Calling first-time volunteers and veterans! The island's 4th of July celebration is a low-waste affair, but only because of the 40+ volunteers who step up each year to staff the nine discard stations in the Waterfront Park area. Will you be one of them?

You don't need to be an expert in compostables and recyclables to help out. We have a cheat sheet, you can ask the advice of the person whose place you take, and Diane Landry will be on site for guidance. New this year will be a Zoom a few days prior to prep any newbies or those who want a refresher.

The sign-up mechanism is different this year: SignUpGenius instead of Doodle. If you haven't done SUG before, you'll have to set up an account. Sorry in advance for all the ads on the site.

There will be 1-2 more newsletter notices this month to update people on which slots still need filling. When you go to sign up, please read the description of each time slot, as it indicates what to expect during each two-hour shift.

If you want a low-key setting for a practice run at staffing a discard station, the Pride Festival at Waterfront Park on Saturday, June 21, offers just such an opportunity. It runs from 12-8pm, and you can do just an hour or stay as long as you like. Please send Rina Fa'amoe an email if you would like to volunteer.

Rotary Green Team Volunteering

Many people who help with BI Zero Waste events also volunteer with the Rotary Green Team (GT) during the Rotary Auction donation week and day-of sale, this year slated for July 5-12.

Before the GT was created, unsuitable donations, volunteer meal discards, bathroom paper towels, and donation packaging all ended up in landfill-bound dumpsters.

But now the GT has many divisions that divert discards to reuse, recycling, compost. Check out the Green Team page for a description of each one, then click on the volunteer link to get started. Volunteer early in the week and you may accumulate enough hours to do pre-sale shopping. And the Lawn of Opportunity is open to volunteers every day for free take-aways.

Plant Pot Exchange

Amber on the north end of the island is offering her outdoor greenhouse area as a drop-off site for any and all sizes of plastic plant pots and trays in usable condition.

Below is a map to follow once you punch in 7393 Dolphin Dr. Go down the driveway about 3/4mi, past the house all the way to the gardens, where you will most likely see the pile o' pots around the greenhouse area. Please do not leave any pots on the front lawn or in her driveway. And no ceramic pots, please -- offer those up on a free site.

If you need to pick up any, you can take from the outdoor pile, but eventually she moves them nearby to an underground area (lights usually turn on, but have your phone light ready just in case). Individuals and hobby gardeners are welcome to come choose from the selection. If you're picking up from "the bunker" for the first time, it's best to contact Amber ahead of time.

The Zero Waste Reuse/Recycle Guide also lists other places for pot drop-off.

Bubble Wrap

Bainbridge Arts and Crafts is in desperate need of bubble wrap, both small and large bubble sizes. They are open 10am-6pm, Monday-Saturday, and 11am-5pm on Sunday.

Would you like to hang out with some fellow Zero Wasters and learn about the history of waste and repair in Kitsap County? On Thursday, June 26, 7-8:30pm, at the Kitsap History Museum, Caitlin Newman will present "Trash Talk: A History of Waste & Repair in Kitsap." Caitlin is the program supervisor of the county's solid waste department.

We are organizing carpools, with a casual restaurant dinner beforehand for socializing. Please contact Diane Landry if you would like to eat together and carpool.

Admission to the talk is free, but registration is required.

June 10 - Tire recycling, Tuesday, 2-6pm, Kitsap Fairgrounds

June 14 - Scrap metal recycling (small & medium pieces), Saturday, 11am-1pm, BI Senior Community Center

June 21 - Fix-it Fair, Saturday, 11am-2pm, Silverdale Public Library

June 28 - Paint recycling, Saturday, 9am-3pm, 7305 NE Hidden Cove Rd

The 2025 Washington state legislature passed many waste bills this session, the major one being the Recycle Reform Act (SB 5284), which should lower recycling bills, make recycling guidelines uniform, increase curbside recycling availability, and incentivize more recyclable packaging. For details, go here.

Other major waste reduction legislation:

• Right to repair (HB 1483)
• Right to repair - wheelchairs (SB 5680)
• Reclaiming refrigerant gases (HB 1462)
• Improving compost and organics management (HB 1497)
• Lead reduction in cookware (SB 5628)

Whenever you are looking for a destination for something not accepted in your curbside bin, be sure to visit the

 "Guide to Reusing and/or Recycing Locally" on our website. If you have an addition for it or see a correction needed, please contact me.