Recycling

View the Recycling Flyer to find out what we accept and where to take it. Click the image to open the flyer as a PDF document. Call 360-385-9160 if you have questions about recycling.

 

Unincorporated Jefferson County Resident Flyer

This flyer is ONLY for unincorporated Jefferson County residents.

If you live in the City of Port Townsend and have mandatory curbside service, this flyer is NOT for you. You will have your own recycle flyer coming soon!

2026 Jefferson County Recycle Flyer front page

Options for County Residents

Port Townsend residents’ mandatory pick-up service does not change.

Curbside Pick-Up Service

Waste Connections’ services are comparable to self-haul pricing. Get Recycling only, Garbage only, or both Recycling & Garbage service! Call (360) 385-6612 or visit their website https://www.wasteconnections.com/sequim to get a quote.

Low income rates are coming soon for unincorporated Jefferson County residents! (outside the City of Port Townsend) We don’t have an estimated arrival time yet, but they are working towards it. State and local government offices have to review and approve the change. 

Self-Haul to Solid Waste Facilities

For people who can’t access curbside pickup (due to location or road access) or choose to self-haul their recycling and/or garbage.  Low-income rates available.

  • Transfer Station, Port Townsend —325 Landfill Road
    • Unload recycling and garbage behind the scales
    • $20 fee for up to 220 lbs of combined solid waste and recycling
  • Quilcene Rural Drop Box Facility – 295312 Highway 101
    • $20 fee for up to two 32-gallon cans of waste + all recycling
    • Everyone entering the facililty must stop at the attendant shack

Inside Port Townsend city limits

Visit the City of PT Trash Collection/Recycling page. Currently, the City of Port Townsend contracts with Waste Connections for the collection, hauling, and billing of the mandatory trash/recycling service.

Workplace Recycling

Olympic Disposal’s commercial garbage customers within the City of Port Townsend receive recycling services at no extra charge. Contact Olympic Disposal at 360-385-6612 or 1-800-422-7854.

Recycling Program Changes – April 1, 2026

What Changed?

  • We removed all un-staffed county recycling drop boxes:
    • Kala Point, 20 Village Dr.
      CLOSED Monday, March 23, 2026
    • Port Hadlock, 202 Elkins Rd.
      CLOSED Tuesday, March 24, 2026
    • Port Ludlow, 20 Village Dr.
      CLOSED Wednesday, March 25, 2026
    • Recycling Sites Closing Dates Flyer
  • Fee-based recycling at Solid Waste facilities: Transfer Station recycling bins moved behind the scales and fees include both recycling and solid waste combined loads. We’re contracting with Olympic Waste Disposal to provide this recycling service.
  • Combined recycling: cans, plastic bottles and jugs, paper are accepted in one bin. No more separating each type- except for glass and cardboard which will continue to be on their own.

Background

Jefferson County Public Works contracted with a private company to provide recycling services for East Jefferson County. This service was available to residents and visitors outside the City of Port Townsend.

The contractor:

  • Collected recyclable materials from five drop-off sites
  • Processed them at the Transfer Station’s recycling center
  • Marketed the materials and delivered them to buyers

Jefferson County was one of only 2 counties left in Washington that still asked customers to separate their recyclables and the last that we know of that offered unstaffed, 24/7 drop-off locations

Quilcene Recycle Bins

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

Solid Waste disposal fees should not subsidize recycling.

Jefferson County’s Solid Waste fees subsidized our recycling program by $326,000 each year! Every solid waste transaction at the Transfer Station and Quilcene Drop Box had a percentage that went towards the recycling program. We also depended on offsets from state grants and commodity sales.

Recycling always had a cost. At the start of the recycling program, the value of recyclables helped offset the costs of collection and processing. This helped keep the costs low. In the last decade, commodity values have plummeted while the costs of collection and processing continue to rise.

Why is the contamination rate so high in the drop boxes? Three reasons:

1) Some people are not paying attention to what is accepted, despite signs on the drop boxes, and flyers online and mailed in PUD bills.

2) Drop boxes seen as a “free” place to dump garbage—over 41 tons in 2024! Those added costs have been significant for the county.

