Kirkland disposal guide

How to Get Rid of Junk in Kirkland, WA

Single-family homes in Kirkland get one bulky item collected free each year by WM. Oil-based paint, chemicals and batteries go to King County's free hazardous waste drop-off at Factoria in Bellevue. Mattresses, appliances, electronics and remodel debris each have their own route. This guide covers where every common item goes.

Item by item

Where Each Type of Junk Goes in Kirkland

Find the thing you are trying to get rid of, then follow the route. Rules and fees change, so each card links to the office that sets them.

Furniture and Other Bulky Items

Couches, chairs and other furniture that can't be reused can go out on a WM curbside bulky item collection. Each single-family residence gets one bulky item collected free each year. After that, WM charges per item. You can also take bulky items to the Houghton Transfer Station in Kirkland and pay by weight.

Mattresses and Box Springs

The Houghton station in Kirkland only disposes of mattresses, at a per-item fee. To recycle one, take it to the Factoria (Bellevue) or Shoreline transfer station. They charge $30 per mattress, box spring or futon, with a limit of six per customer. Wet mattresses aren't accepted. A mattress can also be your free WM bulky item.

Appliances

The Factoria and Shoreline transfer stations recycle appliances and scrap metal. Refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers and heat pumps hold refrigerant, and King County charges $30 per unit for those. WM will also collect an appliance from the curb as a paid bulky item. Working appliances less than ten years old can be donated.

TVs, Computers and Electronics

Electronics can't go in your recycling cart. Single-family customers can book a WM electronics pickup next to the blue cart at least one business day ahead. Items must be no bigger than 2 × 2 × 2 feet and no heavier than 60 pounds. Larger TVs, computers and monitors go free through E-Cycle Washington.

Paint, Chemicals and Motor Oil

Oil-based paint, thinners, pesticides, cleaners, fuel and auto fluids go to King County's free household hazardous waste drop-off at Factoria, 13800 SE 32nd St, Bellevue. No appointment needed. Most leftover paint, latex or oil-based, can also go free to a PaintCare drop-off site.

Batteries and Light Bulbs

Drop off batteries and compact fluorescent bulbs in the lower lobby at Kirkland City Hall. Batteries are also taken at the North Kirkland Community Center and the Peter Kirk Community Center. Fluorescent tubes contain mercury and go to a free drop-off location or the Factoria hazardous waste site.

Yard Waste and Christmas Trees

Branches up to 4 feet long and 4 inches thick go in your compost cart. In November you can put out five extra bags of yard waste each week at no charge. In the first two weeks of January, WM takes unflocked, undecorated trees up to 6 feet tall from beside your cart for free.

Concrete, Lumber and Remodel Debris

Remodel debris isn't a bulky item. The nearest King County station is Houghton, 11724 NE 60th St in Kirkland, where loads are weighed and charged by the ton. Sort cardboard out before you go. Asbestos needs a King County waste clearance first, so don't bring it unannounced.

Things Still Worth Using

Usable furniture, appliances and building materials can go to the Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties store in Bellevue. It also offers free donation pickups. For clothing and smaller household goods, Northwest Center's Big Blue Truck and Goodwill are other options.

WM bulky item collection

How Kirkland's Bulky Item Collection Works

WM picks up bulky items from the curb for single-family homes in Kirkland. One bulky item a year is collected at no added cost. After that, you pay per item. Everything collected is disposed of as trash, so donate anything that still works first.

Contact WM Kirkland

Pull Out What Can Be Reused

Bulky pickups go to the landfill. Gently used furniture can go to Buy Nothing groups, Nextdoor, Goodwill or a Habitat store instead.

Call WM to Schedule

Book the pickup with WM on 425-587-0040 or by email at [email protected]. Say exactly what's going out.

Know the Price After the Free One

WM's 2026 Kirkland service guide lists $37.30 per sofa, chair, mattress, box spring or appliance, and $49.73 per fridge or freezer. Loose items are charged at $198.98 per cubic yard.

Get It to the Curb Yourself

It's a curbside service, so plan helpers for anything upstairs. Don't put furniture out unbooked. Furniture left at the side of the road counts as illegal dumping.

