How to Use the Guide
Look at the alphabetical list of items below or type your key word into the search box. The reuse and recycle suggestions for each item focus on the most local options and are continually under revision. Always check first to make sure the location is still accepting your item.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, try Kitsap Solid Waste’s What Do I Do with It? guide.
If you don’t see something on the list but do know of a local reuse or recycle option, please contact us.
To give your item to an individual, try posting on Facebook’s Buy Nothing Bainbridge or Free on the Rock or on craigslist or Freecycle.
- All
- Clothing & Textiles
- Compostables
- Curbside Recyclables
- Electronics
- Household items
- Medical
- Personal Care
- Plastics
- Transfer Station
Disposal:
Empty Cans: If you cannot hear propellant gas being released from the aerosol can when you hold the trigger, the can is safe to put in the garbage.
Full or Partially-full Cans: If you can’t use up the product, take to Kitsap County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility for free disposal. Visit the facility website for hours and instructions for using this facility.
Rethink:
Use refillable pump spray bottles instead of aerosol cans and sprays.
Last updated 5/31/20
Reuse:
The UPS Store will accept air-filled ones with no promotional brand names printed on other than that of the air pillow manufacturer.
Zutto Vintage & Antiques will accept any air-filled ones.
Recycle:
Pop and place in the plastic bag recycling container at Safeway or T&C.
Last updated 11/14/20
Reuse:
The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
Recycle:
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – $35 fee for large appliances and air conditioners
Puget Sound Energy – If you have a refrigerator or freezer manufactured in 1992 or before, Puget Sound Energy will haul away and recycle for free. You might even get a rebate. Find out more here.
Last updated 6/6/20
Reuse:
Goodwill – A Goodwill donation truck is located in the Bainbridge Island Ace Hardware parking lot, 635 NE High School Rd. Drop off only when they are open, which is almost 365 days a year. Hours are, 8:30am-5pm, but it is not uncommon for them to close up early due to a full truck. Do not leave items next to the truck.
Check here for Goodwill’s donation guidelines. Items should be in usable condition and keep in mind, the Bainbridge truck takes items no larger than an end table. (The Silverdale and Bremerton locations can take bigger items.)
The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
Rotary Auction & Rummage Sale – Donate to the largest rummage sale in the Northwest in late June. Go here to learn about donations and donation week. Proceeds primarily support local organizations.
Post on Buy Nothing or Free on the Rock or Freecycle.
Recycle:
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Anything with a cord — except string lights — is accepted. Put in the designated container; do not put in with mixed recyclables.
The flat mixed recycling fee of $13 applies to small appliances.
- Small household appliances such as microwaves, blenders, coffee pots, crock pots, mixers, irons, tea kettles, toasters, toaster ovens, fans and humidifiers
- Lamps (remove bulb!)
- Radios
- Power tools
- Vacuums
Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale
Best Buy, 9551 Ridgetop NW, Silverdale
Last updated 12/18/22
Reuse:
- The Boys and Girls Club, 9453 Coppertop Loop NE, Bainbridge, might take still-usable art supplies.
- The Scrappy Art Lab might reuse your odds and ends.
- The Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project will reuse non-plastic beads. Bainbridge locations for drop-off during open hours:
Adorn, Esther’s Fabric Store, Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, Bay Hay and Feed, Sole Mates, and Island Gallery
Last updated 5/30/20
Recycle:
Antifreeze
Automotive batteries
Uncontaminated motor oil
Drop-off is free at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. Look for the designated container.
Last updated 5/21/20
Reuse:
These places will reuse paper grocery bags with handles:
Persephone Farm at the Bainbridge Island Farmers Market will reuse – Handles not necessary, please neatly fold
Recycle:
Put in curbside recycling cart or Bainbridge Island Transfer Station’s mixed recyclables dumpster.
Last updated 9/16/23
Recycle:
This item is accepted at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station, not in curbside recycling. Please look for its designated container. Do not put in the mixed recyclables container.
Last updated 5/21/20
Recycle:
Batteries are accepted at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station, not in curbside recycling. Please look for the designated container — white 5-gallon buckets next to the electronics shed. Do not put in the mixed recyclables container.
According to this Washington Post article, “If you plan to recycle rechargeable batteries, be sure to cover their terminals with tape before you store and transport them [because of the potential for fires]…You don’t need to worry about taping up the terminals on standard AAs and AAAs, but you should for 9-volt batteries and tiny button cell batteries.”
Bainbridge Ace Hardware – They take household batteries: alkaline and rechargeable (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) and lithium-ion (button type).
Last updated 4/6/22
Reuse:
Helpline House accepts unopened cosmetics and toiletries.
Recycle:
Nordstrom – Any empty packaging that can’t go into your regular curbside bin can be dropped off in a BEAUTYCYCLE bin in the Beauty department in every Nordstrom and Nordstrom Local location in the U.S. That’s everything from pump caps and hair spray triggers to makeup such as lipstick cases, eyeliner pencils, and mascara tubes. Nordstrom has partnered with TerraCycle, which facilitates the recycling.
All brands of beauty product packaging are accepted.
Please remove as much of the remaining product as possible and make sure your items are dry before dropping off.
Last updated 7/12/22
Reuse:
Rotary Auction & Rummage Sale – Donate to the largest rummage sale in the Northwest in late June. Go here to learn about donations and donation week. Proceeds primarily support local organizations.
Post on Buy Nothing or Free on the Rock or Freecycle.
Classic Cycle also does trade-ins on bikes and bike parts.
Recycle:
If your bike is totally mangled, take to the scrap metal dumpster at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Last updated 8/15/2023
Reuse:
Donate books that are in good condition. Do not donate (or recycle) if books are moldy, dirty, damp, water-damaged or infested with insects.
- Bainbridge Public Library – no older textbooks, encyclopedias or Reader’s Digest condensed books
- Goodwill in Ace Hardware parking lot
- Discover Books blue metal drop boxes on Hildebrand Lane across from Starbucks and in the McDonald’s parking lot
- Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station in designated dropbox
Recycle:
If books are damaged, e.g., have broken spines, loose or torn pages, or too many pages that have been written in or highlighted, then recycle. Put mildewed or water-damaged books in the trash. Hardcover books must have the hard cover torn off and discarded. If the thickness of the book is greater than a half inch, tear out the pages in half-inch chunks or less to recycle.
E-books (e.g., Kindles) should be recycled at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station in the E-cycling container.
Rethink:
Consider hosting a Little Free Library in your neighborhood.
Last updated 5/23/2021
Recycle:
Plastic bottle caps are no longer on the recyclables list for Bainbridge Island/Kitsap County. However, Ridwell, the local special recyclables subscription service, has a semi-annual collection of bottle caps. If you don’t have a Ridwell subscription, find a neighbor or friend who does and ask when the collection is and if you can contribute. The caps are recycled into new plastic pellets for manufacturing new plastic items.
Last updated 9/12/22
Recycle:
Put any Brita (not Pur, not any other brand) filters, pitchers, dispensers, bottles, faucet systems, and packaging in the maroon Zero Waste box, which has been moved back to the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.
