Kennewick homeowners should start watching their curb this fall: Waste Management is swapping out the city's old open-top recycling bins for covered, wheeled 96-gallon carts, and curbside recycling pickup is moving from weekly to every other week starting in November, according to WM Northwest's Kennewick service page. Garbage collection stays weekly on the same day it's always been.
This follows our earlier report on the cart rollout announcement. This guide covers the specific dates and rules homeowners need to plan around.
When does my cart show up?
WM has split Kennewick into two rollout groups, according to the company's Kennewick service map:
- GOLD SCHEDULE customers should put their new cart out the week of Nov. 16, on their regular collection day.
- GREEN SCHEDULE customers start the week of Nov. 23.
There's no way to guess which group applies to a given address from a general description. WM's online map is the only reliable way to check. Residents can type in their address at wmnorthwest.com/kennewick/kennewick-map to see their group and exact start date. WM is also mailing a written schedule to households and attaching one to the new carts themselves, Newstalk 870 reported.
It's not yet clear whether WM will pick up the old open-top bins automatically when it drops off the new carts, or whether residents will need to set the old bins out separately for removal. Watch the mailed instructions or the cart tag for guidance on that step.
Why the switch
The new carts use mechanical arms on WM's trucks to empty automatically, rather than requiring drivers to lift loose bins by hand. WM says that's meant to make pickup safer for crews and easier for residents, who won't have to haul an open bin to the curb every week, Newstalk 870 reported. Tobias Magana, WM's senior manager for collections in Kennewick, said the company is "excited to collaborate with the City of Kennewick on this important step forward for the community," in comments to the outlet.
The move also brings Kennewick in line with other WM-served cities that have already shifted to every-other-week cart recycling.
Curb rules that don't change
A few basics carry over from the old system, per WM's Kennewick page:
- Garbage and recycling need to be at the curb by 6 a.m. on your collection day.
- Keep containers close to the curb, not blocking the sidewalk.
- Place the recycling cart to the side of the garbage cart, not behind it, so the truck's arm has room to work.
What it costs
Recycling service remains included in Kennewick's standard garbage rate — there's no separate line-item charge for the new carts or the every-other-week pickup, according to WM's rate page. Current monthly curbside garbage rates range from $21.82 for a 35-gallon cart emptied weekly up to $29.46 for a 96-gallon garbage cart, with discounted low-income rates available.
That context matters for residents who recently read about Kennewick's broader utility cost increases; see our earlier coverage of water, sewer and gas rate hikes. The recycling cart swap is a service change, not a new fee. City solid waste program engineer Martin Nelson told NBC Right Now that despite recent increases, "we still have one of the lowest rates in the state of Washington" and that the city is "still keeping our six free dumps at the transfer station," in a separate report on rate increases.
Don't forget leaf collection
Kennewick's fall leaf program is separate from this cart swap and runs on its own calendar: residents can set leaves out at the curb on the first weekend of each month for three months, included at no extra charge in the standard rate, per the city's solid waste program as described to NBC Right Now.
November is shaping up to be a month homeowners need to track multiple collection changes at once — new recycling carts, the leaf program's monthly window, and any holiday schedule shifts around Thanksgiving. Keep the mailed WM schedule somewhere visible, like on the fridge or inside a kitchen cabinet door.
Checklist for Kennewick homeowners
- Look up your address at wmnorthwest.com/kennewick/kennewick-map to confirm GOLD (Nov. 16) or GREEN (Nov. 23) schedule.
- Watch for the mailed cart schedule or the tag attached to your new cart.
- Keep garbage and recycling at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day, cart to cart, out of the sidewalk.
- Don't set out the new recycling cart on your old weekly schedule. It only goes out every other week starting with your rollout date.
- Hold onto the old open-top bin until you get instructions on whether it needs to be set out for pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to request the new cart, or will it show up automatically? WM's materials describe this as a citywide rollout tied to your GOLD or GREEN schedule group, not an opt-in program, according to the company's service map. Check your group and watch your curb that week.
Will my garbage pickup day change too? No. Garbage collection stays weekly on the same day it's always been; only recycling moves to every other week, per WM Northwest.
Is there an extra charge for the 96-gallon recycling cart? No. Recycling remains included in the standard monthly rate, which ranges from $21.82 to $29.46 depending on garbage cart size, according to WM's rate page.
What happens to my old recycling bin? That detail hasn't been spelled out publicly yet. Check the instructions mailed to your home or attached to your new cart for whether the old bin needs to be set out for removal or will be collected automatically.
Who do I call with questions? WM Northwest's Kennewick service information is available at wmnorthwest.com/kennewick; the site includes the service map and rate details referenced above.
