
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 monthly newsletter to keep current on our activities, opportunities for participation and education, and other zero waste news.
We have yet to resume in-person meetings for the general public. Occasionally we hold Zoom meetings with special speakers. (The events calendar below will keep you informed of those occasions.) Our steering committee consists of Carolyn Hart, Diane Landry (ZW director), Alison Kettering (program speaker liaison), Susan Knell (Terracycle collector), Whitney Lane, Jane Martin (Tableware Lending Library head), and Barbara Ochota (education lead). We encourage you to contact us if you would like to be involved in Zero Waste endeavors.
What We Do and How We Inform
Highlights
Scrap Metal Recycling
Zero Waste has begun partnering with the BI Senior Center to set up a year-round collection of small pieces of metal that are not allowed in curbside or transfer station mixed recycling. The Senior Center is open Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm.
Look for the display below and drop in keys, hardware, lids (make sure they are clean), beer caps, etc. Do not include food or drink cans, as these go with regular recycling.

Recruiting Volunteer Tableware Lending Librarians
With only three volunteers handling all the requests, we are reaching out to see if any of you have an interest in becoming a tableware lending librarian. Some handy attributes include
- attention to detail (reading and filling in a simple spreadsheet to make sure orders don’t overlap)
- free time and flexibility (mutually agreed-upon meeting times to preview, check-out and return)
- enthusiasm for reuse and supporting community events (meetings, weddings, memorials services, celebrations) to happen in a greener way
- because of LL location, proximity to central BI a plus
If this sounds up your alley, please email Jane Martin, who will show you the library in person and explain the procedures. Thank you for considering!