Last updated 4/24/23
Reuse:
The UPS Store, 321 High School Rd NE – Clean, no tape; at least 12″x 18″
Zutto Vintage & Antiques, 162 Bjune Dr SE – Clean, no tape
If your bubble wrap is the silver insulation type, offer it up on a free site: Facebook’s Buy Nothing Bainbridge or Free on the Rock or on craigslist or Freecycle. They make good insulation, e.g., for a water heater.
Recycle:
Safeway and T&C – Clean, no tape. Just the clear type, not silver insulation. Put in the container designated for plastic bags.
Last updated 11/14/20
Recycle:
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – in designated container
Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale
Last updated 5/26/20
Recycle:
Navy City Metals, 3805 State Hwy 3 W Bremerton – Canisters must be empty!
Last updated 5/31/20
Target hosts car seat take-back collections for two weeks in May and in September. The most recent is September 13-26, 2020. Drop off in the designated area near guest services. A 20% off coupon for another car seat or select baby gear is available upon trade-in.
All types of car seats are accepted, including infant car seats, convertible car seats, car seat bases, harness or booster car seats, as well as car seats that are expired or damaged.
Materials from old car seats will be recycled by Target’s partner, Waste Management, to create new products like pallets, plastic buckets and construction materials like steel beams and carpet padding.
For complete details, go here.
Last updated 9/14/20
Recycle:
Curbside or at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station in the designated cardboard container.
Remove all inner packaging. Flatten.
Do not recycle greasy or food-stained pizza boxes. If the top is unstained, tear off and recycle that part.
Last updated 5/31/20
Only recycle corrugated cardboard in the designated cardboard container at the transfer station.
Corrugated is defined by the “squiggle” layer between the top and bottom layers.
Last updated 5/23/20
Recycle:
Office Max – 21800 Market Pl NW, Poulsbo, WA 98370. Ink or toner cartridges, up to 10 cartridges per month. There is an accompanying rewards program.
Best Buy – 9551 Ridgetop Blvd NW, Silverdale, WA 98383. Ink or toner cartridges, limit 3 per day. You may receive credit towards future purchases.
HP – Offers different ways to recycle cartridges for free. Check here.
Canon – Accepts certain of its own products through free mail-in program.
Last updated 6/14/21
Reuse:
Bainbridge Island Public Library accepts donations of CDs, DVDs and audiobooks (no cassette or VHS tapes). They must be in good condition in the original cases.
Recycle:
Disks (CDs and DVDs) may be recycled year-round in the Zero Waste bin, located outdoors at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West. We can also take the cases! To prepare, please separate disks from cases (because they get recycled by different companies) and remove any paper so we volunteers don’t have to. (Recycle the paper in your own recycling.) If what you have exceeds the capacity of the Zero Waste bin, please set in a bag or box next to the Zero Waste bin and email bizerowaste right away so I can remove it asap.
You may also pay a fee to GreenDisk to order boxes in which to recycle CDs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, DVDs, Blu-ray, 3.5” and 5.25” floppy disks, zip and jazz disks, and cases, plus VHS and audio cassette tapes.
American Shredding in Tacoma accepts CDs, DVDs, hard drives and data tapes for recycling and will provide a certificate of secure destruction on request. Current rates (as of 9/25/22) are 55 cents per pound and walk-in customers are welcome.
Last updated 4/24/2023
Cell phones contain rare earth and toxic metals and should be reused, refurbished or recycled. In fact, a single mobile phone uses 74 kilograms of precious metals. But recycled devices can eliminate that waste. For example, one metric ton of old devices can yield more than 100 times more gold than a metric ton of gold ore mined for new devices.
Remember, before donating, be sure to take the SIM card out of your cell phone.
Reuse:
City Hall – 280 Madison Av N. There is a box in the lobby. They give to the YWCA ALIVE program.
Recycle:
> Helpline House sends them to Pace Butler.
> Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Place in dedicated electronics container
> Ace Hardware – Place in Call2Recycle box on counter. The rechargeable batteries in the phones will be recycled. Cell phones collected through the Call2Recycle program will be refurbished, recycled or resold when possible, with a portion of proceeds donated to national charities.
Last updated 2/13/22
We can’t do any better than Zero Waste Washington’s suggestions, so please go to their page on how to repair, repurpose and/or recycle ceramics.
Last updated 3/20/23
The fashion industry accounts for about 10% of our global carbon emissions and 20% of its wastewater, not to mention the millions of microplastics shed into the ocean from washing machines.
Calculate your closet’s climate change impact by taking this short and fun survey.
Rethink:
Clothing and other textiles are primarily responsible for the presence of microplastics in the ocean (accounting for 35%, according to the poster below left). Refer to this exhaustive clothing guide by Fibershed to avoid plastic clothing.
To make clothes last longer — and shed fewer microplastics into the environment — simply wear them longer before washing. This Guardian article has good suggestions for how to delay having to wash your clothes. The poster below right offers other tips to reduce microfiber pollution.
Another tip: Avoid using dryers as much as possible. The heat and all that tumbling around wears out the fibers faster,
Ultimately, limiting the amount of synthetic clothing that you buy and wear is key to solving this issue long-term.
Tips for Laundry Day
Excerpted from The Secret to Longer-lasting Clothes Will Also Reduce Plastic Pollution, by Alisha McDarris
Start by separating your clothing items—not by color, but by material. Wash rough or coarse clothes like jeans separately from softer items like polyester T-shirts and fuzzy fleece sweaters. This way, you reduce the friction caused by rougher materials crashing into more delicate ones for 40 minutes. Less friction means your clothes won’t wear out as fast and the fibers will be less prone to premature breakage.
Then, make sure you’re using cold water instead of hot. Heat weakens fibers and makes them more likely to break; cold water will help them last longer. Next, run a short cycle instead of a normal or long one, which will limit the opportunity for fiber breakdown. While you’re at it, reduce the speed of the spin cycle if you can—this will reduce friction even further. One study showed that together, these methods reduced microfiber shedding by 30 percent.
While we’re on the subject of washer settings, avoid the delicate cycle. That may run contrary to your beliefs, but it uses more water than other washing modes to prevent friction—and a higher ratio of water to fabric actually increases fiber shedding.
Finally, skip the dryer altogether. We can’t emphasize this enough: heat can shorten the life of materials and make them more likely to break in the next load of laundry. Fortunately, synthetic clothing dries fast, so hang it outside or over your shower rod instead—you might even save money by not running your dryer so frequently.
Once your clothes are washed and dried, don’t go back to the washer for a while. Many items don’t need to be washed after every use, so put those shorts or that shirt back in the dresser for another wear or two if it doesn’t smell like wet dog after one use. If there’s just one dirty spot, wash it out by hand instead of starting a load.
There are also several tools you can use to reduce microfiber shedding. Guppyfriend makes a laundry bag specifically designed to capture broken fibers and microplastic waste, but also to prevent fiber breakdown in the first place by protecting clothing. Just place your synthetics inside, zip it shut, toss it in the washer, and pick out any and dispose of any microplastic lint that gets caught in the corners of the bag. Even standard laundry bags help reduce friction, so those are an option as well.
A separate lint filter that attaches to your washing machine’s discharge hose is another effective and endlessly reusable option, shown to reduce microplastics by up to 80 percent. But don’t spring for those laundry balls that are supposedly meant to catch microfibers in the wash: the beneficial results are comparatively minimal.
