Garbage pickup suspended in fire evacuation zones

For homeowners wondering what to do with garbage and recycling, the city has suspended pickup in those areas still under evacuation orders as a result of recent fires, said Marlene Feist, Spokane Public Works director.

“We are not doing garbage pickup in any of the (evacuation) zones,” Feist said. “We should not be putting our garbage folks when there shouldn’t be people living there.”

That being said, when homeowners are allowed to return to their homes, the city will give them a couple options to help clean up, especially if they have freezers and refrigerators that went several days without power.

Feist said the city will accept extra garbage bags, those that don’t fit in the bins, for free. She also noted that homeowners can place food items in green bins, which usually are used for yard waste and limbs.

“Food can be put in the green bins as long as they remove the packaging,” she said.