Facilities, Hours, & FEES

Normal operating schedules and holiday closures are listed below. Notices of temporary closures or temporary schedule changes will be posted on the home page.

Transfer Station

Garbage, Recycling, Yard Waste

325 County Landfill Rd
Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tuesday – Saturday
9 am – 4:30 pm
Tues. are busiest. Thurs. & Fri. have shortest wait times.
(closed holidays – see list)

  • Disposal fees by weight. Minimum charge: $10 for garbage, $5 for yard waste.
  • Cash, check, or credit/debit card (Visa, Mastercard, and Discover only) accepted.
  • No-fee Recycling.
  • Questions? call 360-385-9160
  • Please be aware that you must be able to unload by yourself, and be able to back up your vehicle/trailer to the tipping floor if you have garbage.
  • Tuesdays are our busiest day.  Thursdays and Fridays usually have the shortest wait times.

Quilcene Drop Box

Household Garbage and Recycling.
NO yard waste or construction materials (lumber, roofing, etc.)

295312 Highway 101
Quilcene, WA 98376

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
9 am – 12 pm & 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm
(closed holidays – see list)

  • Disposal fees by container, loose volume, or special rate for bulky items.
  • Only cash or check accepted. NO CREDIT/DEBIT cards.
  • No-fee Recycling.
  • Questions? call 360-385-9160. Quilcene Drop Box Office: 360-765-3051
  • Please be aware that you must be able to unload by yourself.

 

Compost Facility

Purchase Compost

325 County Landfill Road
Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday
12 pm – 3 pm when available
(closed holidays – see list)

2023 Holiday Closures

Our Solid Waste Facilities are closed to the public on Mondays, so only holidays obeserved on normal operating days are listed below.

  • Independence Day – Tuesday, July 4
  • Veteran’s Day – Friday, November 11
  • Thanksgiving – Thursday & Friday, November 24 & 25

 

Fee Schedules

new schedule effective oct 3, 2023

Jefferson County WA Solid Waste 2023 Fee Schedule
Transfer Station Fee Schedule Effective 9/4/2023
Quilcene Drop Box Fee Schedule effective 9/4/23

Why have the Solid Waste fees been raised?

  • The solid waste program is a self-funding operation.
  • The garbage disposal fees fund more than 99% of Solid Waste’s operations.
  • Since 2019, Solid Waste’s reserve fund has been spent down to its minimal balance. We must keep up with rising operational costs.
  • Solid Waste fees pay for all programs, including:
    • Recycling, with four fee-free drop off facilities, two of them open 24/7, 365 days a year.
    • Four Household Hazardous Waste collection events a year throughout Jefferson County.
    • Two Environmental Centers located at the Transfer Station and Quilcene Drop Box that provide fee-free safe disposal for motor oil, antifreeze, mercury-containing lightbulbs, and rechargeable and lithium-ion batteries.
    • Fee-free disposal of sharps at the Transfer Station and Quilcene Drop Box facilities.
    • Solid Waste education and community outreach focusing on rescuing food for local food banks.
    • Closed landfill groundwater monitoring.
  • A 2022 comparison to King County’s and Seattle’s solid waste program found that we have the same or better level of service. We compared materials accepted and the distance customers have to travel to get to facilities. This level of service is expensive to maintain. If we wanted to continue providing the same level of service as the largest metropolitan area in Washington State, we had to raise the fee. If we wanted to keep the same fee, then services would need to be reduced to cut costs. We chose to continue to provide the programs listed above.
  • The minimum fee was last adjusted 9 years ago in 2014. 45% of our customers bring less than the minimum weight of 120 lbs., causing increased wait times and wear and tear on already worn equipment. Transfer Stations across the state set minimum fees to encourage fewer, heavier loads to lower costs and improve efficiency. Convenience is expensive.

Jefferson County’s new minimum fee is slightly lower than the average of all Washington Counties West of the Cascade Mountains.

Jefferson County’s per ton fee is slightly higher than the average of all Washington Counties West of the Cascade Mountains.

The Board of County Commissioners adopted the Solid Waste Fee Resolution on July 3rd. Click here to view the fee schedule that is expected to take effect October 3rd, 2023.

 

Low Income Discount Program

The low income program will begin at the same time the new fee schedule is implemented.

King County is the only other county that provides this service.

 

Solid Waste Low Income Program Flyer

Private Pick-Up Service

Want to avoid the lines and lower your carbon footprint?

Call Waste Connections to order curbside service at (360) 452-7278