Here are eight tips for giving socks a longer life.
Repurpose:
Cashmere, silk, linen, wool, leather – If you have holey or stained clothing made of these fibers, or if you have fabric scraps of the same, Amos Staffler will gratefully accept them.
Please drop off at 309 Wallace Way NW (off Grow) or she can pick up from you if you email her.
She notes that when cashmere with a hole or silk with a stain is donated to Goodwill, it doesn’t get sold as a garment for a second life; it gets diverted
to be ground up as fiber filling because it isn’t saleable as a garment. So keep those pieces local and give to Amos. She snips and puzzles cashmere and silk together to make new creations and gives the precious fibers a second life. From quilts to all sorts of garments, it’s become a sustainable form of expression that she feels good about. In fact, she recently donated a cashmere & linen all-season baby blanket (pictured right) to the Seattle Children’s Thrift Store on Bainbridge.
Reuse:
A Zero Waste guide for where to give second-use clothing
A Zero Waste guide for where to buy/rent second-use clothing
To read about the pros and cons of various second-hand shopping online sites, go here.
This blog has plenty of ideas for reusing and upcycling old t-shirts.
Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
- St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store – They salvage as much donated clothing as possible to put out for their customers. They offer clothing vouchers to anyone needing them, good for a full set of clothing, shoes and coat once a month.
Order a “Clean out Your Closet” kit from thredUP.
Recycle:
Good and bad condition, damaged, torn, stained, and worn clothing, shoes, and fabrics. Nothing wet wet, moldy or having hazardous material traces.
- Goodwill (Ace Hardware parking lot) – Open every day, 8:30am-5pm, or until the truck is full. Unwearable items may become wiping and polishing cloths or are turned into fibers for things like upholstery, insulation and furniture stuffing.
- Northwest Center dropboxes – Located in Eagle Harbor Church parking lot, Via Rosa parking lot
- Marine Layer – 319 Pine St., Seattle. Give them your old t-shirts and receive $5 credit up to $25. Clothing in the store is very environmentally friendly.
Compost (maybe?) :
If reuse or recycling is not possible, consider composting natural fabrics. Please read this very useful article first. NEVER put them in curbside or transfer station yard waste. However, if you have backyard composting, you may want to give it a try.
Last updated 5/1/2023
Recycle:
Nespresso pods are aluminum. They can be recycled in scrap metal at the transfer station. They are too small to get recycled through the mixed recycling system.
Plastic pods must go in the trash.
Last updated 6/22/2023
Mixed recyclables are collected curbside through a subscription service with Bainbridge Disposal or may be taken to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. At the transfer station, garbage or recycling is $13 the first can and $5 for each additional can.
Make sure containers are RINSED and EMPTY; paper should be dry.
Recycle loose, NEVER in a plastic bag.
These items are accepted in the Bainbridge recycling program:
Aluminum
- cans – Do not crush. Flattened cans may end up in paper bales and then are thrown away at the paper mill.
NO aluminum foil or food trays
Glass
- bottles & jars (no lids)
NO drinking glasses
NO window panes
Glass food storage containers – If you can’t reuse or gift them, put in the grey Terracycle bin at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.
Metal
- food cans
NO scrap metal (goes in the scrap metal dumpster at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station)
Paper
- junk mail
- magazines and catalogues
- newspaper
- copy paper
- construction paper
- wrapping paper (not embossed, metallic foil or glittery)
- paper or frozen food boxes (no liners, PLEASE flatten)
- paper bags
- phone books
- milk and juice cartons (not Tetrapaks)
NO paper cups, plates or bowls (put in trash)
NO non-tearable paper (put in trash)
NO stickers or sticker backing (put in trash)
NO shredded paper (put in compost if free of plastic)
NO greasy pizza boxes (put in compost)
NO tissue paper (put in compost)
NO tissues, paper towels or paper napkins (put in compost)
Plastics
- bottles & jugs & jars (put caps in trash)
- dairy tubs (no lids)
Last updated 12/31/22
Click the button above for the Bainbridge Disposal/Kitsap County poster of what is accepted in curbside recycling and in the mixed recycling container (although there is a separate container for cardboard) at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Recycle:
- Accessories/adapters/cables
- All-in-one computers
- CD/DVD/Blu-ray players
- Computer speakers
- Connected home devices
- Desktop computers
- eReaders
- Flash drives
- Hard drives
- Keyboards & mice
- Laptops
- Modems
- Monitors (including CRT, LED/LCD, plasma)
- Printers (not cartridges)/multifunction devices
- Routers
- Scanners
- Small servers
- Stereo receivers
- Tablets
- UPS/battery backup devices
- Video streaming devices (Apple TV®, Roku Player, etc.)
- Webcams
Take to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station and place in the designated recycling for electronics.
Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale
Last updated 3/12/2023
By weight, this is the single largest category of materials that go into the landfill.
Reuse:
Pallets (wooden) – They are popular on give-away sites. Otherwise, Bay Hay and Feed or Bainbridge Gardens will take back a few to reuse. Bay Hay will give them to their truck drivers and Bainbridge Gardens will add them to their stack. But they both think giving them away is the better alternative.
The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
Recycle:
Concrete – Recycling can be less expensive than disposal. Zimmer Pit, 26500 Highway 3 NW Poulsbo, WA 98370
Last updated 5/30/20
Recycle:
Bainbridge Vision
345 Knechtel Way NE # 104, Bainbridge Island
Island Family Eyecare
164 Winslow Way West, Bainbridge Island
Includes blister packaging.
Last updated 10/20/22
Never put fat, oil or grease down the drain or toilet. It can clog not only your pipes but also the city sewer mains. You should also not add oil to a septic system. It can clog pipes and, even worse, your distribution lines and drainage field. For a deeper dive on the environmental benefits of recycling cooking oil, go here.
Residents can take cooking oil to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. Drop-off is free.
Please follow the guidelines below:
- For use by residents with cooking oil from their home kitchens. Cooking oil from businesses cannot be recycled here.
- Before bringing your cooking oil, filter it at home using a strainer, coffee filter, or cheesecloth. Compost or throw away the food particles you filter out. Take your empty container home to reuse or throw away. Do not leave it in the recycling area.
- Cooking oil must be in a liquid state; no bacon grease or lard.
(If you have bacon grease or lard to dispose of, pour the fat or grease into a sturdy container. Once it has cooled and solidified, put the container in the garbage. Put greasy and oily paper towels in the garbage or in your compost cart.)
The cooking oil is recycled by Mahoney Environmental and turned into new products such as animal feed or alternative fuel (biodiesel).
Check out this article about how to properly and safely reuse fry oil.
Last updated 3/19/21
Reuse:
Donate working electronics and accessories to the following organizations. Check their donation guidelines to make sure they will accept the item.
To find out when, why and how to donate a used computer, check out TechSoup’s tips page.
Rotary Auction & Rummage Sale – Donate to the largest rummage sale in the Northwest in late June. Go here to learn about donations and donation week. Proceeds primarily support local organizations.
Post on Buy Nothing or Free on the Rock or Freecycle.
Goodwill – A Goodwill donation truck is located in the Bainbridge Island Ace Hardware parking lot, 635 NE High School Rd. Drop off only when they are open, which is almost 365 days a year. Hours are, 8:30am-5pm, but it is not uncommon for them to close up early due to a full truck. Do not leave items next to the truck.
