Recycling
Public Works | Solid Waste Division
Skagit County is here to help residents and businesses find practical ways to reduce waste and make the most of our resources. The Five R’s offer simple steps we can all take: Reduce what we throw away, Repair what we can, Reuse what still has life left, Recycle materials that can be made into something new, and Rot food scraps and yard waste through composting.
Explore the resources available on our website below to learn how to put the Five R’s into action, find local recycling and disposal options, and help keep valuable materials out of the landfill.
Reduce
Reducing your consumption saves you money and our natural resources.
- Look for products and packaging made from renewable resources
- Close the loop: buy products made from post-consumer recycled material
- Choose products that have fewer disposable parts
- Use a reusable water bottle, travel mugs, shopping bags, lunch bags
- Zero Waste Homes
- Plastic Free Living
Reuse
Reuse is to use an item more than once. Conventional reuse is when something is used again for the same function. New-life reuse is when an item is used for a new function.
By taking useful products and exchanging them, without reprocessing, reuse helps save time, money, energy and resources.
What can you reuse today, before throwing it out or recycling it?
- Online Materials Exchange
- Secondhand Stores
- Neighborhood Barter and Trade
- Building Salvage Supply Stores
Refuse
Just say no to wasteful living:
- Say no to disposable items
- Say no to packaging
- Say no to junk mail
- Sound Shredding & Recycling
For information about free confidential document paper shredding dates in your area contact Sound Shredding 360-733-7932
Compost
- Yard and Food Waste
- Coffee Grounds
- Soiled Paper and Paper Towels
- Bio-Plastics
Recycle
Find out how to recycle different items by clicking below!
Community Education Programs
Master Composter Recycler Program
Master Composter/Recycler Volunteer Training: we offer yearly free comprehensive training in recycling and composting in exchange for volunteer service. Find us on Facebook
Zero-Waste Schools
Skagit County's Public Works Solid Waste Division Community Outreach Specialist provides a number of education programs to schools, including:
- Classroom Visits: we'll visit your student's classroom to teach them about recycling, composting, and resource reduction. We offer a unit on decomposition, and a unit on waste reduction/recycling. Teachers can choose one or both. Intended for grades 4-6.
- Waste-Free Lunch Program: we'll apply zero-waste principles to creating a waste-free lunch box for students from kindergarten to high school. Participation in this program can help your school attain a zero-waste cafeteria with a comprehensive compost and recycling system.
- Waste Audits: we'll conduct an audit of one school's days waste and recycling to determine how much is being recycled and how much is being thrown away that could be recycled, and look for opportunities to reduce or prevent waste.
- Tours: upon completion of the new Skagit County Transfer and Recycling Station in 2012, we'll offer tours and small group discussions for elementary through high school classrooms.
