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History & Overview
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Ban on Recyclables in Garbage
Ban on Recyclables in Garbage
City of Seattle Ordinance #121372 prohibits the disposal, effective January 1, 2005, of certain recyclables from residential, commercial and self-haul garbage. Administrative Rule SPU-DR-01-04, “Prohibition of Recyclables in Garbage” details how the City ordinance is to be carried out. Read below for an overview of the ban, or for detailed information, see the Administrative Rule SPU-DR-01-04, "Prohibition of Recyclables in Garbage," at right.
Why did the Mayor and City Council enact this ordinance?
Why waste a good thing? Around 25% of Seattle’s garbage is made up of paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and yard debris that could have been recycled or composted. Seattle’s new recycling ordinance aims to save residents and businesses as much as $2 million a year and keep future garbage costs low. It will also help reverse a decline since 1995 in Seattle’s recycling rates.
How do the new prohibitions under Administrative Rule SPU-DR-01-04 apply to residential and commercial customers?
- • Residential (both single-family and multi-family): Residents are prohibited from putting significant amounts of paper, cardboard, glass and plastic bottles and jars as well as aluminum and tin cans in their garbage containers as of January 1, 2005. Yard debris has been prohibited from residential garbage since 1989. Exception: Contaminated and food soiled paper.
- • Commercial: Businesses are prohibited from disposing of significant amounts of paper, cardboard and yard debris in the garbage as of January 1, 2005. Exceptions: 1) Commercial or multifamily customers without adequate space for recycling as determined by SPU inspection 2) Garbage dumpsters that receive waste from the public, and 3) Contaminated and food soiled paper.
- • Self-Haul Customers at the City’s Recycling and Disposal Station: All self-haul customers are prohibited from disposing of significant amounts of recyclable paper, cardboard and yard debris in the garbage pit.
What is considered “significant amounts of recyclables”?
Significant amounts of recyclables is defined under Administrative Rule SPU-DR-01-04 as "more than 10% by volume of container, dumpster or self-haul vehicle's load based on visual inspection by an SPU inspector, contractor or transfer station worker."
What is the schedule for Implementing the new Recycling Requirements?
- • Outreach and Education in 2004: Seattle Public Utilities has underway an educational outreach program through direct mail to residents and businesses. A new, automated (206) RECYCLE phone number has been established to help answer basic questions about the recycling requirements for single-family residents, apartment dwellers, businesses and self-haul customers to the City’s Recycling and Disposal Stations.
- • Educational Tagging in 2005: Contractors and inspectors will place educational notice tags on garbage cans and dumpsters which may contain significant amounts of recyclables. Transfer station customers may receive educational notices.
- • Enforcement in 2006: Enforcement “with consequences” begins January 1, 2006.
How will the City enforce these bans in 2006?
- • Single-family Residents: The City’s contractors will not pick up garbage cans that have significant amounts of recyclables (as is done now with yard trimmings). A tag will be left on the can instructing the customer to separate out the recyclables and place the container out at the curb for collection the following week.
- • Apartment Owners or Property Managers: City inspectors will mail to the garbage account holder up to two warning notices before a $50 surcharge is added to the apartment building’s garbage bill.
- • Business Owners or Property Managers: City inspectors will mail to the garbage account holder up to two warning notices before a $50 fine is imposed.
- • Recycling and Disposal Station Customers: Self-haul customers will be asked to separate out recyclable paper and cardboard as well as yard debris from their loads and not to dispose of such material in the garbage pit.
What resources are available to help Residents and Businesses comply?
1. All single-family households have a free, curbside recycling service
2. Apartments are also eligible for the City’s free recycling service
3. Pickup of yard trimmings at the curb is available to all City residents who chose to subscribe and backyard composting has long been promoted as another alternative
4. The City’s Recycling and Disposal Stations accept recyclables for free and yard trimmings for a fee less than garbage
5. Starting in 2005, any interested business can signup to receive the City’s free, biweekly curbside recycling service
6. Businesses can contact the Resource Venture to obtain information on other private commercial recycling services where the pickup service is more frequent and revenue might be received for large quantities of recyclables as office paper.
7. Private commercial recycling pickup services are also available for yard trimmings.
Related links
Recycling & Disposal Stations
Recycling Services
Yard Waste Collection
Links to other sites
Resource Venture Recycling referrals and assistance for businesses
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