Check here for Goodwill’s donation guidelines. Items should be in usable condition and keep in mind, the Bainbridge truck takes items no larger than an end table. (The Silverdale and Bremerton locations can take bigger items.)
Recycle:
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Place in the designated recycling box for electronics. Because of Washington state’s E-cycle program, electronics are recycled responsibly and free-of-charge.
- Accessories/adapters/cables
- All-in-one computers
- CD/DVD/Blu-ray players
- Computer speakers
- Connected home devices
- Desktop computers
- eReaders
- Flash drives
- Hard drives
- Keyboards & mice
- Laptops
- Modems
- Monitors (including CRT, LED/LCD, plasma)
- Printers (not cartridges*)/multifunction devices
- Routers
- Scanners
- Small servers
- Stereo receivers
- Tablets
- UPS/battery backup devices
- Video streaming devices (Apple TV®, Roku Player, etc.)
- Webcams
These stores take everything listed above, plus ink toner and cartridges:
Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale
Best Buy, 9551 Ridgetop NW, Silverdale
* Office Max in Poulsbo takes ink toner and cartridges only.
See this page for CD, DVD and VHS tape recycling.
Last updated 1/4/22
Reuse:
Donate your prescription or reader (drugstore) glasses and non-prescription sunglasses to the following places:
Ace Hardware has a Lions Club box (no cases) at one of the counters.
Bainbridge Vision, 345 Knechtel Way, has a Lions Club box (no cases).
Island Family Eyecare, 164 Winslow Way West donates to a charity.
Last updated 10/1/21
Disposal:
- Ace Hardware, collection box inside the store
- American Legion Colin Hyde Post 172, 7880 NE Bucklin Hill Rd – Look for the collection box upon turning in.
Last updated 5/31/20
STOP FOOD WASTE
If food waste were its own country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind China and the United States. The water, land, processing and transport that went into getting our food to market — make it all count by eating what you buy. Also, wasted food = wasted money.
The National Resources Defense Council “Save the Food” initiative has excellent resources, including tips on meal planning and recipes for using up leftovers and food scraps. At epicurious.com, you can type in ingredients you have on hand to find a dish to make.
ReFED is a national nonprofit working to end food loss and waste across the U.S. food system.
Pages 4-11 of this guide by Seattle Public Utilities show how to store 100 fruit and vegetables to prevent spoilage, or check out UC Davis’ one-sheet.
This page from The Cool Down encapsulates a lot of the advice above.
Except for infant formula, 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.
Reuse:
Helpline House is the local food bank. Place donations in the drop boxes of the local grocery stores, Safeway and T&C. You may also drop off canned (pull-tops preferred) and boxed food and fresh produce at Helpline during modified donation hours, 9-11am, Monday-Friday, not Wednesday.
West Sound Wildlife Shelter accepts expired frozen meat. Please call 206-855-9057 before bringing.
Compost:
Why compost?
More than 30 percent of what gets thrown away every day is food waste that could have been composted. When you compost, you keep valuable resources out of the landfill and avoid methane emissions that contribute to climate change. When compost is returned to the soil, it adds nutrients, retains water, increases yields when growing food and stores carbon. Using compost on lawns and gardens also reduces pesticide use, reduces stormwater runoff and returns important nutrients to the soil so more fruits, vegetables, trees, grasses and other plants can thrive. Scroll down to see a great poster.
Bainbridge Disposal offers a curbside subscription service for yard waste, which includes food. (We are lucky: only 5% of U.S. compost facilities accept both yard waste and food.)
You can also drop off food in the yard waste receptacle at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. The minimum charge is $3.
Through Bainbridge Disposal, any type* of food may be composted, including…
- Coffee grounds and paper filters
- Tea bags (remove attachments)
- Nutshells
- Thin shells and bones (no ham bones or oyster shells)
- Produce (remove stickers!!!)
- Dairy
- Meat
- Baked goods
* NO cooking oil or grease. Household cooking oil may be recycled in a special recycling area at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. See this page for instructions.
Food may go into your commercial compost cart or to the transfer station yard waste in a BPI-certified compostable bag, such as any that you see on this page.
Just remember: Do NOT knot your bag. The thickness of the knots keeps them from decomposing in a reasonable time frame.
Last updated 12/9/21
Reuse:
Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
- St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store – They salvage as much donated clothing as possible to put out for their customers. They offer clothing vouchers to anyone needing them, good for a full set of clothing, shoes and coat once a month.
Order a “Clean out Your Closet” kit from thredUP.
The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
Reuse:
Make sure games have all their pieces.
Bainbridge Island Friends of the Public Library – Donations to Bainbridge FOL support programs, services, physical expansion and operation of library facilities. They also provide funding for children’s programs, magazine subscriptions, support for the staff and other services as needed.
Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
- St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store – They salvage as much donated clothing as possible to put out for their customers. They offer clothing vouchers to anyone needing them, good for a full set of clothing, shoes and coat once a month.
Order a “Clean out Your Closet” kit from thredUP.
Last updated 6/3/20
Once every two years Kitsap County Solid Waste holds a household hazardous waste collection on Bainbridge Island. In 2023 it will be held in Poulsbo on a date in June, tbd.
If you can’t hold onto something that long, take it to the Kitsap County Household Hazardous (HHW) Collection Facility.
What is household hazardous waste? If the product label has one or more of the following words on it, chances are you should take your product to Kitsap’s HHW facility.
- danger
- caution
- flammable
- warning
- toxic
- poison
- combustible
For a list of what is and is not accepted, go here. Fire extinguishers are not on either list, but they are accepted.
Empty containers belong in the garbage.
And congratulations to Kitsap County Solid Waste’s Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) team, which received a 2021 “Program Excellence” award from the North American Hazardous Materials Management Association!
Last updated 4/26/2023
Reuse:
The Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project accepts donations of any and all jewelry — even broken — to sort, clean, repair, and give to Seattle-area women’s shelters and the YWCA Dress for Success Program. Members of the Seattle Metals Guild, and their friends, volunteer to do the sorting and cleaning.
Bainbridge locations for drop-off during open hours:
Esther’s Fabric Store, Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, Bay Hay and Feed, and Sole Mates.
Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
- St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store – They salvage as much donated clothing as possible to put out for their customers. They offer clothing vouchers to anyone needing them, good for a full set of clothing, shoes and coat once a month.
Order a “Clean out Your Closet” kit from thredUP.
Recycle:
Sign up for an office recycling service through Grounds to Grow on.
Last updated on 2/28/22
Recycle:
If you subscribe to Ridwell, you may recycle LEDs and incandescent bulbs through them, in addition to mercury-containing lights. Otherwise, LED and incandescent bulbs can safely go in the trash.
Lights with mercury (look for the Hg element symbol) need to be properly recycled. LightRecycle Washington explains why it is important to safely dispose of mercury-containing bulbs.
Where to recycle compact fluorescents (CFLs) and high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs:
Limit 10 per day
Ace Hardware
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Give to person at the kiosk
Home Depot
Where to recycle fluorescent tubes:
Limit 10 per day
Where to Recycle Strings of Lights
From mid-November to mid January, Bainbridge Island Ace Hardware accepts old lightstrings. They are then picked up by a Kingston metal recycler.
