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Reducing waste this Thanksgiving
Welcome to the Thanksgiving edition of Recycling and Garbage News. In this newsletter, we share tips for reducing food waste, recycling right, and remembering your reusable bags. We also share reminders of recycling and garbage facility holiday closures.
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Celebrate the holidays without the food waste
Americans are expected to throw out 320 million pounds of food this Thanksgiving—equal to $550 million worth of food and 267 million meals! At a time when so many community members go hungry, this amount of waste is unacceptable. This holiday season, take these simple actions to reduce wasted food in your own home:
Plan ahead. It's always a challenge to estimate how much food you need for your dinner party guests. Use Save the Food’s Guest-imator to help you plan the right amount of side dishes, main dishes, and desserts.
Donate what you can. Even when you plan ahead, sometimes you are left with extra boxes of stuffing or cans of cranberry sauce. Many of these shelf-stable ingredients are accepted at local food banks.
Transform holiday leftovers. Turn your leftovers into new meals, like turkey shawarma or shepherd's pie. Find more recipes on Ecology’s Use Food Well website.
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From your plate to the curbside compost cart
When your leftovers are no longer usable, place them in your food and yard waste (compost) cart! Most Kitsap homes can sign up for this convenient curbside service through their waste collection service provider. Learn more on our composting in Kitsap webpage.
Live in Seabeck? Good news! Starting January 2026, WM will offer curbside organics collection service to Seabeck and other outlying western communities, including Crosby, Hintzville, Hite Center, Lake Symington, Lake Tahuyeh, Olympic View, Wildcat Lake, and Warrenville.
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 Free 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.
 Bring your own bags
Bags, wallet, keys, phone—check! Whether you’re shopping for groceries or gifts, don’t forget to bring your own bags.
Washington State has been transitioning away from single-use plastic bags since 2021. Starting in January 2026, bag fees in stores and restaurants will increase from 8 cents to 12 cents. The best way to avoid the charge and reduce plastic waste is by bringing your own bags.
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 Make food waste separation easy
Looking for a convenient way to store food scraps in your kitchen? Sign our pledge to compost right and receive a free compost toolkit, while supplies last. Each toolkit includes a kitchen pail, BPI-certified compostable bags, and other educational resources to help you get started.
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What do I do with...?
Recycle with confidence this Thanksgiving with these helpful tips.
Aluminum pie and food trays belong in the garbage. Opt for reuseable casserole or pie dishes if making your own desserts and food.
Plastic trays and clamshells used for deli foods, desserts, fruits, and vegetables belong in the garbage. Use reuseable food trays and dishware if possible.
Plastic cups, utensils, and plates belong in the garbage. If you're hosting a Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving dinner, ask your guests to bring their own service ware and take-home containers to help you save time on dishes!
Plastic tubs for whipped toppings (like Cool Whip) belong in the recycling cart after a quick rinse. Place the lid in the garbage.
Aerosol whipped cream cans belong in the garbage once they’re empty.
Pumpkin puree and cranberry sauce metal cans belong in the recycling cart after a quick rinse. Place loose lids in the garbage.
String lights can be recycled at scrap metal drop-off sites. Keep string lights out of your curbside recycling cart, as they damage recycling machinery.
Search our Waste Wizard to find more answers on proper disposal and recycling.
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Facility holiday hours and facility news
Thanksgiving Day facility closures
All Kitsap County Recycling and Garbage Facilities and Olympic View Transfer Station are closed on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 27). The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility is closed Thanksgiving weekend (Thursday, November 27 - Sunday, November 30). Visit our webpage for facility hours, rates, and accepted items.
Exact change requested at facilities
Because pennies are no longer being produced, our facilities are experiencing a limited supply of pennies. To help keep transactions running smoothly, we ask customers to pay with exact change whenever possible. Thank you!
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Waste reduction and recycling resources
Learn more about preventing and reducing waste with these resources:
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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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