City of Yakima refuse customers will begin to notice a change in their garbage totes (cans) due to a recently-adopted state law that requires all totes to meet uniform color guidelines based on what gets put in them.

For many years, residential garbage totes in Yakima have been brown.  The new state law requires those totes to now be either black or gray.

“The City is beginning the slow phase in of gray totes for residential garbage,” said Solid Waste & Recycling Manager Michael Slack.  “We’ll be replacing broken, non-functional brown totes with gray ones over time.  Brown totes that still are functional will continue to be used for the time being, but eventually all residential garbage totes will be gray,” said Slack.

In addition to dictating that residential garbage totes be black or gray, the new state law says food and yard waste (organics) totes need to be green and recycling totes need to be blue, which is the same as current requirements.

If a brown garbage tote is no longer functional, for instance if its wheels have fallen off or its lid is broken, when a customer reports the inoperable tote to the City’s Refuse Division, it will be replaced by a gray one.  Customers who have brown totes that still work can continue to them for now.   

Customers who have questions about the change in the color of residential garbage totes can contact Solid Waste & Recycling Manager Michael Slack at 509-576-6241.