Last year, Seattle residents diverted more than 27,000 tons of food scraps from the landfill by putting them in their food and yard waste carts instead. Here are some tips we’ve received from our customers to help make kitchen scrap collection easy this summer:
Store it! Use a container with a tight fitting lid to store food scraps. Empty the contents into your food and yard waste cart, then rinse and reuse the container.
Bag it! Use a paper or approved compostable bag to store food scraps. Just toss the bag in your food and yard waste cart when it’s full. Visit www.seattle.gov/util/foodwaste to find approved compostable bags. If you don’t see it on the list – don’t use it! Plastic bags are NOT ALLOWED in the cart.
Use the news! Laying newspaper at the bottom of your cart or wrapping your scraps in newspaper helps keep your cart clean.
Chill it! Put leftovers in a container or wrap them in paper, then place them in your refrigerator until your weekly collection day.
Rinse your kitchen container and yard waste cart frequently into yard areas or sanitary sewer drains.
Cover food scraps in your cart with food-soiled paper, shredded paper, or yard waste.