If you want to recycle lightstrings outside of the above time frame, you may pay the shipping costs to send them to Sussex, Wisconsin, where a company will make sure they are recycled. Follow the instructions on this website.
Last updated 4/19/2023
Reuse:
Goodwill will take just about any clean, usable linens except for bed pillows.
Last updated 3/17/2023
Reuse your mailers, if possible. Otherwise…
- Plastic bubble wrap – Recycle with other plastic film at the grocery store. Cut out the paper mailing label first.
- Paper with bubble wrap lining – Put in trash.
- Plastic film – Recycle with other plastic film at the grocery store. Cut out and trash the paper mailing label first.
- Tyvek – Recycle with other plastic film at the grocery store. Cut out and trash the paper mailing label first.
- Paper with padded (fiberfill) interior – Compost after removing the plastic strip and cutting out the paper mailing label.
- Flat paper – Put in with your paper recycling.
- Paperboard – Put in with your paper recycling.
- Paper with white glue dots – Put in with your paper recycling.
Below are the corresponding mailers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Cedars Unitarian Universalist Church has purchased a box through the Terracycle recycling program in which disposable masks — not cloth — will be sent away to be recycled. Cedars invites the Bainbridge community to keep these disposable masks out of the landfill. There is a collection bucket located outside the Cedars Church office at 284 Madrona Way NE #128. The office building is on the north side and east end of the street.
Terracycle accepts non-woven disposable plastic-based masks including 
- 3-ply surgical
- dust masks
- KN95
- N95 masks
The plastic and metal components are recycled into new products.
Washable fabric face masks can go in the threads bag of a consenting Ridwell account holder.
Last updated 1/8/23
Reuse:
If your mattress is in usable condition, try giving it away on local Facebook sites, such as Buy Nothing Bainbridge or Free on the Rock, or try Craigslist or Freecycle.
Recycle:
Washington State has not yet passed a producer responsibility law that provides ease of accessibility to mattress recycling for the consumer, such as it has done for big electronics and light bulbs.
Kitsap Solid Waste has started holding mattress recycling collection in conjunction with Styrofoam collection. Go here for the next joint collection.
For Seattle locations, go to Earth 911.
Rethink:
When it’s time for a new mattress, go eco-friendly with this buying guide .
See how your mattress gets recycled here.
Last updated 5/18/2023
In recyclability terms, there are two types of meat trays: tan and other-colored.
Recycle:
The other-colored (white, blue, black, yellow, etc.) trays are made of polystyrene and may be recycled at the semi-annual Zero Waste Styrofoam Collection. They must be clean! Styrofoam clamshells, bowls, cups and soup cups are also accepted as long as they are clean and dry.
The tan trays are made of cornstarch. They are not compatible for recycling with the other, petro-derived trays. Tan trays may be put in the compost bin at Town & Country Market. They do not belong in the Bainbridge Disposal yard waste bins. The reason is because T & C’s compost goes to Olympic Organics, which accepts the cornstarch trays. Bainbridge Disposal’s yard waste goes to North Mason Fiber, which does not accept cornstarch trays.
Last updated 5/31/20
Reuse:
> Knights Community Hospital Equipment Lend Program, KC HELP, 360-329-2461
The local drop-off spot is 7252 NE Carene Lane, Bainbridge Island. Leave in front of the big white door of the shop.
- Wheelchairs (manual* and motorized)
- Walkers
- Bath and shower benches
- Commodes
- Bed rails
- Medical grab bars
- Hospital beds
- Over-the-bed tables
- Lift chairs
* Manual wheelchairs are always especially needed.
> Helpline House’s borrowing program has been suspended for now.
Last updated 9/12/22
NEVER FLUSH MEDICATIONS DOWN THE TOILET.
They adversely affect aquatic life and have shown up in drinking water.
There are three medication take-back locations on Bainbridge:
> Rite Aid Pharmacy, 301 High School Rd NE – Open during pharmacy hours
> Safeway Pharmacy, 253 High School Rd NE – Open during pharmacy hours
> Bainbridge Island Police Station, 625 Winslow Way E – During open hours, 8am-4pm, Monday-Friday. Keep pills in bottles and deposit in the dropbox in the lobby.
Check here for other Kitsap County dropbox locations.
To find out how to recycle empty pill bottles, go here.
What medications are accepted?
Most prescription and over-the-counter medicines can be returned, but medical sharps (needles, etc.) will not be accepted. Drugs sold in any form (solids, liquids, patches) and used by individuals (not businesses) are accepted, including:
- Prescription and non-prescription drugs
- Brand name and generic drugs, and
- Drugs for veterinary use
- Pre-filled auto-injectables (such as EpiPens) are accepted via mail-back envelope
Medicines NOT accepted – and how to dispose of
- Medical sharps (needles, syringes) and used (empty) auto injectables (such as EpiPens) – Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station booth, seal safely
- Covid tests (go here for extended expiration dates of certain home Covid tests) – trash
- Medical devices
- Vitamins or supplements – trash
- Illicit drugs
- Batteries – Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station battery (buckets) section
- Mercury-containing thermometers – Household Hazardous Waste collection facility in Bremerton
- Herbal-based remedies and homeopathic drugs, products or remedies – trash
- Cosmetics, shampoos, sunscreens, toothpaste, lip balm, antiperspirants or other personal care products – trash
- Pet pesticide products contained in pet collars, powders, shampoos, topical applications, or other forms – HHW facility in Bremerton
In late 2017, the Kitsap Public Health Board approved an ordinance establishing secure medicine return regulations throughout the county, including on Bainbridge. It is free for all county residents. Those who are homebound may dispose of unused medicine by mail at no cost. Go here for all the details.
For a deeper dive into the negative ramifications of flushing drugs, please see here. (Do not use this link for what meds to turn in or where to turn in.)
Last updated 7/29/23
Do not put scrap metal in your recycling bin.
Take to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station and put in the scrap metal dumpster. Fee may apply.
Kitchen examples:
- jar lids
- can lids (or crimp inside can it came off)
- bottle caps
- screw-off metal caps
- clean aluminum trays
Other examples:
metal hangers
nuts & bolts
keys
Last updated 12/18/22
Reuse:
Scrappy Art Lab – Takes natural materials like small wood scraps (1 inch to 5 inch squares, or longer sticks to be cut down), shells, interesting rocks and twigs, decorative papers, and old paint or drawing sets.
Last updated 8/7/20
Recycle:
- Copiers (not floor models)
- Cordless phones
- Fax machines (not floor models)
- Printers (not floor models)/multifunction devices
- Scanners
- Shredders
There is a designated box for “anything with a cord” at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale
Last updated 5/24/20
In April of 2021, Washington State’s Paint Care program, borne of extended producer responsibility legislation passed in 2019, went into effect. The law provides collection points for residents to turn in latex paint and oil-based paint and certain other items.
Reuse/Recycling:
To avoid having too much leftover paint, use this paint calculator to determine how much is needed for a project. And for basecoat, use your leftover light-colored paint.
Peninsula Paint Company – 937 Hildebrand Lane NE, Suite 100, Bainbridge Island.
