About Us
Bainbridge Island Zero Waste’s mission is to reduce the amount of waste produced by our community, from acquisition to disposal. We aim to encourage changes in behavior that ultimately lead to a more sustainable use of resources.
Want to know if you can recycle something?
Want to know which organization might reuse your functional item?
Get the answers on our “Guide to Reusing and/or Recycling Locally” page.
Sustainable Bainbridge created BIZW in 2010. It is managed and run by all volunteers. We encourage you to explore our site, check out news posts and future events, and engage with us if anything strikes your fancy.
Subscribe to our semi-monthly newsletter to keep current on our activities, opportunities for participation and education, and other zero waste news.
Pre-Covid, we met monthly, either in general public meetings or as a steering committee, which consists of Diane Landry (ZW director), Alison Kettering, Susan Knell, Jane Martin, Barbara Ochota, and Carolyn Hart. Check the events listings below for the next scheduled general meeting.
What We Do and How We Inform
Highlights
Fashion in the Forest
2022 ReFashion (Trashion) Show
Over 200 attendees walked the IslandWood trails on June 12 to admire the creative handiwork of local upcycling designers in the sixth annual ReFashion Show. Bainbridge Review reporter Nancy Treder spotlighted 2022 BHS graduate Lily Lashmet, as well as a few of the other artists, in a recent article. Lily has entered the ReFashion Show ever since the seventh grade! Student Mary Voltin is pictured below in her winning mushroom outfit.
Be a Station Ambassador on July 4th
Help us keep landfill waste low at the Grand Old Fourth by staffing a discard station. Visitors are very impressed by our set-up and the helpful people standing there! Sign up for a shift to make sure festival goers sort their recycling, compost and landfill in the proper containers. No experience necessary. 🙂
Zero Waste Meeting: Microplastics and Puget Sound
Listen to the special presentation from Nora Nickum and Dr. Lyda Harris, both of the Seattle Aquarium, to learn about plastic pollution in Puget Sound and the broader ocean, and what policies are being advanced to reduce that pollution and cut back on waste from single-use plastics and other packaging. They presented at the Zero Waste general meeting on March 16, 2022.
New Waste Reduction Ordinance
On November 9, 2021, the Bainbridge Island City Council passed a Disposable Food Service Ware and Waste Reduction ordinance. Starting January 1, 2022, accessories such as straws, utensils, and condiments will be provided upon request. In January of 2023, home-compostable take-out ware, reusable dine-in ware, and a single-use cup fee go into effect.
