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1. Does the county pickup my garbage?

No. Kootenai County only provides transfer stations, landfill services and rural residential collection sites.  You must contact a private hauling company to pick up your garbage from your home or business.

2. When are the transfer stations open?

The transfer stations are open to the general public seven days a week. The entry gates open at 8 a.m. and close at 4:55 p.m. We request that everyone have their vehicles unloaded and out of the facilities by 5 p.m. daily.

3. What is a transfer station?

A transfer station is a facility where waste is separated and processed for either recycling or shipment to a landfill.

4. Where are the transfer stations located?

The Ramsey Transfer Station is located at:
3330 N Ramsey Road
Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815

The closest cross streets are Appleway (to the south) and Kathleen Avenue (to the north). Watch for the signs in the center median on Ramsey Road.

The Prairie Transfer Station is located at:
15580 W Prairie Avenue
Post Falls, ID 83854

The closest intersection is N Pleasantview Road and Prairie Avenue. The public entrance to the transfer station is just east of the intersection.

5. Who picks up garbage in Kootenai County?

The following companies provide garbage collection services in Kootenai County.

• City of Worley (within city limits only) - 208-686-1258
• Coeur d'Alene Garbage/Post Falls Sanitation - 208-457-1820
• Harrison Sanitation - 208-689-3215
• Panhandle Waste Services - 208-818-2821
• Southlake Services - 208-686-9262
• Waste Management of Idaho - 208-765-4968

6. Is the landfill located on Ramsey Road?

No. The facility at Ramsey Road is an active transfer station but also a closed landfill (closed in 1993).   All garbage from our transfer stations is placed into trailers and hauled to the Fighting Creek Landfill, located on Highway 95, south of Coeur d'Alene.

7. How much will it cost to bring my garbage to the transfer station?

Residential property owners in Kootenai County pay an annual solid waste fee.  This allows residents to dispose of waste from a private household generated from day-to-day living.   

Transfer Stations Guidelines: The payment of the fee allows residents to dispose of up to 2,000 pounds of household waste and yard debris associated with their residential property for free per trip.

(Note: Loads weighing greater than 2,000 lbs are subject to charges.  All loads of roofing and tires on rims are charged to everyone).  Please refer to the Fee Structure Page for more details.

Rural Residential Sites Guidelines: These sites are not transfer stations and have limited disposal containers available; residential customers are allowed to dispose of up to 1 cubic yard of waste generated from their household from day-to-day living.  Large bulky items (such as furniture, appliances, etc), wood debris, tires, household hazardous waste, and loads larger than 1 cubic yard, must be taken to a transfer station.

8. Can I bring my garbage directly to the landfill?

No. The landfill is not designed to handle traffic from the general public. All garbage is unloaded from the transfer trailers directly into the active landfill refuse area. All landfill access is designed for heavy equipment and semi-trucks.

9. I cannot get a garbage service to come to my home and the transfer stations are too far. What are my options?

Kootenai County operates a rural collection system for general residential household garbage. There are 12 different locations throughout the county which have refuse containers for the use and convenience of our rural residents. For limitations on what is accepted at these rural sites, please refer to the Rural Collection page. The rural sites are NOT for disposal of any commercial waste.

10. What services do I get for the solid waste fee listed on my property tax billing?

The annual solid waste fee supports the operations of the entire department.  This includes the landfill, two full-service transfer stations, and 12 rural residential collection sites.

The intent of the residential solid waste fee is for normal household waste, created by day to day residential living. The fee is based on a residential lifestyle that creates normal waste not to exceed ninety-six (96) gallons per week per household.

The following are examples of waste not covered under the residential solid waste fee:

• Appliances
• Carpet
• Construction or Demolition Materials
• Furniture
• Household Hazardous Waste
• Large Bulky Items 
• Roofing 
• Vehicle Batteries
• Tires
• Wood or Wood Products

These wastes and others materials may be subject to additional charges.

11. When can I dispose of paint, gasoline and other household hazardous waste?

Both transfer stations have year-round Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection sites. The Ramsey Transfer Station in Coeur d'Alene has collection days on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The Prairie Transfer Station in Post Falls has collection days on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Technician Assistance

Please wait for a technician to assist you at the HHW collection area. Do not leave your materials outside the gates. No hazardous waste can be collected at any other time besides the designated collection dates and times. This service is for residential customers only; NO commercial hazardous waste is allowed.  There is a 10 gallon limit per collection day per collection site.  If you would like more information on this program, please refer to the Household Hazardous Waste section.

12. Why don't you recycle any other items?

Certainly there are more materials capable of being recycled than what is collected through the Kootenai County recycling programs. However, the key to successful programs is locating markets first, and then establishing collections.

Mandate Recycling

Idaho, unlike Washington or Oregon, does not mandate recycling. States with mandated requirements of waste reduction and recycling have attracted both large and small processors and end users to their areas. These companies are assured a flow of materials due to the state mandates and taxpayer subsidies. Idaho does not have any such mandates or industries at this time. We ship our materials to distant markets and are therefore subject to the high costs of shipping.

13. How can I dispose of asbestos?

The disposal of Asbestos is governed by the EPA. There are specific requirements that must be met before the disposal of Asbestos can take place. There are specific forms that must accompany each and every load that is brought for disposal. Please see the Asbestos Policy and Procedures (PDF) for further details.

14. Can we take a tour of the facilities?

The Solid Waste Department provides guided tours of the landfill and transfer station facilities. Please contact the administration office at 208-446-1430 to make arrangements for tours.

15. What do I need if I am demolishing a building?

If the building is greater than 400 square fee, a report from an asbestos remediation company verifying that there is no asbestos in the waste must be obtained. Verification paperwork is available from any scale house, the administration office and can be printed here.  If the proper asbestos-free paperwork can not be obtained, the waste will be deemed asbestos contaminated and must follow all proper disposal protocol, found here.  

16. How do I dispose of a dead animal?

You may dispose of animals weighing less than 100 pounds at either of the transfer stations.   Notify the scale house operator when you enter the facility and they can make arrangements for proper disposal.

Disposing of animals greater than 100 pounds involves making arrangements with the landfill staff at least 24 hours in advance.  The transported animal must first travel to a transfer station to be weighed and have fees collected, then transported to the landfill for disposal.  See the Fee Resolution for pricing options.