I just got confirmation from Seattle Public Utilities that they will take clean wood shavings in the yard waste collection. Obviously, no treated lumber is permitted. They need to be bagged (I use paper leaf bags). We're entitled to put out about 130 gal. of yard waste every 2 weeks, vs. about 25 gallons of trash each week. It's much cheaper to dispose of chips in yard waste, and they get recycled (composted) rather than sent to a landfill.

In Seattle, garbage collection is expensive and you're limited to one smallish can a week. Extra garbage = extra fees. Also, you have to bag wood chips before putting them in the can, which means small bags so they'll fit with other garbage. It's a pain.

I have no idea how many other big cities have yard waste collection. Of those that do, I imagine many would permit collection of clean wood shavings--just ask.

Cheers,
Warren