Washington Organics Law
The Washington State Legislature passed organics management laws in 2022 and 2024. These laws aim to divert organic materials, including food waste, away from the landfills through prevention, food rescue, and composting facilities.
Many businesses in Washington - including public and nonprofit entities such as schools, churches, and hospitals - must now arrange for organic materials collection. Learn more about the law on the Ecology webpage.
Only businesses/schools located in a BOMA (Business Organics Management Area) that dispose of a certain volume of organic materials will be impacted. You can see the BOMA map on the ecology webpage.
Resources for Schools
The City of Federal Way has compiled resources to help schools comply with the organics management law. You can also reach out to the City Environmental Services team at recycle@federalwaywa.gov.
| School Composting Toolkit- ALL Materials |
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Start here- this document includes all info needed to start composting in schools, from district level down to student groups. |
| Composting in Schools Presentation |
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For: Teachers to use with students, in advisory classes or pre-lunch lessons |
| School Roles |
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Roles broken down by: -Cafeteria Staff/Lunchroom Support -Custodial -Administrators -Teachers -Green Teams/Leadership Groups |
| Announcement Examples |
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Includes lunchroom announcement examples, morning announcement examples, and newsletter wording. |
| Custodial Presentation |
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Training for custodians- how to properly sort compost and recycling. Tips for keeping it clean and efficient in the lunchroom. |
| Waste Management Guide |
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Use to familiarize with the collection guidelines for Waste Management, what goes in garbage, compost, and recycling. Translated documents are also available on the WM page under "Collection Information" |
External Resources
These resources have been developed by external partners and are a great starting point, however, are not customized for Federal Way.
| Waste Management | Updated guidelines for Federal Way collection and accepted materials. |
| King County Green Schools | Green Schools Program helps school staff, district staff, and students understand sustainability. They provide tools and guidance for living more sustainably at school, at home, and in the community. |
| EPA Waste Reduction | This page presents links to EPA resources on waste and waste reduction for school administrators, educators, and parents. |
| Use Food Well | Explore food waste prevention possibilities with Ecology's Use Food Well campaign. |
| WWF Food Waste Warriors | This page presents links to EPA resources on waste and waste reduction for school administrators, educators, and parents. |