Thurston County disposal facilities

Thurston County facilities are now open to the public with restrictions, including maintaining physical distancing of at least six feet at all times and, per the Washington State Secretary of Health’s face covering order, wearing a cloth face covering or mask. If you come to county facilities, please be prepared for potentially long wait times or lines due to distancing guidelines. We continue to encourage residents to access county services online, by phone, by email, or through the use of drop boxes located outside of county buildings.
The availability of remote services vary by office and department.
(For office and department contacts, visit: https://bit.ly/3bs7bdy)
(For COVID-19 Information, visit: https://bit.ly/2N9DYtJ)

 
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Rainier and Rochester drop boxes

Hours and locations

Rainier
Location: 13010 Rainier Acres Road SE (see Google map)
Hours: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Rochester
Location: 16500 Sargent Road (see Google map)
Hours: Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Both sites are closed New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.


Rochester and Rainier Drop-Box Facility Rate Updates

Rate changes for the disposal of roofing debris and construction and demolition debris went into effect at the Rochester and Rainier drop-box facilities on November 13, 2018. There is no change to the current rate that citizens pay of $18 per cubic yard for disposal of household garbage.

The cost for disposal increased to $31 per cubic yard for construction and demolition debris and $48 per cubic yard for roofing debris. The rate increase is to offset the higher costs for handling and disposal of these materials pursuant to Thurston County Code Section 8.12.025.

View the Official Press Release

Disposal ratesrates

All customers will be charged a minimum of one cubic yard. Learn how to measure a cubic yard here (external) or use this online calculator (external).

red arrow Payment: The drop boxes accept cash, checks, debit cards and credit cards (Discover, Visa and MasterCard only). Payments by debit and credit cards have an additional $2.00 processing fee. All transactions are rounded to the nearest dollar.

  • Loads carried in dump-trailers must be manually unloaded at Rochester and Rainier, the dumping mechanism cannot be used.

Items not accepted:

You can take these items to the Waste and Recovery Center, or find other disposal locations on our recycling database.


Recycle centers

Recycle these items free at the Rainier and Rochester sites:

  • Aluminum & tin cans
  • Glass bottles & jars
  • Newspapers
  • Paper bags
  • Paperback books
  • Magazines, catalogs & mail (windows, staples & sticky notes ok)
  • Cereal & food boxes
  • Phone books
  • Cardboard (flattened)
  • Plastic bottles, jugs & jars (neck must be narrower than the base, no lids or caps)
  • Dairy tubs & yogurt cups
  • Plastic buckets (must be clean, no lids or handles)

Use this tipsheet to prepare your recyclables.


Donate used items

There are also special boxes to donate used clothing and books. Clothing donation goes to Northwest Center, and books go to ReadingTree.org.

Cover your load

Washington State law requires that all loads be secured. Loose loads that are not covered may be charged a 50 percent litter surcharge.


Contact us

Call the Solid Waste Hotline at (360) 867-2491 or email ThurstonSolidWaste@co.thurston.wa.us.

Note: Although the drop box facilities are open on weekends and some holidays, staff are not available by phone or email on those days.


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