Garbage and Recycling

The most commonly selected service levels

• Weekly, every-other-week or monthly garbage service – Carts are available in sizes of 20, 32, 64 or 95 gallons. Disposal service costs increase as the size increases.
• Every-other-week recycling service – The standard size is a 95-gallon cart. Carts in sizes of 64, 48 and 32 gallons are also available upon request.
• Every-other-week organics collection – include food along with yard debris in you curbside organics cart. On-call yard debris service has transitioned to the new every-other-week organics service. Visit Waste Connections/Organics or call 360-892-5370 to learn more.

The standard blue recycling cart is 95 gallons. For most households, this cart size will fit the capacity needs of the every-other-week collection schedule. You only need to set out your cart on your regularly scheduled recycling collection day when it is full.
Questions about size? We encourage you to try the standard cart for a sure understanding and experience of how it will work for you. If you have questions or significant challenges impacting your ability to use the standard cart, the City of Vancouver and Waste Connections will be happy to work with you to help find a solution to your specific situation.

The Big Blue cart is the standard, but other sizes are available upon request. Keep in mind that you’ll want to be sure to get a big enough cart to handle all your recycling needs – including nursery pots, plastic tubs and buckets of 5 gallons or less – for two weeks.

*As of January 1, 2024: All rates above include a cart provided by the contracted collector for garbage and recycling services. Recycling services are $5.30/month, which includes the recycling surcharge of $1.41 per month, as noted below.

**Minimum level of service is required.

More information for residential customers

• As of January 1, 2024, your bill includes a $1.41 surcharge to cover costs to sort and clean recyclables to strict market standards. This surcharge will be evaluated annually to ensure the charge reflects current market conditions. Your efforts to recycle right will help to increase the quality of recyclable materials, which in turn helps to control costs.
• Additional Garbage: Extra can or bag, or overweight (65 pounds/32 gallons) container will result in a fee of $9.64 per set-out (per 32-gallon equivalent).
• Return trip fee of $13.85 will apply if you miss setting out your cart and request special pick-up later.
• Other service options, including carry-out are available; call Waste Connections for information.
• Carry-out collection (HELICO) service provided at curbside rate to Vancouver residents who are physically unable to move a receptacle to the curb and whose income is at or below 125% of Federal Poverty Guidelines; call Waste Connections for information.
• One time per year, residents with active garbage service may schedule one free pickup for up to five bulky items; to schedule, contact Waste Connections or use the RecycleRight app or webtool.
• Bulky item pick-up is available throughout the year. Costs range from $14.66 for a chair to $36.67 for a refrigerator. To schedule, contact Waste Connections or use the RecycleRight app or webtool.
• One time per year, residents with active garbage service may schedule one free pickup of a major appliance. To schedule, contact Waste Connections.
• A 3-cubic-yard rent-a-bin is available for short-term use for a fee of $212.91
• A state refuse tax of 3.6 percent is applied to the garbage portion of your bill.
• Residential customers are billed every other month. Two months of service appear on each bill.
• Vacation stops are available with pre-notification, based on a minimum two-week period and maximum frequency of three times per year.
• The above service levels and rates listed are those used most often. The full set of residential and commercial options can be found here: VMC 6.12 – subsections 208-213.

Curbside Organics

City of Vancouver residents can add food scraps, along with yard debris, in their existing teal/green organics cart for every-other-week curbside collection. This organics collection is available to you as an optional service. Please call your service provider, below, for details on rates and options.

Customers in the City of Vancouver who do not currently subscribe to this optional service may sign up for organics service by contacting Waste Connections. Call 360-892-5370 or email customerservice2010@wcnx.org to learn more.

Allowed: food scraps/materials include: all compostable pre- and post-consumer food waste, such as whole or partial pieces of produce, meats, bones, cheese, bread, cereals, coffee grounds, and eggshells. Approved compostable plastic or paper bags, used to contain the above materials, are also allowed (VMC 6.12.10). 

Not Allowed: materials include: dead animals, all other plastics, diapers, cat litter, free-flowing liquid waste, ashes, pet waste, garbage, glass, foam, compostable service ware, soiled paper, or other materials prohibited by the organics processor.

*EOW = Every Other Week

Contact your collection service provider

Residential garbage, general recycling and organics recycling within the City are provided through a contracted operator.

Customer Service Waste Connections, Inc.
12115 NE 99th St., Suite 1830, Vancouver, WA 98682, 360-892-5370
Web: www.wcnorthwest.com | Email: customerhelp@wasteconnections.com

Green Neighbors Program

Welcome to your green neighborhood! The Clark County Green Neighbors program is an exciting way for you to learn about green events in your area and discover how you can live a more sustainable life. Click this link to sign up for the Green Neighbors Newsletter.

Don’t let severe weather or unforeseen service changes catch you by surprise! Sign up to receive service alerts and reminders through your smart phone or tablet, by email or by phone, all using the RecycleRight app.

