Hi all MCSS and MCSB!
Look here for information, refreshers, or updates that help make your volunteer activities easy and fun. Be sure to bookmark this page for important links and Quick Guides for you to use when you are in the public, and further reading.
At MCSS, we focus on composting, soil health, recycling and preventing waste for the city of Seattle. For services in King County outside of Seattle, the RainWise program, gardening questions, and more, we direct people to the Garden Hotline at gardenhotline.org or (206) 633-0224.
Waste Prevention and Sorting
Quick Guides and Links
- WA Compostables and Lookalikes – Quick Guide
- Waste Prevention Tabling – Quick Guide
- Waste Sorting at Events – Quick Guide
- SPU Recycle Right
- Where Does it Go? (flyers in 8 languages)
- Where Does it Go? Tool
- Install the RecycleIt App
More Resources
- SPU Top 5 Recyclables – video
- SPU – Waste Prevention at Home
- SPU – Waste Reduction Resources for Businesses
- SPU – Special Items Collection
- Hazardous Waste info – calls answered by Garden Hotline
Food Waste
Quick Guides and Links
More Resources
- Food Composting approaches (video feat. MCSS Roger Kelem)
- Building a Worm Bin from Plastic Tubs (video)
Compost and Soil Health
Quick Guides and Links
- Compost and Soil Tabling – Quick Guide
- Chop and drop – Quick Guide (coming soon)
- SPU brochure – NEW Building Healthy Soil – this comprehensive guide is also available in Spanish and Chinese
- SPU brochure –Growing Healthy Soil (more detailed than the new guide)
- SPU brochure – Composting Yard and Food Waste at Home
More Resources
- Comparing Different Composting Methods
- Building a Hot Pile (video feat. Chris Hoffer)
- SPU brochure Natural Yard Care
- Winter Mulching and Cover Crops (video)
- Soil Food Web
- Soil Food Web activity (coming soon)
Stormwater
Quick Guides and Links
- Stormwater Tabling – Quick Guide
- Stormwater: Enviroscapes Demonstration (video)
More Resources
Autumn Leaves
Quick Guides and Links
More Resources
- Leave the leaves – Garden Hotline article
Increasing my Impact as a Volunteer
- Step-by-step signing up and logging volunteer hours
- Step-by-step Cancelling or updating contact information
- Bringing outreach materials from storage unit
- Why reporting matters
- Individual Projects and Ideas
- Taking photos or videos (coming soon)
- Follow us on Social Media: #SeattleMCSS is on Facebook and Instagram
SPU Brochures and Flyers
- Where Does it Go? Tool
- SPU brochure – NEW Building Healthy Soil – this comprehensive guide is also available in Spanish and Chinese
- SPU brochure –Growing Healthy Soil (more detailed than the new guide)
- SPU brochure – Composting Yard and Food Waste at Home
- SPU brochure – Natural Yard Care
Building Plans and Fact Sheets
- Coming soon
Digging Deeper
- Check out our Recommended Reading and Viewing list 2022.
- For a PDF copy of the latest MCSS Training Manual, please email Reingard Rieger.
- Inside the Recology MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) in Seattle (video)
- SPU – Solid Waste Streams in Seattle (video)
- Climate change and Soils (Craig Cogger, WSU)
- Soil Science Society of America
Partner Programs
- Hazardous Waste info – calls answered by Garden Hotline
- NextCycle – circular economy in WA state
- Reusable Cups at ZooTunes and Beyond
- Adopt-a-Street Seattle program
COVID-19
The City’s vaccination mandate has been lifted. However, if you experience COVID-19-like symptoms or feel otherwise sick, please stay home.
Some of our community partners may continue to have specific expectations which we will communicate with you.