Peninsula Paint is a collection point for the Paint Care program. Here is what they accept:
- Interior and exterior architectural paints: latex, acrylic, water-based, alkyd, oil-based, enamel (including textured coatings)
- Deck coatings, floor paints (including elastomeric)
- Primers, sealers, undercoaters
- Stains
- Shellacs, lacquers, varnishes, urethanes (single component)
- Waterproofing concrete/masonry/wood sealers and repellents (not tar or bitumen-based)
- Metal coatings, rust preventatives
- Field and lawn paints
Go here for what is not accepted.
If Peninsula Paint is continually “full” and cannot accept your load, you can always take it to the Household Hazardous Waste facility in Bremerton. See their web page for open days and times.
Peninsula Paint also has a shelf of various quart to gallon-sized “mistinted” paint (mixed for clients but not bought by them) at a greatly reduced price. What a great reuse deal for customers!
Disposal:
Oily rags are hazardous and should not go in the trash. Follow the instructions for disposal of oily rags before taking them to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility.
Last updated 10/17/22
Reuse:
Paper egg cartons – Butler Green Farms
Compostable:
Some types of paper are not recyclable but are suitable for composting in commercial service yard waste bins.
The following are compostable, not recyclable, because their fibers are too short to make new paper or because they are food-soiled.
- Molded paper egg cartons (bottom part only if top has paper label)
- Paper towels
- Shredded paper (NO shiny paper, NO plastic) – Put in a paper bag to keep from flying away when emptied into the truck. Envelopes with plastic windows or glossy paper mailers have plastic coatings. Recycle these instead.
- Tissue paper
- Tissues
- Pizza boxes (recycle if clean)
Note: Do not compost paper tea bags. The majority of paper tea bags contain plastic fibers used in the sealant, as well as a potentially troubling chemical called epichlorohydrin that is added to prevent the bag from breaking.
Last updated 12/18/22
Put in your curbside recycling bin or take to the Bainbridge Island Transfer Station. There is an $14 flat fee at the transfer station that covers mixed recyclables, cardboard, scrap metal and one can of trash.
Recycle:
- Junk mail
- Magazines and catalogues
- Newspapers
- Office paper
- Writing paper
- Colored paper
- Construction paper
- Greeting cards (just plain – no batteries, plastic, glitter, 3D objects)
- Wrapping paper (non-foil)
- Toilet paper tubes
- Paper towel tubes
- Food boxes (no liners, PLEASE flatten)
- Paper bags – Look under “Bags (Grocery)” category for reuse options
- Phone books
- Softcover books (tear apart if more than 1″ thick) – Donate if possible.
- Paper envelopes (no bubble-padded envelopes)
Make sure paper is…
- Flat, dry and clean
- Larger than a postcard
- Without glue, glitter, or other 3D decoration
- Loose, not in a plastic bag
- Envelope windows, staples and labels are okay
DO NOT recycle:
- Milk and juice cartons – Put in trash. (Go here for another use for milk cartons.)
- Dirty or wet paper – Put in compost if paper has no gloss.
- Moldy paper or moldy softcover books – Put in trash.
- Paper smaller than a postcard (e.g., Post-it notes or scraps) – Put in trash.
- Shredded paper – Put in compost ONLY IF it is regular copy paper or writing paper. Nothing with plastic or plastic coating is allowed.
- Paper covered in glue, glitter, or paint – Put in trash.
- Receipts – Put in trash.
- Stickers or backing to peelable paper – Put in trash
- Paper egg cartons -Put bottom half in compost; if top half has a paper label, put in trash. Or give cartons to Butler Green Farms at the farmers market.
- Tissue paper – Put in compost; put in trash if has glitter specks.
- Shiny/glossy gift wrap – Reuse or trash.
- Padded paper bubble mailers – Reuse or trash.
- Laminated paper – Put in trash.
- Paper you can’t tear (ferry tickets, etc.) – Put in trash.
Reduce:
Reduce the amount of unwanted mail filling up your mailbox:
- Use CatalogChoice.org to stop catalogs and junk mail from coming to your home.
- Register at YelllowPagesOptout.com to stop receiving phone books.
- Follow the FTC’s instructions to stop receiving credit card offers and other marketing junk mail.
- You can also call the phone number listed on catalogs, or contact the company online, and asked to be removed from their specific mailing list.
Use FormsPal to create an array of free, online legal and formal documents for both personal and business use.
Learn:
Here is a good explanation of the paper recycling process, types of paper, and percentage of post-consumer content recommended for various products.
Last updated 8/10/23
Reuse:
Helpline House takes the following unopened:
- Diapers (adult or child)
- Wipes
- Tampons and pads
- Oral care products (toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss)
Used up oral care products can go in the Zero Box at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West. They will be recycled with Terracycle.
Electric toothbrushes, battery toothbrushes, and/or their parts are not accepted for recycling through the program.
Last updated 1/19/23
Pet waste belongs bagged in the trash. Never put in with yard waste.
Dog feces can transmit disease to other pets, children and adults. Pick up your pet’s poop!
Lasat updated 5/28/20
Recycling
Amber pill bottles are not allowed in residential or transfer station recycling
Ridwell collects them as a featured category. If you know someone with a Ridwell subscription, save up your bottles (remove label if possible) and ask if you can contribute to their collection.
Over-the-counter pill bottles (empty) are accepted in curbside recycling if they are bigger than 4 ounces. If smaller, throw in the trash because they are too small to make it through the sorting process at the MRF (materials recovery facility, or “murf”), where our recycling is sorted and baled.
Last updated 7/29/23
Reuse:
Pillows (bed):
St. Vincent de Paul of Bremerton, 1117 N Callow Ave 98312 – Must be in good condition.
Pillows (throw): Gently used. Goodwill truck in Ace Hardware parking lot.
Some people make dog beds out of them. Try Facebook Buy Nothing or Free on the Rock or Nextdoor.
Last updated 10/29/22
Reuse:
At the Bainbridge Farmers’ Market, Saturday, 10am-2pm, April-October:
- Persephone Farm – 4″ square pots (plus rubber bands, green paper molded or plastic berry baskets, plastic bags that produce comes in, and neatly folded grocery-sized paper bags with or without handles)
- Butler Green Farms – 4″ square pots and 1 gallon or larger round pots (and paper egg cartons)
- Central Valley Nursery – 1 gallon or larger round pots
Nurseries:
- Bay Hay and Feed – 10-gallon or larger pots and plant trays in reusable condition. See manager before dropping off.
- Bainbridge Gardens – 5-gallon or larger pots and plant trays in reusable condition. See manager before dropping off.
Recycle:
Home Depot Silverdale – All pots and trays – drop off in garden section.
Last updated 4/8/2023
Recycle:
Drop off any #6 polystyrene (PS) plastic cup (no Styrofoam cups) in the maroon Zero Waste box, which has been moved back to the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.
The cups will be recycled through a special program run by Terracycle. You can also tell it is a #6 cup by squeezing it — it tends to crack.
Plastic cups do not belong in curbside or transfer station recycling bins.
Last updated 1/11/23
Keep your plastic bags and other plastic film out of the landfill and instead drop them at the grocery store to be made into plastic lumber! Trex is the leading producer of alternative lumber and buys #2 & #4 plastic film nationwide as feedstock for their product.
