Kitsap County is aware that Waste Management (WM) recently missed waste collections in some areas of the county due to a shortage of truck drivers.
Unfortunately, Kitsap County does not have regulatory authority over waste collection in the county and does not have a contractual relationship with WM for these services. Services are regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC).
Regardless, the Kitsap County Commissioners and the Kitsap County Solid Waste Division are closely monitoring this situation and are in communications with both WM and the UTC. WM has reported to the County that they have made progress with hiring and training new drivers.
We hope the following information will help affected WM customers understand their options.
Filing a complaint
If your service complaint has not been resolved by WM's customer service, you can:
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File a consumer complaint with the UTC, the agency that regulates waste collection in the unincorporated county.
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Fill out the County's tracking form to help us monitor the extent of these service interruptions.
What to do with recyclables
If you can't store recyclables until your next pickup, you can take them to a county waste facility (for no charge.)
WM hauls the recyclables collected at county waste facilities. The company has assured the County that they will add additional hauling so customers have adequate space to drop off recyclables. WM will pay for this additional hauling.
Recycle right at county waste facilities
Recyclables must be empty, clean, dry, and loose. Recycle only these items:
- Plastic bottles, jugs, jars, and dairy tubs (no lids or caps)
- Paper - paperboard boxes, mail, magazines and catalogs, newspaper, office paper, phone books, etc.
- Metal cans (no loose lids)
- Glass bottles and jars (no lids or caps)
- Cardboard (flattened)
Cardboard is collected separately from other materials. View the webpage for each facility to see a complete list of accepted waste items.