
WASTE HANDLING A TO Z
- Appliances
- Asbestos
- Business & Commercial Waste
- Compost
- Construction Debris
- Contaminated Sites
- Electronic Equipment
- Hazardous Waste Collection Sites
- Heating Oil Tanks
- Household Garbage & Other Waste
- Household Hazards
- Meth Labs
- Medicines and Medical Supplies
- Outdoor Burning
- Pet Waste
- Rats, Mice, and Other Pests
- Recycling
- Syringes & Needles
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APPLIANCES | Abandoned appliances can leak harmful substances into the ground, while also providing shelter for rats and mice. Children can accidentally lock themselves in refrigerators and suffocate. It’s easy to get rid of these items: used appliance drop off locations in Kitsap County. |
ASBESTOS |
Material that contains asbestos must be properly handled to prevent causing fatal illness. General information about asbestos FOR YOUR SAFETY |
BUSINESS AND COMMERCIAL WASTE |
Prevent waste, save money and enhance your business image. When you reduce hazardous waste or eliminate it altogether, your waste management and compliance costs can be reduced or eliminated. You can save money by reducing staff time spent on waste management and regulatory compliance, and by reducing expensive hazardous waste equipment and disposal costs. With savings, you could become more competitive and can benefit even more by promoting your responsible practices:
Looking for technical information about dealing with specific types of wastes in your business? The State Department of Ecology has excellent resources organized by business type. See the online Hazardous Waste Guide for Businesses for additional information on waste handling and disposal. BUSINESS VOUCHER INCENTIVE PROGRAM |
COMPOST |
Commercial composting is subject to complex regulations. Contact us for help understanding the requirements that apply to your specific activity. |
CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS |
Construction and demolition wastes are often suitable for salvage or for recycling. Some drop-box locations will accept certain types of construction and demolition wastes for recycling. Other disposal and recycling options for CDL can be found at Recycling in Kitsap County. |
CONTAMINATED SITES |
We are funded by the State Department of Ecology (DOE) to assess the risks to public health and our environment from known or suspected contaminated sites in Kitsap County. Sites can become contaminated through spills, leaks, illegal dumping. Some sites become contaminated through current bad practices, and some are the result of poor practices that happened many years ago. Typical sites in Kitsap County include some abandoned landfills, auto wrecking yards, leaking underground storage tank sites or former bulk fuel storage facilities. Map of contaminated Kitsap County landfills List of contaminated Kitsap County landfills The Department of Ecology (DOE) asks us to do an assessment on sites whenever they receive a report of a release or spill of a hazardous substance from the public. We investigate and, using DOE guidelines, recommend a hazard classification level that determines what level of risk the site poses to public health and the environment. DOE then works with the site owners to clean up the sites, beginning with the highest risk sites first. |
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT | Recycling electronic equipment |
HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTIONS SITES |
The Kitsap County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility accepts hazardous waste from households and some businesses. Click for more information on collection times, acceptable wastes, or to learn whether your business can use the facility, at 360-377-5777. |
HEATING OIL TANKS |
Oil tanks can leak, polluting your yard or seeping into your basement. Legal problems could result, making it difficult to sell your home. Learn to identify problems now—and prevent them in the future. |
HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE & OTHER WASTE |
Your household garbage must be stored in a leak-proof, rodent-proof container. It has to be collected often enough so it does not cause a nuisance. A nuisance could be unsightly piles of garbage, odor, or the presence of rats and other animals that are attracted to the garbage. In Kitsap County, you can either self-haul to a Recycling and Garbage Facility or have your household garbage collected curbside. Some cities have mandatory curbside collection. Get more information on and garbage collection and recycling services. If, on occasion, you need curbside collection to dispose of waste that will not fit in your garbage can, such as a mattress, furniture, or a few boxes of household items, contact your regular waste hauler. The haulers who have exclusive contracts for residential curbside collection in our county are listed below.
