Des Moines, WA • King County

Des Moines Dump Guide: Bow Lake Transfer Station Hours, Fees & Directions

Name: 99 Junk Removal
Address: 27441 145th Ave SE, Kent, WA, 98042, US
Telephone: (253) 722-4285
Price range: $$
Rating: 5

The closest dump for Des Moines is the Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station in Tukwila, a short drive northeast. Below are the current King County hours, the real minimum fee, and what they won’t take — plus the easier option if you’d rather not spend your Saturday at the transfer station.

Don’t want to make the trip? Text us a photo of the pile.

📱 Text a Photo to (253) 722-4285

Call (253) 722-4285 Get a Free Estimate

Bow Lake, TukwilaDes Moines’ nearest transfer station — a short drive northeast

Open OvernightStation open 24 hours Mon–Thu; weekend hours differ

$40.25 MinimumCurrent King County self-haul minimum (Jan 2026)

Or Skip the Trip$99 minimum — text a photo and we load & haul it

The Station

Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station

Des Moines sits in King County, and the county’s closest transfer station is Bow Lake in Tukwila — a short drive northeast via Pacific Highway S. Here are the current, verified details.

Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station — current details
Detail	Current information
Address	18800 Orillia Road S, Tukwila, WA 98188
County / operator	King County Solid Waste Division
Station hours	Mon–Thu: open 24 hours • Fri: until 11:30pm • Sat–Sun: 8:30am–5:30pm
Recycling area hours	Mon–Fri: 6am–8pm • Sat–Sun: 8:30am–5:30pm
Holiday closures	Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Day
Garbage minimum	$40.25 minimum self-haul fee
Per-ton rate	$243.38 per ton (self-haul)
Unsecured-load fee	$25 extra if your load isn’t tied down or covered (King County Code 10.12.040)

Hours & fees verified against the King County Solid Waste Division (Bow Lake station page and disposal fees), effective January 2026. Rates change — confirm current pricing before you haul.

Getting There

Directions From Des Moines

Bow Lake sits northeast of Des Moines in Tukwila — a short drive up toward Sea-Tac Airport (longer at rush hour or on a busy Saturday, when the inbound line backs up).

From Des Moines, take Pacific Highway S (WA-99) or S 200th St northeast toward Orillia Road S.
Follow signs toward Orillia Road S; the station is at 18800 Orillia Road S.
Secure or cover your load before you go — an untied load adds a $25 fee at the scale.
Weigh in, dump, weigh out. Weekends and mid-day are the busiest; overnight Mon–Thu is wide open.

Prefer the door-to-dump version? We come to your place in Des Moines, load everything from wherever it sits, and make the transfer-station run for you.

99 Junk Removal crew hauling an appliance out so you skip the transfer-station trip

Before You Load Up

What Bow Lake Won’t Take in the Garbage

Some items are banned from the regular garbage pit or need a separate area — show up with these mixed in and you can get turned away or surcharged. Recycle or handle them separately:

Commercial construction & demolition loads
Cardboard
Scrap metal
Yard waste
Clean wood
Asbestos-containing material
Computers & monitors
Fluorescent bulbs/tubes (mercury)
Hazardous waste (paint, chemicals, oil)

Prohibited/separated items per the King County Solid Waste Division (Bow Lake station page). When in doubt, check current rules before you go.

Do the Math

What a DIY Dump Run to Bow Lake Actually Costs

The dump “being cheap” is only half the story. Add up the $40.25 minimum, the $25 unsecured-load fee if your stuff isn’t tied down, the gas, and the two hours of your Saturday loading, driving, waiting in line, and unloading — then compare it to our $99 minimum where we do all of it.

✗ The DIY Dump Run

$40.25 King County minimum — before you’ve saved a minute
+$25 if your load isn’t secured or covered
Gas + wear on your truck (or a rental if you don’t have one)
You load it, drive it, wait in line, and unload it yourself
Anything banned from the pit still has to go somewhere else

✓ The 99 Easy Button

$99 minimum — all-in, quoted before we lift a thing
We load it from the garage, yard, or basement — you point
Labor, transport & disposal included; no unsecured-load surprise
We sort for donation & recycling, so less hits the landfill
Text a photo and we can price it without you lifting anything

$99 minimum • text a photo for a fast price • we load, haul & sweep up

Keep Reading

More Des Moines & South Sound Dump Info

This is one stop on our South Sound & King County dump guide. Jump to the full guide or book junk removal near Des Moines:

📚 Full Dump Guide (Hub)SeaTac Junk Removal Tukwila Junk Removal SeaTac Dump Renton Dump

Questions

Des Moines Dump FAQ

Where is the closest dump to Des Moines?

The closest transfer station to Des Moines is the Bow Lake Recycling & Transfer Station at 18800 Orillia Road S in Tukwila — a short drive northeast via Pacific Highway S. It’s run by the King County Solid Waste Division.

How much does it cost to dump at Bow Lake?

As of January 2026, King County’s self-haul minimum is $40.25, with a per-ton rate of $243.38 for heavier loads. If your load isn’t secured or covered, there’s an extra $25 fee. Rates change — confirm current pricing on the King County site before you go. If you’d rather skip the trip entirely, our junk removal starts at a $99 minimum and we do the loading and hauling.

Is Bow Lake really open 24 hours?

The station is open 24 hours Monday through Thursday and until 11:30pm on Friday, which makes it handy for Des Moines contractors and early-morning haulers. Weekend hours are shorter — 8:30am to 5:30pm Saturday and Sunday — and it’s closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Do I need to cover or tie down my load?

Yes. King County charges a $25 unsecured-load fee (per King County Code 10.12.040) if your load isn’t tied down or covered when you arrive — on top of the disposal fee. A tarp and a couple of straps save you the surcharge and keep debris off the highway.

What won’t Bow Lake take?

The regular garbage pit won’t take commercial construction & demolition loads, cardboard, scrap metal, yard waste, clean wood, asbestos, computers and monitors, mercury fluorescent tubes, or hazardous waste — those need recycling areas or separate facilities. We sort and route these for you when we haul, so you don’t have to make multiple stops.

Should I haul it myself or hire 99 Junk Removal?

If it’s one light, secured item and you already own a truck, a DIY run can pencil out. Once you add the minimum fee, a possible unsecured-load charge, gas, and the time to load, drive, wait, and unload — especially for heavy or awkward items — our $99-minimum full-service haul is usually the easier call. Text a photo to (253) 722-4285 and we’ll price it fast.

Skip the Dump Run

Same-day junk removal across Des Moines and the South Sound. Text a photo of the pile and we’ll load it, haul it, and handle the transfer station — starting at our $99 minimum.

📱 Text a Photo to (253) 722-4285 Call (253) 722-4285