Spokane County officials are poised to vote on a proposal that would expand curbside recycling to roughly 2,500 additional rural households, extending service boundaries into neighborhoods near Medical Lake, Liberty Lake and Seven Mile. County leaders framed the move as the first step in a staged effort to meet statewide recycling requirements enacted in recent state law.
What the proposal would change
The amendment would revise the county’s current service-area boundaries for contracted trash haulers, obligating the designated companies — Waste Management Services and Sunshine Disposal — to begin offering curbside recycling to customers inside the new boundaries. If commissioners approve the change, haulers would have until April 2027 to provide recycling service to all households within the expanded area.
- Approximate number of additional households affected: 2,500
- Areas mentioned for expansion: Medical Lake, Liberty Lake, Seven Mile
- Haulers within county jurisdiction: Waste Management Services, Sunshine Disposal
Why county leaders are moving now
County solid waste officials told commissioners the expansion responds to population growth, resident requests and new statewide policy that aims to make curbside recycling available to all Washington residents by 2030. The change would be the county’s first curbside expansion since 2018, according to the county’s solid waste administrator.
“Our division was trying to figure out how do we make that happen, and working with haulers to figure out how do we get to that goal,”
Officials described the proposed amendment as a staged or “stair step” approach intended to phase in service growth over several years rather than make a single, large expansion that could strain equipment and staffing.
Operational challenges for haulers and local impact
Representatives of Waste Management said the company is prepared to extend recycling service and that the staggered approach will help manage logistics. The county and haulers cited several operational constraints that could affect how quickly expanded service is delivered across Spokane County:
- availability of recycling bins
- truck capacity and scheduling
- recruitment and licensing of drivers
“Most importantly, this is going to allow many of these residents to begin flowing recycled material into the actual system it’s intended to, and not have to put it into a garbage container,”
County officials said the timeline to April 2027 is intended to give haulers time to secure equipment and workforce needed to serve newly covered areas. They also signaled further boundary adjustments will likely be considered in the coming years as the county aligns with the 2025 Washington Recycling Reform Act and the statewide objective to deliver curbside recycling to all residents by 2030.
Decision and next steps
The Spokane County Commission is scheduled to take up the proposed amendment at a legislative meeting this week. If the commission approves the change, the county will work with Waste Management Services and Sunshine Disposal to set implementation steps and monitor progress toward the April 2027 service deadline.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Estimated households added | ~2,500 |
| Service providers | Waste Management Services; Sunshine Disposal |
| Implementation deadline | April 2027 |
| State recycling goal | All residents by 2030 (per 2025 Recycling Reform Act) |
For Spokane County residents, the proposed expansion could mean regular access to curbside recycling for households that currently must drive materials to drop-off sites or place recyclables into garbage collection. County officials and haulers said they will continue to work together to sequence future expansions while tracking supply chain and labor issues that could affect rollout.
