About the Solid Waste Division

The Solid Waste Division, in coordination with many service providers, oversees county programs and facilities for the proper management of garbage, recycling and household hazardous waste. The division works with local garbage collection companies that transport collected waste to transfer stations for consolidation and shipment to a landfill in eastern Washington.


Residents can also utilize in-person Solid Waste services during visits to one of the county’s three transfer stations, three drop boxes, or the Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Station. Solid Waste was on the front lines of the pandemic during 2020, as most of its services involve direct contact with customers. Masks and social distancing rules were put into place to protect residents and employees. Residents were encouraged to use the county’s Check the Lines webpage in order to disperse customers throughout a day and reduce crowds.


Division Focus

The division is focused on:

  1. Providing garbage disposal and recycling services while reducing overall waste
  2. Promoting and emphasizing the reuse of items and recycling
  3. Handling household hazardous waste
  4. Coordinating the transfer of garbage to landfills
  5. Partnering with private vendors to handle recycled items

Additional Services

The Solid Waste division also facilitates programs for maintaining the natural beauty of Snohomish County. Working directly with the public, the Environmental Cleanup Team offers a junk vehicle disposal program for boats and RVs. The Litter Wranglers, which was paused in 2020 due to the pandemic and will potentially restart in spring 2021, cleans up excessive litter sites reported by residents. The team also bags and disposes of the garbage to help road construction crews to work in clean environments.


The division is also responsible for operating the vactor decant facility used to process street sweeping, and the management and monitoring of many closed landfills throughout the community.


Programs Available

Below are a few of the programs available from the Solid Waste Division:

Note: Snohomish County Public Works is not responsible for curbside collection of recyclables, garbage, or yard waste. View information related to curbside collection.