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HOUSEHOLD HAZARDS |
DISPOSING OF HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
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MEDICINES AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES / SYRINGES AND NEEDLES | Unused, unwanted and/or expired medication in your home pose a risk to you, your family, and your community. Drug abuse:The home medicine cabinet is one of the most common places people go when looking for drugs to get high. Accidental Poisoning:Many young children get poisoned by taking medicine not intended for them. Bad for the environment:When you flush medicine down the toilet or throw it in the trash, it pollutes our water and soil. Water treatment facilities cannot remove pharmaceuticals before returning treated water to our environment. Kitsap County residents can safely dispose of the medicines they no longer need by taking them to drop-box locations throughout Kitsap County. Participating pharmacies, clinics, hospitals and law enforcement offices will accept most prescription and over-the-counter medicines for disposal. There is also a mail-back option. There is no cost to residents to use this service. Medical sharps are not accepted at these kiosks. If you use needles, syringes or lancets, such as insulin syringes or blood-testing lancets, dispose of them safely so others won't be hurt. Watch this quick tutorial for tips on properly disposing of these items! |
METH LABS |
Meth labs can be anywhere: homes, sheds, and even vehicles. The toxic chemicals used in methamphetamine manufacturing can pose a serious threat to your health and the environment, because they are often not used, stored, or disposed of properly. Many drug lab materials are dumped illegally throughout the county, where they may contaminate soils and streams. Meth labs can also expose you to life-threatening diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis if you are accidentally stuck by used syringes that can often litter these sites. Once a meth manufacturing site has been identified by law enforcement, we are responsible for investigating these sites for contamination and ensuring that they are cleaned properly to no longer pose a threat to your health. We will inspect the property, determine its level of contamination, post warnings, possibly ban entry if necessary, notify the property owner and others potentially responsible for the property, oversee its cleanup and, when appropriate, authorize it for reoccupation. If you suspect a meth lab, contact local law enforcement (WestNET) at 360-337-7064. If you have concerns about possible contamination at a previously identified meth lab site (posted or otherwise) contact the Health District at (360) 728-2235. Learn more: |
OUTDOOR BURNING |
All smoke impacts our air quality, and the smoke from burning some materials carries dangerous chemicals that can harm our lungs. Smoke from open burning also causes problems for people with asthma or other breathing problems. Kitsap County has rules about what can and cannot be burned out of doors. It is illegal to burn trash anywhere in Kitsap County. Open burning of natural vegetative wastes is allowed only in certain areas with a Fire Department permit. Before you burn, be aware of Kitsap County burn ban rules. |
PET WASTE |
Pet waste that remains in your yard can pollute your groundwater and local streams and beach water. County regulations require you to dispose of your pet waste at least weekly, using one of these methods:
Home composting will not destroy the bacteria in cat or dog feces that can make humans sick. Remember to take along a plastic bag when walking your dog—or look for Mutt Mitt Stations at your local park, beach, or trailhead—so you do not pollute the ground or water. RESOURCES |
RATS, MICE AND OTHER PESTS |
Rats and mice are considered hazards, because they can carry diseases, fleas, lice, mites, and internal parasites that can make people and pets sick. Some of the more common and well known diseases caused by rats and mice are bubonic plague, typhus, tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Hantavirus. Rodents tend to live under wood piles, bushes, rocks, in abandoned cars and junk, and in holes under buildings. They can also live in your house: in the walls, crawl spaces, under cupboards, in attics, and near your hot water heater and furnace. The best way to keep these pests out of your home or yard is to take away their food, water, and shelter. ELIMINATE THEIR FOOD SOURCES
ELIMINATE THEIR SHELTER
TRAPS, NOT POISON Trying to poison rats and mice can be dangerous, as children and other animals may eat the poison by mistake. Also, poisoned rodents may die in places you cannot reach, leaving behind a putrid smell. Trapping is safer:
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RECYCLING |
Stumped with a recycling problem—a waste you don’t know what to do with? For a listing of where to recycle, dispose or donate items, click here |