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Kitsap celebrates America Recycles Day
A glance into Kitsap's recycling today and solutions for the future
This Friday, November 15, marks America Recycles Day, the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting recycling in the United States. This day encourages communities to commit to recycling, but there’s a problem: although most households already recycle, the recycling rate has remained stagnant for decades. Why? The answer lies in the flaws of our nationwide recycling system — and in the fact that many products aren’t designed to be recycled.
We’re consuming more than ever, and many manufacturers are designing products to be used once and then thrown away. Because manufacturers don’t pay the cost for disposal or recycling, they sometimes create products and packaging that cannot be reused, repaired, or easily recycled. Also, much of what we can recycle depends on sorting and processing technology and fluctuating markets.
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Recycling in Kitsap today
 Recyclables travel on conveyor belts at the beginning of the sorting process at JMK Fibers.
After you place your recyclables in your curbside cart, they are transported to Waste Management JMK Fibers, a material recovery facility in the Port of Tacoma. This facility accepts recyclable items from the counties of Kitsap, Pierce, King, Clallam, Grays Harbor, and Pacific, as well as from private businesses.
At the facility, materials are sorted through a series of paper screens, optical scanners, plastic sorters, and other machinery. Each machine uses different technologies to sort recyclables by shape and material, including eddy-current separators, reflected light, streams of air, magnets, and robotic arms. While most of the sorting is automated, the facility still relies on workers to hand-pick items, move bales around, and perform quality control.
Currently, the technology and recycling markets available limit what can be recycled to:
- Plastic bottles, jugs, jars, and dairy tubs;
- Paper and cardboard;
- Glass bottles and jars; and
- Metal cans
JMK Fibers is designed to sort, bale, and sell these specific recyclable materials.
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How we are working towards a more sustainable future
The Kitsap County Solid Waste Division works to develop and expand programs that increase waste diversion, promote reuse and recycling, and reduce waste. To learn more about our team's programs, visit Recycle.Kitsap.Gov.
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 Syrofoam™ collected at the collection event in April 2024.
Special collection events
Each year, we host collection events for hard-to-recycle items like Styrofoam™, scrap metal, and small electronics. These items aren’t accepted in curbside recycling due to the specialized processing equipment and markets they require.
We partner with private waste and recycling companies to collect, process, and recycle these materials. In 2024, these events diverted 74,533 pounds of hard-to-recycle materials from the landfill.
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 Volunteer fixing a crockpot.
Community repair events
We recently relaunched our Kitsap Fix-it Fair program to promote repair and skill-sharing in our community.
The program brings together volunteers with fixing skills and people with broken items. While repairs are not guaranteed, the program gives community members an opportunity to try to repair their belongings before sending them to the landfill.
We've held two repair events so far this year, and a third one is scheduled for December 14, 2024. At the first two events, 37 community volunteers fixed 92 items, totaling 445.76 pounds diverted from the landfill.
Learn more about the program and future repair events on our Kitsap Fix-it Fair webpage.
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Legislation to expand recycling
Our staff collaborates with other counties to provide input on recycling legislation proposed by the Washington State Legislature. Historically, we’ve supported legislation to create “producer responsibility programs,” which are designed to shift the responsibility—and in some cases, the cost—of waste management and recycling to manufacturers.
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Some successful product stewardship programs in Washington include:
Each of these programs requires manufacturers to develop and fund convenient and accessible statewide recycling programs for the products they sell in Washington. Programs are either funded by the manufacturers or are paid through an environmental service fee at the time of purchase.
 Though these four programs are limited to specific waste streams, their success has paved the way for developing new programs for other common items, such as packaging and paper. One example is the Washington Recycling & Packaging Act (WRAP Act), which was considered by the state legislature in 2023 and 2024. The WRAP Act aims to improve the recyclability of packaging, reduce unnecessary packaging, and increase paper recycling. If passed by the legislature, the WRAP Act would also align recycling guidelines across the state, reduce contamination, improve product labeling, and help build local recycling markets.
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A deeper look into our plastic issue and statewide wins
The U.S. recycling system has struggled to keep pace with the increasing amounts of single-use plastic packaging being produced. Simply put, we can’t recycle our way out of the plastic issue. Some states are taking steps to reduce plastic waste and set recycled-content minimums for new plastic products.
In 2021, Washington adopted a series of plastic-related laws that require packaging producers to include a minimum amount of recycled plastic resin in their packaging. This year, the Washington Department of Ecology fined 35 plastic producers $416,000 for not using enough recycled plastic in trash bags and beverage containers covered by the plastic laws.
Businesses joining efforts to reduce plastics
Some businesses and manufacturers are voluntarily shifting their approach to plastics. One example is the U.S. Plastics Pact, a coalition of over 850 businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and others working together to reduce plastic waste. The group sets goals and target dates, including using 30% recycled content in products and eliminating the use of plastics defined as problematic or unnecessary. For more information, visit the U.S. Plastics Pact website.
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What you can do to help
Individuals, businesses, and groups can all make a difference. Here’s a few ideas you can implement today:
Recycle right
Recycling can be complicated, but following these tips will help you recycle right.
- Only recycle items that appear on Kitsap County's Recycle Right Guide. These are the only items that can go into your curbside recycling cart.
- Make sure recyclables are empty, clean, and dry.
- Avoid "wish-cycling." If you don't know if an item is recyclable locally, place it in the garbage or ask us.
- Ignore symbols on packaging. The recycling symbol on packaging doesn't mean an item is recyclable.
- Keep "tanglers" out of your recycling cart. Items like plastic bags, garden hoses, and string lights can get tangled in machinery at JMK Fibers and cause damage.
 Reduce, refuse, and reuse
Although the problem of waste doesn't rest solely on individuals, individual actions can and do push manufacturers and recyclers to create better waste systems for a better future. Small actions like reducing take-out container waste, refusing plastic cutlery and straws, and reusing coffee mugs can encourage businesses to support sustainable practices.
Demand innovation
Tell the companies you buy from that you want long-lasting, repairable, and recyclable products made with recycled materials! You can also tell your government—local or state—what types of programs and regulations you want.
Share this newsletter
Share this newsletter with family, friends, and neighbors. We regularly send tips and information on reducing waste, recycling right, and local events to help you stay connected with your local waste stream.
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Contact information
Kitsap County Public Works, Solid Waste Division, 360.337.5777 or [email protected]
Kimberly Pleger, Public Works Communications Manager, 360.337.5777 or [email protected]
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