Lewis County Solid Waste Utility

ANNOUNCEMENTS for DECEMBER 2025

Lewis County transfer stations are closed on Sundays and all major holidays: New Year's Day (Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026), Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day (Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025).

Plan ahead for holiday recycling!

Make your list, and check it twice, so you can be prepared to recycle as much material as you can this holiday season.

Christmas Tree & Holiday Light Recycling in Centralia: Volunteers will be on hand in the parking lot outside the gate at the Lewis County Central Transfer Station, 1411 S. Tower Ave., in Centralia, for the three weekends after Christmas, which is a change from previous years, when they have been on site daily. This year’s collection dates are Dec. 26-Dec. 28, Jan. 2- 4, 2026, and Jan. 9-11, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

The WSU Lewis County Master Recycler Composter (MRC) Volunteers offer the Centralia area service for free, but will accept donations to support their community education programs throughout the year. The volunteer group sponsors the annual tree recycling event in Centralia in conjunction with Pacific Mobile and the Lewis County Department of Public Works Solid Waste Utility Division to collect Christmas trees, which will be processed through a tub grinder at a later date. The wood chips are used in the City of Centralia’s bio-solids composting program. Each year the MRC Volunteers divert an estimated 6.5 tons of old Christmas trees from the landfill.

All decorations and tinsel must be removed from the trees and wreaths. No flocked or artificial trees or wreaths will be accepted.

Volunteers will also accept burned out holiday lights during the event.

Sensitive Document Shredding in Centralia

The LeMay Mobile Shredding truck will be at the WSU Lewis County Master Recycler Composter (MRC) Volunteers' Christmas Tree Recycling Event in Centralia from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 3, 2026. Residential customers may bring up to 3 bags or boxes of sensitive documents they would like to have shredded. There is no charge for this service, but the MRC Volunteers are accepting donations to support their community education and outreach programs. The shredded paper will be recycled at a paper recycling facility after the event.

Christmas Tree Recycling in Morton: Undecorated, live Christmas trees will also be accepted for free at the Morton Transfer Station from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday from Dec. 26 through Jan. 10.

Paper Recycling: Holiday gift wrap, gift boxes and cards can be recycled in curbside recycling containers or the paper recycling containers at transfer stations in Centralia or Morton.

Corrugated Cardboard Recycling: Removed packing material from shipping boxes, flatten and recycling in curbside recycling containers or recycle in cardboard recycling containers at transfer stations in Centralia or Morton.

Aluminum Beverage Container or Steel Can Recycling: Give a quick rinse, shake excess water out, and recycle in curbside recycling containers, or recycle in scrap metal recycling containers at transfer stations in Centralia or Morton.

Glass Bottles & Jars: Give a quick rinse, shake excess water out, and recycle in community drop-off containers at transfer stations in Centralia or Morton, or the Pe Ell Water Treatment Plant or the Forest Grange parking lot.

Anyone with questions regarding holiday recycling may call 360-740-1451, or email swu@lewiscountywa.gov.

IMPORTANT INFO:

• The Lewis County Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Plan, a document required by Washington State law, RCW 70A.205.040, that mandates each county prepare a comprehensive solid waste management plan, and update it periodically, is nearing its current update phase. With collaboration from the Lewis County Solid Waste Advisory Committee -- an advisory group to the Lewis County Commissioners, each city within Lewis County, and a consulting team from Herrera Environmental, the Lewis County Solid Waste Utility has completed a draft update of the Lewis County Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide a guide for solid waste, hazardous waste, material reduction, recycling, and composting in Lewis County for the next 20 years. The draft plan update is now available for public review and is being presented to each city for approval: Lewis County Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Plan draft update with its appendices: section 1 and section 2.
• Not sure whether the item you no longer want or need should be thrown away, donated or recycled? Check out Lewis County's Waste Widget, a searchable database for many household, business, and construction items.
• Hazardous Waste Collection days at the East Lewis County Transfer Station near Morton will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the second Thursday of each month. This schedule will continue in 2026. Residential customers can drop off left-over cleaners, lawn, garden, and pool chemicals at no charge. No businesses may drop off hazardous chemicals during this time. The next Morton collection day is Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
• The Hazo Hut in Centralia is open Wednesdays and the first & third Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except holidays) of each month. Businesses may visit by appointment only.
• Customers are only be permitted to drop off motor oil and antifreeze on Wednesdays and the first and third Saturday (except holidays) of each month from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the Hazo Hut is open. Each customer will be permitted to drop off 5 gallons of motor oil during these times. RCW 70A.224.030 limits each household to depositing 5 gallons of motor oil each day. Please see a flyer for additional community drop-off locations for motor oil.

The tipping fee is $120.00 per ton for municipal solid waste/garbage (This includes household and business waste, mattresses, couches, furniture, noxious weeds, construction/demolition debris, etc. Garbage loads cannot include ammunition, hazardous waste or liquid waste.) The minimum fee is $20.00 for 340 pounds or less. A 3.6 percent state refuse tax, rounded using standard rounding rules, is added to all transactions.

Central Transfer Station
1411 S. Tower Avenue, Centralia, WA
Hours of Operation: Monday - Saturday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., in-bound gates close at 5:15 p.m., Closed Sundays
360-740-1451
Payment methods are cash, check, or credit cards. $2.00 handling fee per credit, debit, or pre-paid card transaction.

Map to Central Transfer Station

Map of the Centralia Transfer Station Campus

mapa de la estación de transferencia de basura y reciclaje

East Lewis County Transfer Station
6745 U.S. Highway 12, Morton, WA (2 miles east of Morton)
Hours of Operation: Monday - Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Closed Sundays
360-496-5095
Payment methods are cash, check, or credit cards. $2.00 handling fee per credit, debit, or pre-paid card transaction.

***Lewis County transfer stations in Centralia and Morton are CLOSED Sundays and all major holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day.***

1411 S. Tower Ave., Centralia, WA 98531 (Site of the Central Transfer Station)
P.O. Box 180, Centralia, WA 98531
Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
360-740-1451

swu@lewiscountywa.gov

The Administration Office is closed all major holidays.