Seattle Yard Waste Disposal: Extra Setouts, Carts, or Transfer Station

Seattle gives a homeowner three measurable ways to handle leaves and trimmings: a weekly food-and-yard cart, extra curbside containers, or a self-haul to a transfer station. At the April 1, 2026 rates, the smallest 13-gallon cart is $7.75 per month, a 32-gallon cart is $11.60, and a 96-gallon cart is $14.75. An extra bag, bundle, or 32-gallon container is $7.50. The transfer station’s clean-yard-waste minimum is $25 per trip, covering up to 380 pounds. Seattle’s cart schedule and transfer-station schedule show the different units of sale.

For one 32-gallon extra setout, curbside service is $7.50, or $90 if repeated monthly for a year (12 × $7.50). The 96-gallon cart costs $14.75 monthly, so twelve months is $177.00 (12 × $14.75). If you already pay for the 13-gallon cart, upgrading to 96 gallons adds only $7 per month ($14.75 − $7.75), less than one $7.50 extra container each month. That comparison applies only when the account can change cart size and the larger cart fits the service location.

The transfer station becomes more competitive when one trip carries several containers. Its clean-yard-waste charge is the greater of the $25 minimum or the load’s weight charge at $132 per ton; it is not a $25 fee plus a second weight charge. A 500-pound load is 0.25 ton, so the weight expression is $132 × 0.25 = $33 and the charge is $33. Separate yard waste from garbage: Seattle lists garbage at a $37 minimum and $174 per ton.

Choose the cart for recurring weekly volume, extra containers for occasional overflow, and the transfer station for a consolidated load when the $25 drive-in minimum beats several curbside extras. Keep the address, cart size, and check date with the budget; rates can change.