DNRP > SWD > Composting & Soils > Food Waste Composting > Residential Food Waste Collection Assistance

Yard and Food Waste Recycling with Curbside Collection

Put food scraps and food-soiled paper in your yard waste cart so it can be recycled and made into compost. This service is available to residents who live in:

• Areas of unincorporated King County served by Waste Management (external)
• Auburn (external) Waste Management Residential Customers (only, not Allied Waste or Murray Disposal)
• Bellevue (external)
• Bothell (external)
• Burien (external)
• Carnation (external)
• Federal Way (external)
• Issaquah (including South Cove) (external)
• Kirkland (external)
• Lake Forest Park (external)
• Maple Valley (external)
• Newcastle (external)
• Redmond (external)
• Sammamish (external)
• Seattle (external)
• Tukwila (external)
• Woodinville (external)
• Areas of unincorporated King County served by Waste Management: Unincorporated Snohomish County, Unincorporated South King County (external)

More areas of the county are being added this year. If you're not sure if food waste can be put in your yard waste collection container yet, check with your garbage hauler and check back on this Web site.

Why recycle food scraps and food-soiled paper?

• In King County, more than 35 percent of the waste collected from single-family residences is composed of food scraps and soiled paper. That's over 256,000 tons of food waste and soiled paper that could be recycled to make compost.
• When you recycle your food scraps and soiled paper with your curbside yard waste, it goes to Cedar Grove Composting (http://www.cedar-grove.com/) external site where it is made into compost.
• Compost, helps build healthy soil. By building healthy soil and practicing natural yard care you can have great looking landscaping that is easier to care for and healthier for families, pets and wildlife. Look for discount prices on compost and other natural yard care products during the spring and fall with Northwest Natural Yard Days.

King County residents who live in areas where food waste collection is not available can still recycle their kitchen scraps by:

• worm bin composting
• burying your food scraps

Questions about kitchen waste composting and natural yard care? Contact The Natural Lawn and Garden hotline at 206-633-0224 or info@lawnandgardenhotline.org.

What about using my garbage disposal for food waste disposal?

In-sink garbage disposals should only be used for certain types of food waste and liquids from food preparation. Learn more about keeping fats, oils and grease out of the garbage disposal and sewer system. If you're going to use a garbage disposal, take the time to learn more about how to conserve water (external).

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