What Homeowners Need to Know About Washington’s New Trash Can Rules

What color is your garbage can? In my Kennewick neighborhood, I see green, brown, blue, and black, but soon those colors might be disappearing in Washington State.

Why Garbage Cans May Look Different in the Coming Years

I saw a recent posting from Yakima where residents are now required to swap out the color of their trash cans, and it's got some people fuming over the changes.

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New Washington Rules Could Change the Color of Your Garbage Can

For most homeowners in Washington and in the Tri-Cities today, there is no law requiring your existing garbage can to be a certain color.

However, Washington has adopted a statewide color-coding system for waste containers that will be phased in over time.

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READ MORE: 6 Laws You Are Breaking Daily In Washington State In 2026

Any new bins provided by garbage haulers and local governments beginning in 2028 will need to be compliant with the new law, as passed by the Washington State Legislature.

Some Yakima residents are upset that perfectly good trash cans will be going to waste simply because of their color, as the city swaps out the colors of the cans.

So far, I've heard nothing like that in the Tri-Cities, but it looks like compliance doesn't hit until 2028.

Here are the new designated colors:

The statewide standard is:

• Garbage: Gray or black
• Recycling: Blue
• Organics/Yard Waste: Green or brown

I think a lot of our garbage cans are already those colors here in the Columbia Basin, but just a heads up if your garbage provider drops off some new cans that reflect the new law that starts in 2028.

Photo by James Day on Unsplash

You can read more about the required garbage can colors in Washington State here.