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Composting in Kitsap

compost iconComposting food scraps and yard waste is an easy way to reduce your household’s climate impact and put food waste to good use! When organic material like food and yard waste decompose in a landfill it creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Communities across Washington are moving towards placing all organic waste in yard waste carts to divert this material from the landfill to help meet statewide greenhouse gas reduction goals. Learn more about these goals by visiting the Organics Management Law webpage.


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curbside organics service providers
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food waste reduction information

Curbside food and yard waste collection guidelines
3 Steps to Collecting Compost

Accepted items include:

  • Yard waste (leaves, grass, plant trimmings, and branches less than 3" wide and 4' long) 

  • Food (including raw, bones, and prepared) 

  • Food soiled paper (Paper towels, napkins, and coffee filters)

Not accepted:

  • NO plastic bags, including those marked "compostable/biodegradable/degradable." Only use paper bags or BPI certified bags. Learn more about Washington’s compostable plastic labeling requirements. 

  • NO dirt or rocks

  • NO produce stickers or food labels

  • NO glass, plastic, or metal

  • NO noxious weeds. Place these in the garbage.

  • NO diapers or pet waste. Place these in the garbage.

  • NO fats and oils

  • NO take-out containers

Common questions

 Why should I put food waste into my yard waste cart?

Composting can save money. 
Putting food scraps, yard waste, and food-soiled paper in the food and yard waste cart generates less garbage. With less garbage, you can opt for a smaller (and cheaper) garbage service level.

Composting helps the climate and conserves resources.

  • Food in the landfill breaks down very slowly in a process that emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. 

  • Landfills are the third largest source of human-related methane emissions in the US because of all the food and other organic materials that get thrown away. 

  • Composting reduces landfill waste by approximately 25%. 

  • Composting reduces energy and emissions from transportation. Garbage generated in Kitsap County travels over 300 miles to a landfill in Oregon, but composting is done locally on the Kitsap Peninsula. 

Compost enriches soil. 

  • The process of breaking down food and yard waste produces compost, a nutrient-rich fertilizer.

  • Composting food and yard waste "closes the loop" so the nutrients in them can be returned to the soil. Learn how Kitsap County uses compost in county projects. 

 How do I get my food waste from my kitchen to my yard waste cart?

Find a system to collect food waste that works for you and your family. There are a lot of kitchen collection bin options! A few options are:

    • Get one for FREE from Kitsap County Solid Waste Division when you pledge to include the food! We’re giving out kitchen pail toolkits while supplies last. 

    • Use a brown paper bag to collect your scraps. Once full, place the brown paper bag and your scraps in the yard waste cart. Tip: keep it in the freezer to reduce smells. 

    • Repurpose an existing container into a kitchen collection bin.

 Do I have to participate?

Participation in this program is optional. Washington State is committed to reducing landfill-disposed organic material by 75% by 2030. By 2025, the amount of edible food disposed in a landfill must be reduced by 20%. 

Kitsap County is proactively implementing the state’s organics laws, including Washington State House Bill 1799. This law requires Kitsap County to offer food and yard waste collection services to all residential customers, except multifamily residences, by April 1, 2027.

 What happens to the collected food and yard waste?

Most food and yard waste is composted at North Mason Fiber in Belfair, Washington. Some food and yard waste from North Kitsap households is composted at DTG’s Olympic Organics.

 Won’t putting food waste in my yard waste cart attract pests?

Food waste has been safely collected in yard waste bins as an option in other neighboring communities and across the country for the past decade. We recommend mixing your food waste in with yard waste in layers in your cart.

 Will fruit flies be an issue?

Follow these tips to reduce fruit flies and attracting other bugs: 

    • Empty your kitchen food scrap container into the food and yard waste cart multiple times a week. 

    • Use a BPI compostable bag or paper bag to line your kitchen pail. 

    • Wash the kitchen food scrap container regularly. 

    • Sprinkle baking soda over food scraps or wrap them in newspaper to absorb odor and liquid. 

    • Store your container in the refrigerator or even freezer, especially during hot summer months: food scraps stay drier and last longer.

 What are other composting options?

There are other methods that people can use to recycle their food and yard waste: 

  • Curbside Pickup: Placing compostable materials in the gray cart and your service provider will whisk them away every other week to a facility for processing into compost. 

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  • Backyard composting: Backyard composting is best for yard and garden wastes like grass, leaves, and small garden cuttings. You can also put some fruit and vegetable food scraps into a backyard compost pile. Visit EPA’s Composting At Home webpage for a quick guide to backyard composting.

  • Worm composting (Vermicomposting): Worm composting is best for kitchen scraps like fruit and vegetable peels. Red wiggler worms create vermicompost, a valuable fertilizer and soil builder. You can make a worm bin from inexpensive materials or purchase a pre-made worm bin kit. Worm composting can be done indoors. 

  • Drop off yard waste: Take clean yard waste to special drop-off sites in Kitsap County. Find a site near you. Check with each site to verify what is accepted. Do not compost noxious weeds. Bag and toss them in the garbage.

 How to worm compost?

There are many ways to worm compost. We recommend that beginners start by making a worm bin from a small plastic tote. 

Supplies Needed: 

  • Red Wiggler (Eisenia fetida) worms. Buy composting worms online (search "red wiggler worms Washington"), locally at Bay Hay & Feed (call ahead for availability) or 3-in-1 Worm Ranch, or ask a local social media group if anyone has worms to share. 

  • A plastic bin measuring approximately 2ft x 1.5ft x 9in. Drill holes in the bottom and sides for airflow. 

  • A tray to put under the worm bin to catch vermicompost and drainage if it occurs. Drainage should not occur; it's a sign your bin is too wet.

  • Bedding. Shredded paper, brown leaves, or straw. Do not use shiny paper, envelopes with plastic windows, or paper containing plastic. 

  • Fruit and vegetable scraps to feed the worms. Use the Worm Feeding Guide. 

Set Up: 

Tips for Success: 

  • Red wiggler worms eat approximately half their body weight daily. 

  • Freeze extra food scraps waiting to go in the worm bin. It will prevent fruit flies and speed up composting. 

  • Keep food scraps in the bin covered with bedding to prevent fruit flies and odor. 

  • Regularly mix the bin contents regularly to allow air flow and add fresh bedding to absorb excess moisture. Most problems that happen in worm bins come from too much moisture. 

  • When your worm bin gets full of vermicompost, search online for harvesting methods.