Summer vacation is over for the Seahawks, and they're back on the gridiron, giving fans a chance to see the team get ready for the season.

Why it matters: It's the beginning of a new era for Seattle as head coach Mike Macdonald steps into the shoes left by Pete Carroll, who oversaw the team for 14 seasons and led the Seahawks to their only Super Bowl win.

State of play: Anyone can attend training camp at the team's training facility in Renton, and it's a popular option for fans who can't get enough of the Hawks or who don't have the time or money to attend regular season games.

• It's also just fun to see — and even meet— favorite players and coaches in a more casual setting.

What's happening: Training camp kicked off last week and runs through Aug. 8, followed by a three-game exhibition season and the season opening against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 8.

• Camp is where rookies and hopefuls are evaluated, new players get to know their teams, and coaches refine their strategies and lineups as they watch the chemistry on the field.
• Teams also decide on their final lineups as they must trim their rosters from 90 to 53 by Aug. 27.

Catch up quick: Last year, the Seahawks had one the worst defenses of the Carroll years, routinely being "smoked out" by even mediocre offenses, according to Field Gulls.

Yes, but: On the first day of training with pads on Monday, the defense came out strong, Field Gulls reported, with safety Julian Love intercepting a pass meant for DK Metcalf and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu blowing up a run play.

Players to watch: Along with Geno Smith, Love and Nwoso, sports aficionados are keeping their eyes on a number of other standouts, including running back Kenneth Walker III and wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo, who took flight during a diving touchdown this week.

Fans need to register online and purchase a $15 transportation voucher as parking at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center facility is extremely limited, per the team.

Before you go

State officials are looking for the public's help to identify "greenwashed" takeout boxes, bags and other items that look like they might be compostable but actually aren't.

Why it matters: A new state law took effect in January requiring that compostable products be clearly labeled as such, while also banning vague labels like like "biodegradable," "degradable" and "decomposable."

The big picture: Incompatible items contaminate loads of compost, creating plastic pollution that costs time and money to remove, per Washington state's Department of Ecology.

How it works: Under the new law, all compostable items sold and distributed in Washington must bear a certification logo from a third party that has tested them and confirmed the products are truly compostable.

• The packaging should be green, beige or brown (or at least have a green, beige or brown stripe).
• It also will be labeled "compostable" and no other similar sounding word.
• Plastic film bags that are not compostable cannot use green, beige or brown color schemes.

The latest: Enforcement of the new law began this month. The Department of Ecology has created a public form where people can report violations.

Between the lines: In Seattle, paper plates and containers with a shiny coating can often go in the recycling (as long as they're clean and dry), while uncoated paper plates, bowls and containers are typically compostable, Seattle Public Utilities advises.

• Compostable certification marks may include the letters BPI, TUV or CMA, referring to third-party testing companies.
• Containers that are compostable should not be put in curbside recycling bins.

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Speaking of how to properly dispose of things …

Walking through Seattle's neighborhoods, it's not uncommon to see a box of household items — or even an entire couch — sitting on a street corner, marked as "free."

• Sometimes Seattleites even skip the sign, assuming others will automatically know that corner stuff = free stuff.

State of play: Some residents view these "free piles" as an easy way to get rid of unwanted items, without having to haul them to Goodwill or toss them in the dumpster.

• But there's plenty of online debate about whether such piles of stuff are a convenient way to recycle, or an annoying way of offloading junk that adds to street litter.

🤔 We want to hear from you: Tell us what you think about free piles by filling out this one-minute survey.

• We'll use responses to inform our reporting.

🏕️ Snow Peak Campfield, a new campground on the Long Beach Peninsula in Western Washington, has been named one of the 100 World's Greatest Places by Time magazine. (Oregon Live)

🍕 Big Mario's Northlake Tavern will close Aug. 1, less than a year after the pizza chain took over a beloved U District institution. (Seattle Times)

☕️ For the second time in less than two weeks, Starbucks' mobile ordering system went down yesterday due to a "third-party system outage." (Axios)

Gymnast Jordan Chiles of Vancouver, Washington, was among the Team USA athletes who snagged a gold medal yesterday at day four of the Paris Olympics.

• Chiles and her fellow U.S. gymnasts — including a resurgent Simone Biles — won first place in the team competition, coming out ahead of Italy and Brazil.

Follow Axios' complete coverage of the Paris Olympics here.