Your guide to including the food in your yard waste cart.





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Kitsap County Solid Waste Recycling and Garbage News




Compost food scraps in your yard waste cart

Kitsap residents who subscribe to curbside yard waste collection services can now *include food waste in their existing yard waste cart*! This optional service is available to residents in north, south, and most of central Kitsap. Visit our Curbside Composting Service Lookup Map [ [link removed] ] to check for eligibility.






Curbside composting guidelines

All food and yard waste are accepted in yard waste carts. Residents are encouraged to add items such as eggshells, coffee grounds, bones, cheese, leftovers, and more.

Service providers [ [link removed] ] collect organic materials from your home for composting on the Kitsap Peninsula. Most collected organic materials are taken to North Mason Fibers [ [link removed] ] in Belfair. Some organic materials from north Kitsap households are composted at DTG’s Olympic Organics [ [link removed] ] in Hansville.

Please help reduce contamination by following these curbside composting guidelines [ [link removed] ]:

Curbside composting guide infographic. [ [link removed] ]

*What is accepted:*


* Fruits and vegetables (whole, scraps, or moldy)
* Seafood and shells
* Bones
* Meat (cooked or raw)
* Dairy
* Bread, rice, and other grains
* Coffee grounds
* Napkins, paper towels, and coffee filters
* Yard waste like grass, plant trimmings, branches, and leaves

*What is not accepted:*


* Dirt and rocks
* Produce stickers
* Plastic bags
* Items labeled "compostable" (take-home boxes, cutlery, plastic bags)
* Noxious weeds
* Fats, oils, and grease
* Pet waste and diapers





Compost toolkit


Compost toolkit giveaway

For a limited time, we're giving away compost toolkits to help residents store and carry food scraps from their kitchen to their collection cart. Pledge to "Include the Food" and claim your free compost toolkit today!

*Pledge to "Include the Food"* [ [link removed] ]






Statewide efforts to reduce organic waste

Washington and Kitsap County are committed to reducing organic materials sent to landfills. In 2022 and 2024, the state legislature passed a series of Organics Management Laws aimed at reducing organic material in landfills by 75% by 2030. Kitsap County is proactively implementing and providing additional services beyond the laws. 

Learn more about Washington's organics goals on Washington State Department of Ecology’s Organics Management Laws webpage [ [link removed] ].






Food waste and the climate

Compost your food scraps to combat climate change. [ [link removed] ]

Infographic developed by EPA.

In Washington, 1.2 million tons of food are sent to landfills each year. When food rots in landfills, it produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Food waste is responsible for 58% of methane emitted from landfills, equal to the yearly emissions of 15 coal-fired power plants (EPA and USDA, 2024 [ [link removed] ])!

Nearly a quarter of Washington's waste could be diverted from landfills and turned into compost. Compost protects the planet by decreasing methane emissions from landfills, building healthier soil that absorb carbon and conserve water, and improving plant growth. Compost is a climate champion, and you can be one too!






Resources to learn more

Online resources:


* Curbside Composting Guide [ [link removed] ] (Kitsap County)
* Worm Bin Quick Start Guide [ [link removed] ] (Kitsap County)
* Worm Feeding Guide [ [link removed] ] (Kitsap County)
* Food Waste and Methane: What's the Connection? Fact Sheet [ [link removed] ] (EPA and USDA)
* Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste [ [link removed] ] (EPA)
* Composting At Home webpage [ [link removed] ] (EPA)

Resources available at the Kitsap Regional Library:


* Bokashi Composting [ [link removed] ] by Adam Footer 
* Composting for a New Generation [ [link removed] ] by Michelle Balz
* Organic Composting Handbook [ [link removed] ] by Dede Cummings
* Worms Eat My Garbage [ [link removed] ] by Mary Appelhof





Contact information

Kitsap County Public Works Solid Waste Division, 360.337.5777 or [email protected]

Kimberly Pleger, Public Works Communications Manager, 360.337.5777, 360.277.6032 or [email protected]







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