Bainbridge Island Zero Waste

Bainbridge Island Zero Waste strives to reduce the amount of waste produced by our community, from the purchase of material to disposal. We encourage changes in behavior that lead to the sustainable use of our resources.

Contact us for this or any other reason at .

=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

September 16-30 - Car seat recycling at Walmart. See details below. 

September 19 - Movies That Matter: Revenge of the Electric Car, Thursday, 7pm, BI Public Library. Post-film, Frank Petrie will give an update on what is currently happening in the auto industry, and Eric Mielbrecht will talk about the joys of owning a used electric Nissan Leaf. 

September 22 - Harvest Fair ZW-managed discard stations, 11am-5pm at Johnson Farm. VOLUNTEER HERE to help fairgoers know what goes where.
September 26 - Planning Commission public hearing for a proposed compost facility by Aveterra, sometime during 7-9pm, at city hall. Public comment allowed at 7pm or during council discussion on the matter.
September 28 - BI Beach Cleanup, 10am-2pm (low tide). Self-select your spot and time to pick up. Let us know you're participating and find more info here.

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Car seat recycling - This is a hard-to-recycle item. Reusing is even better if the car seat is not damaged or expired. In Kitsap County, Eastside Baby Corner-West Sound accepts used car seats during their donation drop-off hours. In order to be donated, your seat must have 12 or more months left before expiration. Please wash your car seat’s cover first, if possible.
If you cannot donate for reuse, Walmart, in coordination with Terracycle, is accepting them for recycling during the dates below.

• When: September 16-30, 2019
• What: Any brand car seat; no booster seats. Two trade-ins max.
• Where: In Poulsbo or any Walmart at the customer service desk
• Reward: $30 Walmart gift card for in-store or online use for baby items. 

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Thank you to the Bainbridge Community Foundation, whose 2019 capacity-building grant has helped our Zero Waste organization grow towards a more sustainable future.   

=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:=:

REUSE at the FARMERS' MARKET

Help out farmer Rebecca Slattery of Persephone Farm by bringing the following items for reuse* to her Saturday booth at the BI Farmers' Market:

• 1-quart plastic containers, clear or white. She puts the flowers she sells to restaurants in them.
• Grocery-sized paper bags, with or without handles. They make good customer take-home bags for her starter pots.

* This year she does not want the 4" square starter plant pots because she currently has plenty in her inventory.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Here's a 2-minute reminder why you should NEVER put plastic bags in with other recyclables.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
STOP FOOD WASTE - How to store 100 fruit and vegetables to prevent spoilage. See pages 4-11 of this guide by Seattle Public Utilities. Wasted food = wasted resources (water and energy used to produce, package and transport) and money down the drain.

Except for infant formula, the following dates on food/drink packaging do NOT mean, "throw away". (Source: Food and Drug Administration):
"Best if Used By/Before" indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
"Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date.
"Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used on infant formula as described below.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

INSPIRATION for students and adults alike...
Check out this 4-minute video of 4 years of trash, then choose some of Lauren Singer's "Trash is for Tossers" brief FAQ youtube clips to see how to make one change at a time toward a zero waste lifestyle:

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
PLASTIC PLEDGE - Single-use plastic: We use for minutes, yet it lives on for hundreds of years.  Plastic is fast becoming the fatal food of marine animals, as plastic bits are on pace to outnumber fish in the ocean by 2050. (And behavioral evidence says they seek out plastic because the biological matter covering it, like algae, mimics the smell of food).

Take our plastic pledge.  For one month, switch from using a single-use plastic item to a durable one (or none at all).  We're hoping it becomes a lifelong habit!

Start with this: Stop sucking! 

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

FOOD DISPOSAL - Clean your plate!  But if you have leftovers, ANY scraps-- including meat and bones! -- can go in the Bainbridge Disposal yard waste container.  Go here to receive service.  Bainbridge Disposal trucks the island's yard waste to North Mason Fiber in Belfair.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "
RECYCLE ANYTHING WITH A CORD (that is, if you can't pass it on or fix it) - Take to Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.  Put in designated box in the e-waste section.
" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "
PARTY TIME! - Throwing a big bash?  Keep disposal costs down by borrowing tableware from Zero Waste.  ZW has a tableware lending library of reusable dishes, cups, glasses, utensils, napkins and tablecloths.  Contact for your next function.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 
WHERE DOES OUR RECYCLING GO? - It is trucked to the Port of Tacoma to a materials recovery facility (MRF, pronounced "murf") run by Waste Management.  There the mixed recyclables are sorted by type, baled, then sold off to be processed into new materials.  Here is a short video explaining the general process. For a bit longer video about the actual Kitsap County recycling process, go here.