Composting

Kittitas County Solid Waste Compost Facility

The Kittitas County Solid Waste Compost facility is located at the Ellensburg Transfer Station.

Yard Waste is accepted at the Kittitas County Transfer Stations. It must be separated from any garbage material. Then the yard waste is ground up and placed into windrows. Heat, moisture and microorganisms break down the organic material, turning it into compost. The compost is then screened.

The new compost can be purchased at the Ellensburg Transfer Station, self-haul only. It may be helpful to line your truck bed with a tarp; it helps prevent scratches and makes unloading easier.

Composting is a simple technique that turns organic materials, like yard debris, into a rich soil conditioner that can be used in yards and gardens. The process occurs in nature continually as vegetation falls to the ground and slowly decays. Composting is simply a technique we can use to accelerate this natural process.

For group tours, contact us at (509) 962-7542.

Natural Yard Care - Five steps to make your piece of the planet a healthier place to live, Washington Department of Ecology publication no. 08-07-064

Yard Waste Recycling at the Transfer Station

Separate, don't contaminate!

You can play an important role in reducing the amount of yard waste that the County must dispose of and save money too! Success of the yard waste program depends largely on public cooperation in providing yard and wood waste that is not contaminated with garbage.

There are many things that contaminate our yard waste pile at the transfer stations: pop cans, metals, hoses, and the worst... plastic bags, to name a few. Yard waste littered with plastic and other debris does not make a marketable product and often causes severe damage to the equipment. Yard waste brought to the transfer station littered with debris and garbage will be charged the full garbage rate.

Yard waste bags

Yard waste bags may be purchased at local Ace Hardware stores and Fred Meyer. They are constructed of heavy duty post-consumer paper designed to take the place of the plastic bags (which are not acceptable in the transfer station yard waste disposal piles). These are great bags, easy to use, and support recycling in a viable way.

See Gardening Tips

Master Composting Program

Composting is a simple technique that turns organic materials, like yard debris and food scraps, into a rich soil conditioner that can be used in yards and gardens. The process occurs in nature continually as vegetation falls to the ground and slowly decays. Composting is simply a technique we can use to accelerate this natural process.

Kittitas County offers a free Master Composter Workshop to groups by appointment. As a Master Composter, you will receive valuable reference materials and composting tools, learn about composting methods, including composting with red worms, and how to maintain your compost. In turn, you will be asked to devote at least 15 hours sharing your new-found skills with the community, your friends, and acquaintances.

For more information on backyard composting, or on how you can become a Master Composter, contact the Solid Waste Programs office.

For compost classes, presentations, or other composting information, call (509) 962-7542.