You can drop off the following types of #2 and #4 film at either T&C or Safeway in their designated plastic collection container.
→ It must be clean, dry, empty and have no tape or labels on it. ← No crinkly plastic.
What you can recycle:
- Plastic grocery bags
- Produce bags
- Bread bags
- Ice bags
- Wood pellet bags
- Dry cleaning bags
- Garbage bags (CLEAN)
- Newspaper/magazine sleeves
- Pallet wrap
- Case/Bulk item overwrap
- Shipping air pillows (pop first) OR take to Zutto or UPS Store unpopped for their reuse
- Bubble wrap (clean and no tape) OR take to Zutto or UPS Store for their reuse
- Tyvek mailing envelopes (remove label)
- Mailers made exclusively of bubble wrap, like Amazon’s (remove label)
- Furniture & electronic wrap
- Chicken feed bags (WITHOUT webbing)
- Cereal & cracker box liner bags (these are chemically congruent with Trex processing)
- Saltine cracker sleeves
- Zip lock/Resealable bags (remove hard plastic zip)
- Racing bibs (remove electronic chip, no safety pins)
- Plus these two types of packing material:
Not thicker than 1/4″ Must have “4” inside recycling symbol
What NOT to recycle:
- Any plastic film with food residue on it
- *Saran wrap
- **Frozen food bags
- Candy wrappers
- Snack cheese wrappers
- Chip bags
- “Crinkly” plastic (eg, pre-washed salads bags)
- Pet food bags
- Six-pack rings
- Degradable/Compostable bags
- Styrofoam
- Zippered bedding/comforter bags
- Paper mailers with bubble wrap liner
- Hard plastic
- Potting soil and compost bags
- Produce pre-packed #5 bags (have air holes)
* While Saran wrap is stretchy and film-like, it CANNOT be accepted. Rather than one type of plastic, Saran wrap is a combination of plastics that makes it unacceptable for the recycling process.
** While frozen food bags look like regular resealable bags, these bags are not. Apparently, frozen food bags are lined with a preservative that renders the plastic incompatible with the plastic film recycling process.
For a pdf approximating the above list, go here.
Watch what happens to your plastic film after you drop it off at the grocery store.
Read about Sakai Middle School winning the national Trex Recycling School Challenge.
Last updated 3/16/2023
Rethink:
Single-use plastic litters our oceans and roadsides, kills creatures that ingest it, and is becoming more prevalent in human bodies.
Use durable containers when possible.
Recycle:
A recycling symbol on a product does not necessarily mean it can be recycled in every community, if at all. (Read EcoCycle’s excellent guide on greenwashing terms.)
On Bainbridge and throughout Kitsap County, curbside service and transfer stations accept only the following types of plastic.
Recycle only if rinsed, clean and empty.
- bottles – plastic top in trash*
- jugs – plastic top in trash*
- jars – top in trash*
- dairy tubs – lid goes to trash
* As of 2022, tops in the trash is a new county rule. However, the specialized doorstep recycling service, Ridwell, collects bottle caps twice a year.
Clamshells are not recyclable except through Ridwell.
If you have old Rubbermaid-like containers that are unusable, or random tops for them, you may drop those off in the maroon Zero Waste box, which has been moved back to the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.
Last updated 1/11/23
Rethink:
Plastic utensils are used for minutes but take hundreds of years to decompose. They are trash, not recyclable. Keep a reusable set on hand instead.
At gatherings, use washable utensils. (The BI Zero Waste Tableware Lending Library has hundreds of pieces of silverware, among other tableware, that you may borrow free of charge. See info here.)
Reuse:
The Habitat for Humanity Store of Kitsap County
- Sinks
- Bathtubs
- New commodes
- Complete faucet sets
- PVC/metal/copper pipes in 4 foot lengths or more
The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
Recycle:
Scrap metal pipes can be put in the scrap metal container at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Last updated 5/31/20
Recycle:
If they are empty, camping propane cylinders may be recycled in the scrap metal bin at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Propane tanks must have the valves removed before placing in the scrap metal bin. There are youtube videos that show how to remove the valve.
Last updated 8/18/2023
Make sure they have all the pieces before donating.
Reuse:
Bainbridge Island Friends of the Public Library – Donations to Bainbridge FOL support programs, services, physical expansion and operation of library facilities. They also provide funding for children’s programs, magazine subscriptions, support for the staff and other services as needed.
Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
- St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store – They salvage as much donated clothing as possible to put out for their customers. They offer clothing vouchers to anyone needing them, good for a full set of clothing, shoes and coat once a month.
Order a “Clean out Your Closet” kit from thredUP.
Last updated 5/31/20
Reuse:
During growing season (April-September), these growers will take your rubber bands to hold their cut flowers together:
Andi Dillon O’Rourke – Drop off at 831 Eagle Cliff NE in the container in the driveway.
Rebecca Slattery – Drop off at the Persephone Farm booth at the Bainbridge Island Farmers’ Market, Saturday, 9am-1pm.
Last updated 5/27/20
Reuse:
Bainbridge Island Lumber (Builders FirstSource) participates in Exchange-a-Blade. When you take back one of EaB’s saw blades, the store exchanges it for a new one at a fraction of the original price. EaB will either remanufacture or recycle the blade.
Recycle:
If your saw of another brand type is too dull to be resharpened, you can put in the scrap metal dumpster at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Last updated 5/31/20
Sharps are needles, syringes, lancets, blood test strips, EpiPens, and intravenous tubing with needles attached (used or unused).
These cannot go in the garbage or recycling. Follow the safe disposal instructions below.
- Put sharps into a laundry detergent bottle, bleach bottle, 2-liter soda bottle, or FDA-Cleared sharps container.
- When container is ¾ full, secure lid or cap. Label container “SHARPS – BIOHAZARD.”
- Take to Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station and tell the site attendant you have sharps before removing them from vehicle. Disposal is free.
Last updated 5/21/20
Reuse:
Must be in good condition, no holes, no stains. Used as backing for quilts by a quilter’s circle at Bethany Lutheran Church. They donate approximately 150 quilts per year to disaster areas and refuge camps. Contact Carol Fenner, 842-1573.
Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
- St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store – They salvage as much donated clothing as possible to put out for their customers. They offer clothing vouchers to anyone needing them, good for a full set of clothing, shoes and coat once a month.
Order a “Clean out Your Closet” kit from thredUP.
Recycle:
Niketown – Bring up to 10 pairs of athletic shoes, any condition (no other types). They will be turned into sport courts.
Northface – Gently used footwear. Items dropped in their collection bins are sent to their non-profit partner, Soles4Souls.
Last updated 6/30/22
Reuse:
These H-shaped wire posts are used to hold plastic corrugated (Coroplast) signs. Drop these metal stands off at Herb Hethcote’s house, 1866 Commodore Lane. If they are bent, that’s okay — he straightens them! Herb will lend them back out for anyone’s use. He currently has about 200. Email [email protected] for his contact information.
Last updated 7/25/22
Reuse:
Last updated 1/11/23
Reuse:
See this article for ways to reuse silicone bags.
Recycle:
If you use Stasher brand silicone bags, you may recycle them for free through the company’s mail-in program.
