Kitsap County is giving away compost toolkits to encourage residents to “Include the Food” in their yard waste carts.

A county news release says the free toolkits while supplies last help residents store food scraps from their kitchen until they can take it to their yard waste collection cart.

The toolkits include a countertop bin with handle and lid, curbside composting and food storage guides, and BPI-certified bag liners. The two guides also are available on the Composting in Kitsap webpage.

Residents often don’t know food can go in their yard waste bins. Foodstuffs not only take up space in landfills; they also add to greenhouse gases. All homes in North and South Kitsap are eligible, along with most in Central Kitsap. Most collected organic materials is composted at North Mason Fibers in Belfair. Some in North Kitsap is composted at DTG’s Olympic Organics in Hansville.

Statewide, 1.2 million tons of food are sent to landfills each year. When food rots in landfills, it produces methane gas. Food waste makes up 58% of methane emitted from landfills, equal to the emissions of 15 coal-fired power plants.

Nearly one-quarter of that waste could be diverted and turned into compost, the news release says. Along with decreasing greenhouse gas, compost builds healthier soil that absorbs carbon and conserves water, improving plant growth.

At least one city in Kitsap, Bainbridge Island, has a similar program.