Garbage, Recycling, Food and Yard Waste

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The City of Kent contracts its garbage service through Republic Services.

Call Republic Services to add service or change service levels. 
Residential: 206-682-9735 | Commercial: 253-872-7220

Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

Reach Public Works Engineering

  • telephone
    253-856-5500
  • Fax
    253-856-6500
  • envelope
  • geo-alt
    City of Kent
    220 Fourth Ave. S
    Kent, WA 98032
  • clock
    Monday - Friday
    8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Garbage

Garbage service is mandatory for all occupied buildings, per Kent City Code 7.03. When signing up for curbside garbage service, residential customers will receive a blue recycling cart and a green food/yard waste cart, in a choice of sizes, at no additional charge.  Rates are determined by the size of your garbage can. You can lower your rate by recycling more!

Learn what kind of waste goes in each cart.

Current Garbage Rates 

King County and Republic Services adjust their garbage rates annually on January 1. Together, these make up the current garbage rates. 

Please visit RepublicServicesKent.com to review the current garbage rates for residential, multi-family, and commercial customers.

Please call Republic Services at 206-682-9735 to sign up for garbage service, change the level of your service, to report a missed pickup, and for questions about your service.

Did You Know?

Kent is the highest producer of garbage tonnage in King County?? YIKES! Decreasing the size of your garbage cart can help! Reducing the amount of garbage your produce directly changes Kent's overall tonnage and can lower your bill and our rates. 

 Remember:
  • Garbage = Landfill 
  • Your bill is dependent on the size of your garbage can.
  • The cost of your blue and green carts are included in your garbage rate. 

    Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station

    Bow-LakeBow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station is Kent's closest Recycling & Transfer Station.  Located at 18800 Orillia Rd S, in Tukwila Bow Lake is the busiest transfer station in King County. It includes a waste transfer building, scalehouse, and recycling areas.

     

    Beginning January 1, King County will increase its disposal rates to all customers. For up-to-date information, visit King County's website regarding disposal fees - solid waste, recycling, unsecured loads, and Cleanup LIFT discounts.


    Recycling

    Keep recycling easy by sticking to the basics: paper, plastics (bottles, jugs, tubs), metals, and glass.

    Follow These Recycling Tips
    • Keep recyclables empty, clean, and dry.
    • Put recyclables in the bin loose.
    • Flatten boxes; large pieces next to bin.
    • Scrape out food residue.
    • Recycle plastic by shape: bottles, tubs, jugs, and cups.
    • Empty and rinse containers.
    • Loose lids, caps, and plastic bags go in the garbage.
    Hard to Recycle Items
    • Plastic Bag Recycling:Bring plastic bags to your local grocery store. Find stores that accept bags on WRAP's website.
    • Special Items
      • Motor Oil
      • Cooking Oil
      • CFL's

    Looking for information on where to get rid of those hard to dispose of items? Check out King County's "What Do I Do With...?" data base for locations and assistance.

    Blue Recycle BinEmpty Clean Dry

      Keep recycling "Simple as 1 - 2 - 3"

      1. Know what to throw: Cardboard, paper, metal cans, plastic bottles and jugs
      2. Empty. Clean. Dry. : Keep all recyclables free of food and liquid
      3. Keep it loose: Never put recyclables in containers or bags

        Know your Plastics

      Check out Republic Services' new website with these tips, quick videos and more to recycling Simple as 1 - 2 - 3.

       

        Be a STAR Recycler! Remember Empty, Clean and Dry

        When you put items in the recycling container, make sure they're Empty, Clean, and Dry. It's also important to KEEP your recycling dry. One of the best ways to keep recycling dry is to make sure the lid is closed. Here are just a few other benefits to keeping the covers closed on your recycling cart or dumpster:

        • Control litter on windy days
          Closed lids keep recycling in your container on windy days.  
        • Birds can't open lids (we hope)
          Birds pull items from open containers and create a mess.
        • Wet paper isn't recyclable
          Rain ruins recyclable material, often to the point of it no longer being recyclable. If you have cardboard, break it down and put it in your recycling container or wait until a non-rainy day to place it beside your recycling cart.
        • Wet recycling is heavy
          Wet loads are heavy loads, and are much more stressful on our local streets. 

        Be a STAR Recycler and if you see a container lid open - close it. Together, we can make sure the good work you do getting Empty, Clean and Dry recycling IN the container STAYS dry waiting for collection day.

         

         



          Food and Yard Waste

          Green Cart

          Did You Know?
          • Food and yard debris is about 30% of the waste we generate at home.
          • The average family of 4 throws away 9 pounds of food each week.
          • Non shiny paper plates, napkins and paper towels can all be composted.
          • You can save money on your garbage bill by placing your food waste into your green bin instead of your garbage can.
          How Do I Get Started?
          1. Select a kitchen container.
          2. Throw food scraps away in your new container - not the garbage can.
            • Collect food scraps and food-soiled paper after a meal and when cleaning out the fridge, freezer or pantry - no plastics.
          3. Empty the container into your green food & yard waste cart.

          Do you need a kitchen countertop food waste container? 

          - Email the Conservation Coordinator today! Restrictions apply. 


          small Final Yard Waste