Storm cleanup guidance and food safety in power outages

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Recycling and Garbage News

Storm Debris Cleanup Guidance

Advice for tree limbs, spoiled food, and hiring someone to help you clean up

Wind

After a winter storm, you may find yourself with more waste than usual. Here's what to do with it.

Yard debris like tree limbs and leaves

Recycling yard debris is cheaper than disposing of it as garbage. Homes with curbside compost service for food scraps and yard waste can put these materials in their compost cart. Take care to remove glass, plastic, metal, and other materials.

Drop-off composting facilities accept clean yard debris. Contact the facilities below or look at their websites to see fees, accepted items, and hours.

Clear debris from storm drains to prevent flooding

If you see a clogged storm drain, use a rake, shovel handle, or stick to clear the drain. If this does not help, report the blockage to Kitsap1: 360.337.5777 or online.

Spoiled food

The Food and Drug Administration has instructions for keeping your food safe during power outages.

If you've determined your food is not safe to consume, put it in your garbage. If you have more garbage than fits in your cart, you can pay to dispose it at a disposal facility.

Hazardous items and other debris

Don't toss hazardous items in with other storm-related debris. Separate these and properly dispose of them. Click the items below for instructions.

If you have other debris you're not sure what to do with, search for the item on Recycle.KitsapGov.com. Or contact Kitsap1 at help@kitsap1.com or 360.337.5777.

Search Recycle.KitsapGov.com

Advice for hiring someone to help you clean up your property

Hiring a cleanup company

If you're hiring a company to help haul garbage from your property, make sure they are on Kitsap Public Health District's list of permitted waste haulers. These businesses are licensed, insured, bonded, operating legally, and disposing properly.

Prevent illegal dumping by getting a receipt

It's more common than you may think-- you hire someone to haul waste from your home and they dump it illegally instead of taking it to a disposal facility.

To prevent this, require the person bring you a receipt from a valid disposal or recycling facility. Withhold full payment until you see this receipt.

Be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true!