastedive.com: Which areas WM and Recology serve; WM's processing contract from April 2027
  • wm.com: WM's general Seattle phone number (commercial service)

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