Kennewick will switch to a cart-based recycling system with larger blue carts replacing the city’s open-top bins. WM plans to drop off 96-gallon recycling carts to residential customers from Nov. 1 through Nov. 14 at no cost with the new collection schedule beginning the week of November 16. The carts will hold about five times as much as the older bins, the city said.
The change is meant to cut down on litter blown by the wind and support automated pickup. The city also said that the system would reduce lifting for sanitation workers and lower injury risk. The city council, during its October 20 meeting, approved the city’s current solid waste agreement with WM from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2035.
Changes to the contract are not expected to raise rates or reduce service from the original contract. Recyclable materials, including cardboard, should go inside the new cart. Batteries and construction and demolition debris were added to the excluded materials list.