To get alerts through the RecycleRight app on your smartphone or tablet you must first have the RecycleRight app. If you haven’t yet, take a moment to download the RecycleRight app from Apple App Store (works with iPhones and iPads) or Google Play (works with android devices). Alerts in Español, Русский and Tiếng Việt are also available. Email the Solid Waste team at solidwaste@cityofvancouver.us for assistance. Now you’re ready to get started.

Holiday Schedules

With the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, customers in the City of Vancouver can expect garbage, recycling and organics to be picked up on their regularly scheduled collection day, even on official holidays.

On Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays that occur Monday through Friday, the collection of your garbage, recycling and organics will be delayed one day. Additional information will be posted on social media on the days leading up to those holidays.

For all other holidays, please remember to have your carts/bins out no later than 6:30 a.m. for collection.

Prepare for Possible Extreme Weather

Winter can bring snow, ice and/or freezing rain and summer can bring extreme heat and possible poor air quality. While Vancouver has a relatively moderate climate and those more hazardous conditions don’t typically last long here, severe weather interruptions to garbage, recycling and organics services are a real possibility.

City of Vancouver, in coordination with Clark County and Waste Connections, strive to keep disruptions to a minimum. If unsafe weather conditions persist, the City/County and garbage hauler will determine if a cancellation is necessary. Our first priority in determining if a cancellation is needed is the safety of our drivers and of our community members. 

Be ready for winter weather before it arrives

1. Sign up for alerts/notices that you can receive by RecycleRight app, email or phone call if/when services are canceled or significantly delayed due to hazardous road conditions. See the Recycle Right tab.
2. Keep a spare container handy as backup. If service is canceled, you may be asked to keep that cart and set it out at the next regularly scheduled pickup. Having an extra container can help make it less disruptive for you. Please remember to NOT use plastic bags for extra recyclable materials. Extra recycling can be placed in cardboard boxes or brown kraft bags if needed.
3. Follow Vancouver Public Works on Facebook or Twitter for updates during winter weather or other severe weather conditions.

One-Day Cancellation

In the case of a one day cancellation due to inclement weather, the City/County and service provider will determine whether follow-up collection will take place the next day or whether collections should be held and twice the amount be picked up on the next week’s regular collection day. For example, if delayed a day and your collection is on Wednesday, your pickup could be moved to Thursday. Thursday collection moved to Friday and Friday collection will move to Saturday, weather permitting.

More Than One Day Cancellation

If more than one day of garbage service is canceled in a week, customers of the days canceled should expect to take their waste off the curb and set out double the amount of waste on the following week on your regularly scheduled collection day at no additional charge. Learn how to set out extra material. Holiday schedules may also impact changes in collection dates caused by inclement weather.

Stay Informed

For cancellation updates and related follow-up collection information, please watch the website alerts and/or listen to your local radio and news stations.

To receive phone alerts, be sure to provide Waste Connections of Washington with your most current phone number. Contact Waste Connections by telephone at 360-892-5370 or through their website at wcnorthwest.com.

Broken, Tangled or Old Holiday Lights

Please do not place unwanted lights your recycle cart or container; they will tangle on sorting machinery at the recycling facility and create a hazard for workers. Instead, recycle them at Earth Friendly Recycling, E H Metal Recycling and at the Lacamas Lake Lowes.

Spread cheer. Many local thrift stores will accept lights that are in good working condition. See the Recycle Right tab for more information.

Holiday Trees

Many options exist for recycling. In all cases, please remove tinsel, lights, ornaments, wire, stands and other materials that are not part of the tree. 

• Scout Troops often offer a curbside tree collection in early January. Watch for a door-hanger notice with event details.
• Curbside organics subscribers can cut their Christmas tree to a maximum of 5 feet tall or wide. Please cut down the tree into sections of 5 feet or less and place sections in the cart. If the organics cart is already full, subscribers can place their Christmas tree alongside their cart and have it collected as extra for an additional fee of $4.24.
• Garbage collectors will pick up flocked or artificial trees, up to 5 feet tall, for a fee of $9.64.
• Unflocked Christmas trees can also be recycled for a fee at the transfer stations, H & H Wood Recyclers, City Bark, McFarlane’s Bark and Triangle Resources. Prices vary, but they are generally in the $1 to $5 range. 

Catalogs

Dismayed by a mailbox full of unwanted catalogs? Sign on to www.CatalogChoice.org  and opt out of the ones you don’t want to receive. Basic opt out service is free – additional features are available for a fee.

Household Batteries

Vancouver residents have a convenient recycling option for old alkaline, nickel cadmium (NiCad) and lithium household batteries; flashlight, hearing aid and rechargeable batteries. Just tape over the ends, place them in a sealable clear plastic bag, and place the bag on top of your recycling roll cart. Consider buying rechargeable batteries and a charger to accompany your electronic gifts to reduce the number of batteries that have to be discarded.

