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Construction and demolition materials
Information on recycling and disposal options for construction and demolition (C&D) materials.
Disposal options
C&D loads in vehicles with mechanized dump beds or dump trailers are not accepted at King County facilities. These materials need to go to a designated C&D facility as written in King County Code 10.30. Vehicles with mechanized dump beds that have incidental amounts of C&D in a mixed load are acceptable. Find a designated C&D facility.
King County facilities only accept loads of C&D in vehicles and trailers without mechanized dumping capabilities. The following conditions apply:
- No vehicles with mechanized dump beds or dump trailers (regardless of if the mechanism is used to dump). You may bring materials in a regular trailer.
- Vehicles with trailers cannot exceed length restrictions, which vary by facility. Visit King County facilities for more details.
- Materials may not exceed 8 feet in length.
- Bulky items, such as concrete blocks, cannot be larger than 2 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet and must weigh less than 200 pounds.
- Self-haulers must separate out clean wood, cardboard, yard waste, and scrap metal for recycling at any station where recycling is available. Recycling options differ per site, see our facility pages for more details.
- Loads must follow all other disposal restrictions, including asbestos containing waste and dusty loads restrictions. See the disposal restrictions website for the full list of restrictions.
Options for Loads Not Accepted at King County Transfer Stations:
- C&D loads which are not accepted at King County transfer stations need to go to a King County Designated C&D facility, as written in King County Code 10.30.
- Non-recyclable C&D waste should be taken to a C&D waste facility.
- Recyclable C&D materials should be taken to a C&D mixed recyclables facility.
Recycling and diversion
C&D recycling requirements
County code requires that C&D materials that are readily recyclable. This includes the following C&D materials which are banned from the landfill:
- Clean wood (clean, untreated, unpainted)
- Cardboard
- Metal
- Gypsum scrap (new)
- Asphalt paving
- Bricks
- Concrete
Find more detailed information about King County’s C&D recycling requirements:
C&D recycling options
C&D recycling options vary depending on whether materials were sorted separately onsite (e.g., wood, metal, wallboard, etc.) or are mixed.
Separated C&D materials (source separation)
Visit the What do I do with…? site to find recyclers for common C&D materials. You can also recycle separated clean wood, cardboard, and scrap metal at the Bow Lake, Enumclaw, and Shoreline transfer stations.
Benefits of source separation:
- More cost-effective than commingled recycling or disposal
- Results in a high recycling rate, over 90% of materials on average
- Helps sustain markets for manufacturing recycled-content building materials
Disadvantages of source separation:
- Requires recycling containers for each material type at the jobsite
Mixed C&D materials (commingled)
Recyclable materials that are mixed together or mixed with waste must go to a designated C&D facility.
Benefits of commingled recycling:
- Requires fewer jobsite containers, saving on space
Disadvantages of commingled recycling:
- Significantly lower recycling rate than source separation
- Facilities dispose of some recyclable materials such as drywall, carpet, and ceiling tiles as garbage
The only way to quantify the amount of recycling for a particular project is by using the facility’s recycling rate.