Some 2,500 Spokane County residents to receive recycling services by spring

Blue bins will appear alongside spring blooms across Spokane County next year.

The Spokane County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to expand recycling services to around 2,500 unincorporated county residents, the first change to the county-set coverage areas since 2018.

Neighborhoods on the east side of Hangman Valley, around Medical Lake and south of Mead are just some of the areas soon to receive curbside recycling service following the vote.

Waste Management and Sunshine Disposal Services, the two companies that handle solid waste in Spokane County, will have until April to provide blue bins to residents within the new service areas.

County employees said in briefings and public hearings ahead of the vote that the changes will cover many parts of the county that have developed into residential areas since the last update.

The update also aligns with state goals laid out in the 2025 Recycling Reform Act, which include providing curbside recycling to everyone by 2030, said Lindsay Chapman, a solid waste administrator for Spokane County.

Gov. Bob Ferguson called the reform package the “biggest overhaul of our recycling system in decades,” as reported by the Seattle Times. It also requires brands and producers to oversee the state’s recycling system and partially reimburse local governments and service providers for recycling programs.

Residents should see the benefits of those reimbursements through reduced-cost recycling services starting in 2030. Within two years, those brands and companies are expected to go from covering 50% of recycling programs to 90%.

Until then, residents will be responsible for the services provided by their waste hauler.

Chapman said last week the commission will likely need to consider future expansions of service boundaries in the years to come, particularly as the recycling reforms take effect.