Most Whatcom County residents will no longer need to sort their recycling for curbside collection, as a local hauler finishes a multi-year transition to single-stream recycling.  Since 2022, Sanitary Service Company has been working to switch all its residential accounts to one blue-lidded rolling bin that holds all recyclable materials. The change does not apply to apartment buildings or commercial accounts.
According to SSC, single-stream recycling is more convenient for customers, requires less physical labor for workers, reduces operational costs, and cuts down the number of trucks and the amount of wind-blown litter on the street. In April 2024, the Whatcom County Council approved an ordinance allowing single-stream collection, but the rollout has taken time. Bellingham homes have had one recycling bin since 2024; residents in Ferndale received their single bins starting in August 2025.
SSC started delivering single bins to customers in the unincorporated county in November 2025. SSC general manager Ted Carlson told the Whatcom Solid 91²Ö¿â Advisory Committee in January that all SSC’s residential recycling accounts would be transitioned to single-stream within the next five months.