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About Solid Waste Division

Cedar Hills Landfill Owned by King County and operated by SWD, Cedar Hills landfill receives nearly 1 million tons of solid waste a year.

The Solid Waste Division (SWD) provides garbage transfer, disposal and recycling services for residents and businesses in all of King County, except for Seattle and Milton. SWD also provides household hazardous waste disposal options and recycling education programs for its residents.

SWD’s service area has a population of about 1.28 million, or about 70 percent of King County’s population as a whole. Most of the customers live in incorporated areas of the county. King County customers generate about one million tons of solid waste each year.

SWD’s customers include commercial haulers, as well as both residential and non-residential self-haulers who use county transfer station facilities. SWD does not provide residential curbside collection. Garbage that is collected in the county’s service area by the commercial haulers is taken to SWD transfer stations, where it is packed into larger transfer trailers for transport to the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill for disposal. The transfer stations also are open to the general public, who may bring garbage to the stations in addition to using curbside collection services. In addition to garbage disposal, basic recycling services are available at no charge at most stations.

One of SWD’s highest priorities is to reduce the overall amount of material that is disposed through the implementation of innovative waste reduction and recycling services - at county facilities and in the communities - and specialized programs. SWD’s overall goal is to conserve natural and reusable resources through readily available services and a continued emphasis on public awareness.

Information about SWD’s history, workings and long-range planning efforts can be found in the Final 2001 Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan.

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