3) Well-meaning “wish-cyclers” thinking if they put an unaccepted item in the bin, it will be recycled somewhere. Unfortunately, it is just garbage and contaminates the load.

The contamination level at the drop boxes is high and hasn’t dropped despite our best efforts to educate the community.

In 2020 we conducted contamination audits to determine the percentage of unrecyclable materials placed in our bins. The findings were a dismally high rate.

In response, we boosted our education outreach to include:

  • Updated and revised recycling flyer to address contamination issues and misconceptions
  • Updated and revised the web page including videos and helpful web links
  • Revised drop box signs to highlight contamination
  • Hosted seven in-person community presentations on recycling
  • Posted samples of contamination on sandwich boards at all drop box locations
  • Volunteers spoke with citizens at drop box locations (Volunteers received such negative reactions during this outreach that we determined not to do this again.)
  • Conducted a county-wide survey to assess misconceptions and help re-design outreach actions
  • Presentations on KPTZ
  • Presentations to community groups

The two audits following this effort found no improvement.

2026 Changes

April 1, 2026: Current recycling services contract ends. New recycling program begins.

2025 Open Public Meetings

Meeting Recordings  (Login & Password: public)
1/23/25 SWAC Special Meeting
3/26/25 Joint SWAC & BOCC Special Meeting
4/29/25 Joint SWAC & BOCC Special Meeting

January, March, & April meetings for SWAC , Commissioners, and public input.
7/21/2025 BoCC Regular Meeting

Proposal announced at this BOCC meeting
09/02/2025 BoCC Regular Meeting 

County Commissioners agreed with staff’s recommendation and gave direction to develop:

– an Operating Agreement with Waste Connections for the management of the County-owned recycling center

– a Level of Service Ordinance that would establish the curbside recycling options such as choices in bin sizes and collection frequency

11/03/2025 BoCC Regular Meeting 

BOCC solicited public comment on the Level of Service Ordinance at a Public Hearing and adopted the Ordinance.

Reference Documents
March 18, 2025 Recycling Program Issue Paper

Recycling Reform Act

The Recycling Reform Act that was passed in 2025 will shift the responsibility for recycling from citizens to the producers, where it rightfully belongs. They will start paying for recycling in 2027, reducing what individuals pay statewide by 25%. By 2032, they will be paying for 90% of our recycling. That means your cost to recycle will be almost zero.

Visit their website (linked above) for more information. They even have the option to sign up for email updates!

What does this mean for the Environmental Centers?

The facilities that accept fluorescent lightbulbs, mixed motor oil, anti-freeze, and lithium-ion, rechargeable, and button cell batteries will remain the same. No changes to location and no drop off fee will be added.

Batteries

Rechargeable (Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, Ni-Zn), lithium (Li-Ion Primary), and button/coin cell batteries are accepted for recycling at the Transfer Station and Quilcene Drop Box’s Environmental Centers (no charge).

Automotive, ‘wet cell’ lead-acid, or Advanced Glass Mat (AGM) batteries are accepted at the Transfer Station (tipping floor) during normal operating hours. Standard tipping fees apply.

Alkaline batteries are not accepted for recycling and may be disposed of in the trash after covering the terminal ends with tape or wrapping each battery in plastic.

Other Recycling RESOURCES

This list of organizations does not constitute an endorsement of any kind from Jefferson County. Suggestions for additions to the list should be directed to pubworks@co.jefferson.wa.us or 360-385-9160.

Recycling videos

Get answers to common recycling questions and learn about contaminants.

Is Recycling Worth It Anymore? The Truth Is Complicated. – NPR
Watch this eye-opening video about recycling.

How Big Business Broke Recycling (And Blamed You) – PBS Terra

This video reflects Jefferson County Solid Waste’s experience with recycling. 

Houston plastic recycle program struggles
Houston partnered with ExxonMobil and other companies to perform “advanced recycling,” which they say can handle the recycling of any type of plastic. But critics say “advanced recycling” may not be a viable solution and is a talking point used by the petro-chemical industry to keep consumers buying and using plastic guilt-free.