Last edited 4/23/2023
Reuse:
Email the coach of a club team to see if they offer usable equipment to their players.
Check back on our Zero Waste events page for the annual ski (and snowboard) equipment and ski clothing swap in November. You may consign or donate.
Recycle:
Go here for tennis ball recycling.
Last updated 5/3/21
Rethink:
There are many alternatives to using Styrofoam block packaging and peanuts, which take hundreds of years to degrade and easily become litter. If your product comes packaged in the stuff, write to the company to ask them to switch to packaging that is easily compostable (e.g., compostable peanuts, molded paper, mushroom packaging) or easily recyclable (e.g., cardboard, air pillows).
Recycle:
Look on the Zero Waste Styrofoam page for recycling options.
Last updated 12/19/22
Reuse:
Consider donating gently used (no stains) solid-colored tablecloths to the Zero Waste Tableware Lending Library. Email us at [email protected] .
Bethany Lutheran Church’s quilters’ circle can use them as backing to quilts. They must be in good condition: no holes or no stains. They donate approximately 150 quilts per year to disaster areas and refugee camps. Contact Carol Fenner, 842-1573.
Last updated 5/31/20
Recycle:
The Bainbridge Island Recreation Center is participating in RecycleBalls, a nonprofit that takes old tennis balls. Drop the balls off at the front desk in a bag or box, not in cans. Some of the balls end up being sold and reused as dog balls. The rest are recycled. Watch the recycling process and find out what they get recycled into here.
Last updated 9/10/21
Reuse:
Fabric: At least 8″ x 8″ size or anything larger. Used by a quilters’ circle at Bethany Lutheran Church. They donate approximately 150 quilts per year to disaster areas and refugee camps. Contact Carol Fenner, 842-1573.
Knitted items made of natural fiber, such as cotton, wool or alpaca – Andi Dillon O’Rourke takes apart moth-eaten natural fiber knitted sweaters and other knitted items from natural fiber and reuses to make new items.
To donate, drop off in the large, blue plastic bin by the recycling at the base of the driveway. Her house is at 831 Eagle Cliff Rd NE, but the driveway is actually just south of Eagle Cliff on Ferncliff Ave.
Northwest Center dropbox – Eagle Harbor Church parking lot, Via Rosa parking lot
They take all sorts of textiles, including
- Clothing (all ages, styles, and condition – not wet or mildewed) See Clothing section for more info.
- Linens (bedding, towels, pillows)
- Fabric scraps
- Shoes and boots
- Accessories (purses, belts)
- Outerwear (coats, hats, scarves)
- Blankets
- Stuffed animals
Goodwill – A Goodwill donation truck is located in the Bainbridge Island Ace Hardware parking lot, 635 NE High School Rd. Drop off only when they are open, which is almost 365 days a year. Hours are, 8:30am-5pm, but it is not uncommon for them to close up early due to a full truck. Do not leave items next to the truck.
Check here for Goodwill’s donation guidelines. Items should be in usable condition and keep in mind, the Bainbridge truck takes items no larger than an end table. (The Silverdale and Bremerton locations can take bigger items.)
Last updated 8/7/20
Many tire shops recycle tires for a fee.
You may also take to Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station for a $15/tire dump fee.
Kitsap Solid Waste usually holds a free tire disposal event annually, usually in the summer. Watch for an announcement on the Zero Waste home page and/or in the ZW newsletter for their event, or subscribe to the Kitsap County Solid Waste email notification system for the news release.
Last updated 4/6/22
Reuse:
Take unopened, travel-sized toiletries to Helpline House Monday-Friday (closed Wednesdays), 9:30am-4:00.
Last updated 7/12/22
Reuse:
Take unopened toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss to Helpline House.
Recycle:
Take the following to the maroon Zero Waste box at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West:
- Toothpaste tubes and caps
- Toothbrushes and outer packaging
- Floss containers
Not accepted: Electric toothbrushes, battery toothbrushes, and/or their parts
A Zero Waste member sends them to Terracycle.
Last updated 1/11/23
Recycle:
- CD/DVD/Blu-ray players
- Televisions
- Video streaming devices (Apple TV®, Roku Player, etc.)
Take to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station and put in designated container.
Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale
Last updated 5/24/20
Reuse and Recycle
The local special recyclables subscription service, Ridwell, has special collections of these items at least once a year. They find organizations that reuse them or companies that recycle them. If you don’t have a Ridwell subscription, find a neighbor or friend who does and ask when the collection is and if you can contribute.
Last updated 9/12/22
Reuse:
Flowering Around – They will accept vases and Mason jars (quart size on up) in good condition. If the shop is closed, you may leave them outside the front door.
Town and Country Market floral department – They accept vases in good condition. Please ask for Sarah, manager of the floral department.
Island Volunteer Caregivers – IVC’s program Flowers from the Heart delights islanders with surprise, home-grown bouquets styled by volunteers. They start receiving vases in late spring up till Labor Day. Please drop off at the IVC office, 147 Finch Place, Suite 4 (behind the Marge Williams Center).
Last updated 11/15/21
Reuse:
GameStop, 3299 NW Randall Way, Silverdale, offers trade-ins on “retro” games, consoles, and accessories.
Recycle:
Place in designated box at Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale
Last updated 5/24/20
Recycle:
Greendisk – Mail in VHS, audio cassette tapes, DAT, DLT, Beta, and Digibeta
Last updated 5/26/20
Reuse:
Habitat for Humanity. No rot, cracked or fogged glass, or shutters. No wood framed windows, aluminum framed windows or windows larger than 3’x5′.
The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
Recycle:
These places accept natural corks only. They are recycled through ReCORK.
- Eleven Winery Tasting Room, 287 Winslow Way East
- Eagle Harbor Winery, 8897 Three Tree Ln NE
- Total Wine and More, 11066 Pacific Crest Pl a110, Silverdale, WA 98383
Ridwell collects at least once a year as a featured category.
Last updated 1/22/23
Reuse:
Pallets – They are popular on give-away sites. You can also see if Bay Hay and Feed or Bainbridge Gardens will take a few to reuse.
Recycle:
Take to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. There is a charge.
Do not recycle painted, stained or pre-treated wood. Small nails are okay.
Last updated 5/30/20
Compost:
Subscribe with Bainbridge Disposal for bi-weekly pick-up.
Take to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station or Tilz.
Accepted by Bainbridge Disposal:
- Food waste (any type)
- Grass
- Leaves
- Weeds *
- Prunings
- Branches under 4′ long and 4″ diameter
- Wood (goes in separate dumpster) – no painted, stained or pressure-treated; small nails okay
Accepted by Tilz:
- Stumps
- Branches – any size
- Grass
- Leaves
- Weeds *
- Prunings
- Wood – no painted, stained or pressure-treated; small nails okay
Not accepted by Tilz: Food waste
NOT accepted by either place:
- Sod
- Dirt
- Gravel
- Landscape fabric or plastic
- Manure
* Some invasive species such as tansy ragwort and poison hemlock are too poisonous to compost and/or dangerous to compost. Others such as Japanese knotweed or morning glory/bindweed are able to easily spread via root or stem fragment and can completely contaminate any compost they are put in. Anyone who uses the contaminated compost will get the invasive species. Please landfill these species.
Last updated 4/19/21