Food Waste material Requirements

Photo of vegetables in compost

Compostable and recyclable materials are not allowed in the garbage. It'southward the police. They can be used for other purposes instead of being sent to the landfill. Compostables are locally fabricated into compost and put back into the soil. Recyclables are made into new materials without needing to extract raw materials from the earth.

Seattle Municipal Code sections 21.36.082 and 21.36.083 crave that residents and businesses do not put food scraps, compostable paper, chiliad waste, and recyclables in their garbage.

What Not to Put in the Garbage

  • All food and food-soiled paper products such as paper towels, newspaper napkins, and cardboard must exist composted.
  • Recyclable items such equally paper, uncontaminated cardboard, bottles, cups, jars, and cans must be recycled.
  • Unsure? Look information technology upwardly using the Where Does it Go? Tool.

What Does This Mean for Me?

Single-family unit residences

Garbage carts should non contain recyclables or food waste. Recyclables and nutrient waste should be put in their respective carts.

Multi-family residences

Apartments and condos must provide convenient food & g waste service and recycling service for their residents. Seattle Public Utilities gives warning notices for multi-family garbage containers that contain recyclables and food waste. For each warning, the property will receive a tag on the container and a detect volition be mailed to the account. After ii warnings, backdrop may receive a $50 fee on their waste beak for recyclables in the garbage. Property owners and managers can print or request free educational flyers that are available in multiple languages.

Commercial businesses

The ordinances specify that a fee may be applied to a solid waste product account when more than than 10% of the garbage container (by volume) contains prohibited materials, nutrient waste, food-soiled paper, and/or recyclables. All commercial establishments that generate food waste or compostable paper are required to subscribe to food and yard waste service, compost their food waste product on site, or cocky-haul their nutrient waste to a transfer station for processing.

See below to download flyers near food waste requirements for businesses.

Concern Recycling and Composting Requirements

All documents are in PDF format.

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History of Seattle Composting

Before the ordinance, Seattle sent approximately 100,000 tons of food waste 300 miles to a landfill in eastern Oregon each year. This resulted in higher costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Today, Seattle sends more than 125,000 tons of food and yard waste product to composting processors. The fabric is now turned into compost for local parks and gardens.

  • In 1988, Seattle prohibited thou waste from the garbage.
  • In 2005, Seattle prohibited recyclables from the garbage.
  • In 2005, Seattle besides began curbside food waste material collection.
  • In 2009, Seattle required all residential backdrop to either subscribe to food and yard waste matter collection or participate in backyard composting.
  • Since 2011, multi-family buildings in Seattle have been required to provide compost collection service for their residents.
  • In 2015, Seattle prohibited food waste material from the garbage.