Tips on holiday recycling, shopping, food waste, and facility hours and news.





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Kitsap County Solid Waste Recycling and Garbage News




Wrap up your waste this holiday season

Welcome to the December holiday edition of "Recycling and Garbage News". In this newsletter, we share facility holiday hours, news, and our holiday recycling guide. We also offer creative ways to wrap gifts, ideas for cutting down on food waste, and tips for holiday shopping.

Gingerbread cookies in a line.




What do I do with...

Recycle right and reduce contamination this holiday season with these helpful tips.

*String lights *can be recycled at scrap metal drop-off sites [ [link removed] ]. Keep string lights *out* of your curbside recycling cart, as they damage recycling machinery. 

*Ornaments **(broken or nonreusable)* are garbage. If they are in good condition, try donating them before placing in your garbage cart. 

*Bows and strings* belong in the garbage. You can also save and reuse them for next year!

*Metal wreath* *frames (plain)* can be recycled at scrap metal drop-off sites. Make sure to remove pine branches, bows, and other decorations before recycling.

*Batteries *should be dropped off at battery-collection sites. Help us keep our staff and facilities safe by keeping batteries *out* of your curbside recycling and garbage carts.

*Styrofoam**TM** and packing peanuts *should be bagged and placed in the trash. Styrofoam products are *not *accepted for curbside recycling, and some StyrofoamTM packaging products are banned in Washington [ [link removed] ]. Stay tuned for our Styrofoam Collection Event [ [link removed] ] in Spring 2025.

Download our Holiday Recycling Guide [ [link removed] ] for more holiday-related recycling tips!

*Holiday Recycling Guide* [ [link removed] ]

Recycling, donation, or disposal question? Search your items using our Waste Wizard tool at Recycle.Kitsap.Gov [ [link removed] ]




Shopping, wrapping, and waste reduction

Amid holiday traditions, Americans increase their waste from November to January. By shopping and wrapping mindfully, we can all reduce waste and save money.

Gifting to reduce waste

*Shop local*. Kitsap is home to many local businesses that offer unique gifts like soaps, books, art, jewelry, and more. Check out Kitsap's Shop Local Gift Guide [ [link removed] ]* for gift ideas. Shopping local reduces packaging waste and supports our local economy. And don’t forget to bring your own bag!

*Swap-style gift exchange*. Get your friends and family together to swap books, puzzles, or other items that you already have. 

*Gift experiences. *Give the gift of an experience. Kitsap has many activities, from escape rooms to candle making classes, that make great gifts and memories. 

Wrapping to reduce waste

*Furoshiki-inspired wrapping. *Furoshiki is a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth used to carry belongings. Wrapping with cloth is a reusable option that saves paper and money. Look up "How to Tie a Furoshiki [ [link removed] ]*" guides online or borrow a book [ [link removed] ] from Kitsap Regional Library.

*Choose plain paper or a reusable bag. *Wrapping paper without foil or glitter can be recycled in your curbside recycling cart. Wrapping paper with foil or glitter is trash. 






Celebrate the holidays without the food waste

Washington Ecology Use Food Well [ [link removed] ]

Holiday food waste is a problem—be part of the solution! During the holidays, millions of pounds of food are wasted in Washington.

Washington State Department of Ecology launched a new "Use Food Well" holiday campaign [ [link removed] ] that shares planning and storage tips, recipes, and more to reduce food waste during the holiday season. 

 



*Holiday food waste tips* [ [link removed] ]






Recycle your tree with Tree-Cycle. Find drop-off locations at kcowa.us/treecycle
Tree-Cycle your holiday tree

Is your holiday tree looking too dry? Take your unflocked tree to a Tree-Cycle site when you're done enjoying it. Many sites are free, and some act as fundraisers for youth sports and activities. We'll continue to update the Tree-Cycle list throughout January.

*Tree-Cycle sites* [ [link removed] ]



Don't throw it away! Recycle computers, monitors, and televisions for free. Find a drop-off site: ecyclewa.org
Electronic recycling

Upgrading your TV, computer, tablet, or e-reader this season? Recycle your old or broken electronics for free with E-Cycle Washington. Learn more about what electronics are accepted on E-Cycle Washington's website [ [link removed] ]. 

*E-Cycle sites* [ [link removed] ]






Facility news

Facility holiday hours and closures

Kitsap County garbage, recycling, and household hazardous waste facilities will be closed on the following days during the winter holidays:

*Olympic View Transfer Station*


* December 24, 2024: Closes at 3 p.m.
* December 25, 2024: Closed
* January 1, 2025: Closed

*Recycling and Garbage Facilities in Silverdale, Hansville, and Olalla*


* December 24, 2024: Closes at 2 p.m.
* December 25, 2024: Closed
* January 1, 2025: Closed

*Household Hazardous Waste Facility*

The Household Hazardous Waste Facility is closed December 15, 2024, through January 15, 2025, for fire suppression system repairs. The facility is expected to reopen on January 16, 2025. For more information, read our planned closure alert newsletter [ [link removed] ]. 

Rate increases effective January 1, 2025

In 2022, the County approved incremental increases to disposal rates. Costs will increase at all county garbage and recycling facilities on January 1, 2025. Visit our website to view the new rates [ [link removed] ] and learn about the rate increases [ [link removed] ].

Winter weather conditions

Weather and other conditions may affect facility hours and operations. During a storm, call 360.674.7065 to check for waste facility closures or delays. If a closure occurs suddenly, staff or signage will inform customers upon arrival. 

We also update the Kitsap County inclement weather and emergency webpage [ [link removed] ] as soon as possible.  






Community events and resources

Waste reduction and recycling events

* *Kitsap Fix-it Fair in Port Orchard:* We're hosting a free community repair event on December 14, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Long Lake Park community building. Visit our Fix-it Fairs webpage [ [link removed] ] for more details. 
* *Mending meetup:* People’s Exchange [ [link removed] ] in Bremerton hosts a free mending meetup each month on the second Friday.
* *Kitsap Regional Library Puzzle Swap: *The Poulsbo branch [ [link removed] ] is hosting a puzzle swap on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.

Resources and creative ways to reduce waste

Learn more about preventing and reducing waste with these resources:


* Ecology encourages Washingtonians to 'Use Food Well' this holiday season. [ [link removed] ]
* U.S. EPA 'Explains...Greening the Holidays' infographic [ [link removed] ]
* NPR 'For more eco-friendly holiday wrapping, some turn to the Japanese art of furoshiki' article [ [link removed] ]
* U.S. EPA 'Green Your Holiday This Season' blog [ [link removed] ]
* U.S. EPA 'How Wasted Food Fuels Climate Change' infographic [ [link removed] ]
* U.S. EPA 'Compost Your Food Scraps to Combat Climate Change' infographic [ [link removed] ]
* U.S. EPA "National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution: Part Three of a Series on Building a Circular Economy for All" report [ [link removed] ].
Happy holidays! May your holiday season be filled with recycling, reuse, and repair! Kitsap County Solid Waste team

*Information and links provided do not constitute an endorsement of any kind from Kitsap County nor does Kitsap County verify information provided by or in third-party links. Kitsap County makes no representation or warranty concerning the content, accuracy, currency, completeness or quality of the information. 






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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