Factoria, 13800 SE 32nd St, Bellevue

The Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off for Kirkland

King County runs this free drop-off at the Factoria Recycling & Transfer Station for King County residents, Seattle included. It's open Tuesday to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. You don't need an appointment. It's closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Oil-based paint, thinners, stains and solvents

Motor oil, oil filters, antifreeze and auto fluids

Gasoline, kerosene, propane and butane tanks

Pesticides and weed killers

Household cleaners and polishes

Household, vehicle and marine batteries

Mercury thermostats and thermometers

Fluorescent tubes and mercury bulbs

Spray paint and varnish

Don't bring asbestos, explosives or medical sharps. King County's traveling Wastemobile usually visits Kirkland in May. If you're 65 or older or have a disability and can't get to a site, call 206-296-4692 to book a free Home Collection pickup. Home Collection doesn't take latex paint, tires, electronics or medications.

City and County rules

Keep These Out of Your Kirkland Garbage Cart

Oil-based paint, solvents, pesticides and motor oil

Liquid latex paint. Dry it out first, or recycle it through PaintCare

Gasoline, kerosene, and propane or butane tanks

Batteries and compact fluorescent bulbs

Fluorescent tubes, which contain mercury

Weed and bug killers, and household cleaners labeled toxic, corrosive or flammable

Self-hauling

Hauling Junk Yourself From Kirkland

Secure the Load

King County charges $25 to any vehicle that arrives at its stations with an unsecured load. Nothing should be able to slide, shift, fall or blow out. Tarp and strap light material before you leave the driveway.

Check the Station Fits You

County stations serve people who live or work in King County's service area, which excludes Seattle and Milton. Houghton allows vehicles and trailers up to 25 feet long, bumper to bumper. Factoria allows 40 feet.

Sort Before You Load

Houghton won't take cardboard as garbage. At Factoria, cardboard, clean wood, scrap metal and yard waste all have to be separated for recycling. Sort at home, not at the scale house.

Weigh the Real Cost

In 2026, King County charges a $40.25 minimum for garbage (up to 320 pounds), then $243.38 per ton. New fees start January 1, 2027. A ProviderOne, EBT or ORCA LIFT card gets $20 off each type of waste. Add a borrowed truck, several trips and a weekend.

If hauling it yourself doesn't add up, tell us what needs to go and where it is on the property.

When the city options don't fit

When a Junk Removal Service Makes More Sense

The City and County programs cover a lot of small jobs, and you should use them. They stop working when any of these apply.

Questions

Kirkland Junk Disposal FAQ

Yes, for single-family homes. WM collects one bulky item per residence each year at no added cost. Extra items are charged; WM's 2026 Kirkland service guide lists $37.30 for a sofa, chair, mattress, box spring or appliance and $49.73 for a fridge or freezer. Call WM on 425-587-0040 to book.

King County's Houghton Recycling & Transfer Station is at 11724 NE 60th St, Kirkland. It's open 8 am to 5:30 pm on weekdays and 8:30 am to 5:30 pm on weekends, and closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Loads are charged by weight.

No. Houghton disposes of mattresses for a per-item fee. Factoria (Bellevue) and Shoreline recycle them for $30 per item, up to six per customer, as long as they're dry.

To King County's free drop-off at the Factoria Recycling & Transfer Station, 13800 SE 32nd St, Bellevue. No appointment is needed. The traveling Wastemobile also usually stops in Kirkland in May.

Book a free WM electronics pickup next to your recycling cart (items up to 2 x 2 x 2 ft and 60 lb, TVs up to 21 inches), or take larger TVs, computers and monitors to an E-Cycle Washington drop-off for free.

King County plans to replace it with a new Northeast Recycling & Transfer Station, which the County says is set to open in 2029.

Sources

Where This Information Comes From

Program rules and fees belong to the agencies that run them. Confirm hours and accepted items with them before you load up.

Too much for one free pickup?

Get Junk Removed in Kirkland, WA

Tell us what needs to go and where it is on the property, and we'll take it from there.

We lift it. We load it. We haul it away.