Note: Drop-offs are the day before - see poster above. Only good quality (no holes or stains) clothing accepted.

Keep your clothing longer. Bring it in for mending - a patch, button, hem or hole repair (no zippers).

Full details are here.

Our first general Zero Waste meeting since 2019 (!) will be in person at the Marge Williams Center on Thursday, December 5, 5-6:30. Zoom will also be available.

The first hour will focus on program updates and ways to help, as well as new ideas for initiatives you might have and would be interested in working on.

The last half hour will be Show & Tell:

1) Either ask recycling questions about a specific item

and/or

2) Present an item that has brought waste reduction into your life (e.g., shampoo bar)

...that our compost hauler, Bainbridge Disposal, does NOT want us to include compostable plastic bags in the curbside cart?* The City of Bainbridge Island and Zero Waste are helping to spread this message.

If you want to line your indoor bucket with a compostable bag, empty the contents into the yard waste bin, then throw the bag in the trash. However, when compostable plastic, just like the food scraps and yard waste you put in your cart, ends up in the landfill, it decomposes and releases methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. So best not to use compostable bags.

Alternatives:

• Use no lining, and give a quick rinse to your indoor bucket.
• Freeze scraps in a plastic bag and empty into the outdoor cart right before collection day. Keep reusing the plastic bag.
• Line the bottom of the bucket with newspaper and dump it all into the yard waste cart. (Or line the bottom of your yard cart with newspaper.)
• Use a paper bag, which can also go in the cart.
• Use a petroleum plastic bag, empty contents into the yard waste cart, and put the bag in the trash.

Since waste reduction uses the least resources, the first bullet point is the recommended way to go.

* Reasons for not putting compostable bags in the yard waste cart:

• Our yard waste goes to a commercial compost facility that does not want compostable plastic. It sells organic compost, and certification standards do not allow compostable plastic as a feedstock.
• Knots don't get composted.
• Bags may get caught on and clog the machinery's gears.
• Bags add no nutrient value to the compost mix.

Speaking of compostable plastic, you may be interested in taking this short quiz from The Story of Stuff on bioplastics to see if you learn anything.

Opportunity #1:

Feel like getting a little nerdy about metal? Barbara Ochota, who manages the ZW small metals collection bin at the BI Senior/Community Center (BISCC), is looking for assistance to help sort the metal on occasion.

The total collected since this initiative began last year has now surpassed a half ton! Barbara takes the scrap to Navy City Metals and donates the proceeds to the site host, BISCC. She has discovered that certain metals pay more than others, so she has taken to sorting the pieces into a few categories. This takes a bit of time, and she would appreciate some help in this volunteer endeavor. If you want to become a "scraphead" and donate an hour or two a month to sort metal, please email Barbara.

Opportunity #2:

A Bainbridge Island fix-it fair is coming in 2025! If you tentatively or enthusiastically would like to be involved as a volunteer fixer or helper, please email organizer Heather Dowey and you will be added to the contact list.

Opportunity #3:

A recent Facebook post asking for interest in starting a tool library is now becoming a reality. With community, municipal and business assistance, the Kitsap Tool Library, to be located in Bremerton, is starting to take shape.

To offer tools or get involved, please email Laura Hettinger.

Opportunity #1:

Give to the BHS Ski "Swap". Every year, the Bainbridge Island High School sailing team accepts winter gear donations from the community to sell and raise funds for their club sport. The public sale this year is on Saturday, November 16, 10am-2pm, at the Masonic Lodge, right across from BHS.

You can drop off donations as listed below from now until November 15 at Bainbridge Island Physical Therapy, 563 Madison Ave N.

• Downhill and cross country skis
• Ski poles
• Ski and snowboard boots
• Ski and snowboard parts
• Snowboards
• Sleds
• Jackets
• Winter gloves
• Snow pants
• Ski goggles
• Hats
• Boots
• Car racks

More details can be found here.

Opportunity #2:

Give to the Flashdrive, which is collecting items this month for West Sound Wildlife. Email biflashdrive@gmail.com now if you have any of the items below to donate, and they will let you know the designated time and day in November when they will stop by your front door to pick them up. See the ZW October issue for background on this initiative.

• Fleece hats - NO embroidery. They put tiny babies in the fleece hats.
• Hand towels (no bath or beach towels) - NO embroidery
• Face cloths - NO embroidery
• Pillowcases - NO embroidery
• Aquariums
• Small plastic pet holders
• Pack-n-plays - They use these as waterfowl nurseries before the babies graduate to larger baby pools.
• Heating pads - NO automatic shut-off
• Duct tape - Even colored/patterned duct tape and half-used rolls are OK
• Dog and cat food
• Seasonal fruits - NO citrus

OK: apples, pears, greens, mushrooms, broccoli

• Frozen food - freezer burn is ok!
• Meat - RAW & UNSEASONED only
• Berries
• Expired medications  

OK - Human medications

OK - Pet medications, even flea and tick medications 

Opportunity #3:

Blakely Elementary School's STEM classes are very much in need of toilet paper tubes (paper-free!). Please drop them off at the front desk with a note "For STEM class." The school is located at 4704 Blakely Ave NE.

Opportunity #4:

The Women's Shelter Jewelry Project accepts donations of any and all jewelry, even if broken. Knowledgeable volunteers sort, clean, repair, and give to women’s shelters in Kitsap, Jefferson and Mason counties. Higher-value jewelry is sold to raise funds for grants to shelters.



Donation boxes on Bainbridge Island are at these locations:

• Esther's Fabrics
• BI Museum of Art
• Bay Hay and Feed
• Sole Mates

Tune into the webinar, "The Psychology of Stuff: Why Buying Stuff You Don't Need Feels Good and How to Rewire Your Consumer Brain," on Thursday, November 14, 6-7:30pm. The presenter, Dr. Kelly Kandry, holds a Ph.D. in psychology and is an expert in minimalist living and anticonsumerism. This webinar will help you gain insight about your brain's own patterns as well as acquire tools to rewire those patterns and start consuming mindfully.

In our December newsletter, we will list places on Bainbridge that offer used items. If you know of any in addition to those below, please email Diane Landry, and they might be included.

Free sheds on Wallace and New Sweden,

FB groups Free on the Rock, Buy Nothing, Craigslist, Bainbridge Island Yard Sale, Bainbridge Island Buy/Sell/Trade,

Senior/Community Center swap room, Friends of the Library sales, Zutto's, Rabbit Hole, Pastiche Antiques, Nova Vita, Backstreet Beat, Little Island Crafts, It's New to You

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.