Yard Waste Options in Thurston County

Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center Yard Debris Site

Put your yard waste to good use at the Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center Yard Debris Site. All materials brought to the center are trucked off-site and turned into compost or fuel.

Location

The Yard Debris Site is located at the Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center, 2418 Hogum Bay Road N.E. in Lacey.  From I-5, take Exit 111, head north on Marvin Road, and turn east into the facility entrance.

Hours of Operation

April 1 to Oct. 31
Monday to Friday - 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nov. 1 to March 31
Monday to Friday - 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  

The entire Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center is closed New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. It is open on all other holidays.

2011 Yard Waste Rates

The Waste and Recovery Center accepts cash, checks debit cards and credit cards.  Yard waste rates are significantly lower than regular garbage rates, so please remember to tell the tollbooth attendant that you are disposing of yard waste.  Also, keep the yard waste separate from garbage, otherwise you'll be charged the higher garbage rate for the entire load.

Loads weighing 300 pounds or less = $8.00

Loads weighing more than 300 pounds = $42.00 per ton, prorated. One ton is 2,000 pounds, so the per-ton garden rate is 2.1 cents per pound.

Remember to keep yard and garden trimmings separate from the rest of the garbage, otherwise, you'll be charged the higher garbage rate for the entire load.

Items Accepted at the Yard Debris Site

• Grass clippings (as fresh as possible)
• Leaves
• Tree branches and roots (without dirt)
• Garden trimmings and prunings
• Untreated lumber (no paints or stains, but nails are OK);
• Plywood and particle board, provided there's no laminate glued on the board (ie, an artificial wood surface)
• Pine needles and cones (free of dirt and rocks)

Items Not Accepted at the Yard Waste Area

• Sod (click here for a list of other locations that accept sod)
• Kitchen scraps
• Cedar wood, including beauty bark (greenery is OK)
• Treated lumber
• Stumps, dirt, rocks, gravel and sludge
• Noxious weeds (click here for a list). Please take these to the Waste and Recovery area to be disposed of as garbage.
• Any petroleum-treated or contaminated product
• Refuse (garbage)
• Plastics and metals
• Manure