Cooking Oil

Sure, that deep-fried turkey was moist and tasty. But what do you do with the oil now? Recycle it! Columbia Resource Company will accept up to five gallons of cooking oil per day per customer at their West Vancouver Material Recovery Center, Central Transfer and Recycling Center and Washougal Transfer Station during regular hours of operation. The used cooking oil is recycled.​

Holiday Foods

Your turkey, ham and other meats can easily be placed into your teal/green organics cart. Every-other-week curbside organics collection is available to City of Vancouver residents as an optional service. Food scraps, along with yard debris, can be put into the organics cart for handy curbside collection. You can dispose of produce, meats, bones, carcasses, cheese, bread, cereals, coffee grounds, eggshells and gourds. Email Waste Connections, customerservice2010@wcnx.org, and sign up today.

Computers and Electronics

Recycle TVs, computers, monitors, laptops, tablets, e-readers and portable DVD players for FREE through E-Cycle Washington. Households, small businesses, schools & school districts, small governments, special purpose districts and charities can recycle electronic products free of charge using this program. Find a recycling drop off location for your e-waste.

Packing Peanuts

Packing peanuts are often accepted for reuse by local mailing businesses.

Wrapping and Packaging

Cardboard boxes, printed gift-wrapping paper, mailing tubes and paper bags that cannot be used again next year may be flattened and placed in your blue recycle cart or container. Please do not include ribbons, bows, yarn, foil-coated wrapping, bubble wrap, plastic bags or foam packing. You can reduce the amount of paper that is discarded by utilizing reusable gift bags made of heavy paper or fabric or by making the wrapping part of the gift i.e., tablecloths, towels and storage containers.

Visit Clark County Green Neighbors for more resources to manage holiday waste: Did you know that in the U.S., annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons?

Some household products can harm you and/or the environment. Read the label. If you see the words DANGER, POISON, CAUTION, or WARNING on the label, consider the product hazardous. That’s true even if the label also includes words such as NATURAL or GREEN, which currently have no legal definition. Most Household Hazardous Wastes (HHW) commonly fall into one of the following categories:

• Automotive products – oil, antifreeze, gasoline, brake and transmission fluid
• Household cleaners – oven cleaners, drain cleaners, disinfectants, and some laundry products
• Paints/Solvents – latex and oil-based paints, paint thinners, varnishes, and wood preservatives
• Poisons – insecticides/pesticides, herbicides and fungicides

Solvents, paints, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and other chemicals should never be poured down a sink or stormwater drain. They do not belong inside your garbage or recycling cart. Also, batteries, motor oil, and antifreeze can be collected curbside, separately and placed appropriately, along with your recycle cart. Consider attending a free workshop to learn more.

To help you with proper and safe disposal, up to 25 gallons or 200 pounds of household hazardous wastes are accepted from residents free of charge on designated days at the transfer stations listed here.

For a quick check, use the free RecycleRight App or use the Item Lookup. Enter the name of the item you no longer need and hit the “Search” to get answers to your disposal and recycling questions.

Central Transfer and Recycling Center: 11034 NE 117th Avenue
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 360-256-8482

West Van Materials Recovery Center: 6601 NW Old Lower River Rd
Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 360-737-1727

Washougal Transfer Station: 4020 South Grant Street
1st and 3rd Saturday, monthly, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 360-835-2500

Visit www.columbiaresourcecompany.com to check the camera for a real-time idea of possible lines at the transfer stations.

Recycling Paint

Conveniently recycle paint at several Clark County locations. Visit www.PaintCare.org for locations, acceptable materials and quantities. Paint is also accepted as HHW at the transfer stations (see above).

Unwanted Medication

Improper disposal of unwanted medication and medical waste also can cause harm to humans, pets and the environment. Clark County Public Health has teamed up with the nonprofit MED-Project LLC to provide free disposal of expired, unwanted or unused medicine safely and conveniently. In Clark County, there are many drop-off sites residents can visit during business hours to dispose of unwanted or expired medicine. If driving is not an option, medications can be mailed in after filling out the online form.

• Find the nearest drop-off site
• Fill out the mail-in form

Contact PREVENT! Coalition for additional resources, 360-952-3397 or www.preventcoalition.org.

Disposal of Used Sharps

Sharps are medical needles, scalpels, and other small sharp instruments. Sharps come from diabetics, livestock and pet owners, and others who must give injections at home. Used sharps should never be placed in your garbage or recycle carts or flushed down the toilet. Instead, utilize one of the options below:

• Drop-off Collection Sites: Sharps users can take their filled sharps containers to any one of the three transfer stations in Clark County during regular operating hours.
• Special Waste Pickup Services: See safeneedledisposal.org. There is a cost for this service.
• Mail-back Programs: See safeneedledisposal.org. There is a cost for this service.

Heavy-duty plastic containers designed for collecting used sharps are available for purchase at many pharmacies. If an approved sharps container is not available, use a container with a well-secured lid, preferably made of rigid plastic. Be sure to label it: “Warning Sharps – Do Not Recycle”.