Zero Waste's September showing of The Plastic Detox drew a crowd of about 150 to The Historic Lynwood Theatre. In addition to the post-film speakers, toxicologists Shirlee Tan and Elinor Fanning and Zero Waste Washington's Heather Trim, attendees perused a display of plastic-free products from the Winslow shop Danger. And two lucky winners walked away with raffle prizes from T&C and Eagle Harbor Books.

If you missed this thought-provoking film, you can still watch it on Netflix.

You are also invited to the inaugural meeting of Kitsap Pushing Back on Plastic, a group inspired by the movie. Headed up by Bob Murphy and Barbara Ochota, its goals will be "to educate ourselves about the impact of plastic and explore different avenues to take action to reduce it in our homes, communities and the planet."

The first meeting is on Wednesday, November 18, 6-7:30 pm, at the Kitsap Village Green Community Center. Zero Waste can try to coordinate carpools (email Zero Waste BI).

Bring your knowledge, questions and energy, and let's see what we can accomplish. Please pass on this invitation to others. If you need a visual, here is the poster. To get on the email list about meetings, please contact Bob Murphy.

As of November 28, you may no longer recycle any brand water filter, including Brita, in the Zero Waste box outside the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.

The reasons for the discontinuation are two-fold:

1) Brita has ceased funding the free Terracycle program, and

2) The Terracycle all-in-one box given to Zero Waste by an anonymous donor that we had been putting the other filters in is reaching its weight capacity.

To continue recycling filters, our advice would be to check if your brand offers mail-in recycling. Some do, but you will probably have to pay the postage.

Reuse rocks!

Reuse is so much better than recycling. Recycling requires energy and water inputs and pollutes.

Reuse is so much better than buying new. New products involve raw material extraction = energy, water and pollution costs.

• Use our Reuse/Recycle Guide to find outlets for reuse.
• Please let us know if you are aware of opportunities for reuse not covered in the Guide, be it for a single event or year-round drop-off. We are continually updating the Guide with new resources when there are opportunities for reuse.

We all recognize that these three chasing arrows represent recycling.

Now there is a universal symbol for reuse as well:

BI Flashdrive

When: Saturday, November 14, 8am

Where: Your home

Email biflashdrive@gmail.com if you have a pick-up.

What: In good condition

• soccer cleats
• soccer balls
• tennis rackets
• iPhones
• iPads
• iPad covers

For whom: Good Play America Foundation

Good Play America has been featured before by Flashdrive. This Bainbridge Island-based non-profit gives your unwanted athletic equipment to young athletes in Colombia who love sports but cannot afford soccer and tennis gear. 

According to Kathy McGowan, this year is particularly poignant, because many of the communities GPA serves live in Cali and were devasted by the recent 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck their city. Besides sporting equipment, the families indicated that they could really use iPhones and iPads to help rebuild their lives and get back to normal. (Remember to delete your personal information from the devices.)

Lara Lant just created a Facebook page, the Bainbridge Leaf Exchange, to connect people with excess leaves with gardeners who would pick those leaves up for free. How smart! Bagged leaves are easiest to pick up, but you don't have to bag to participate. Some gardeners may be willing to rake or bag leaves themselves. It's entirely up to the individuals involved to work out those arrangements.

Covering garden beds with a thick layer of leaves will stop winter weeds and protect and nourish the soil ecosystem. Here's a great local system for where to get them and what to do with your extras, while maybe even saving a little bit on disposal fees.

Household Hazardous Waste

North Kitsap Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Facility

23300 Arness Creek Rd NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370

This facility is brand-spanking new! It is open three days a week and is meant to complement the schedule of the existing South Kitsap HHW facility.

Days: Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday
Hours: 10am-noon and 12:30-4pm (closed for 30-minute lunch)

In addition to being able to dispose of household hazardous waste, they have a reuse "swap" section where unused or partially used hazardous waste can be taken away by the public. This has been a popular feature at the Bremerton facility for paint and cleaning products.

The new Bainbridge Island Environmental News website has an extensive article about the facility.

Jewelry

Jane Martin and her helpers do an amazing job sorting jewelry donated for the Women's Shelter Jewelry Project. There are four collection locations on Bainbridge:

• Soul Mates
• Bainbridge Arts & Crafts
• BI Museum of Art
• Esther's Fabric Store

When the sorters gather to open bags and boxes of donated jewelry, they do so with delight and excitement! Each piece of jewelry gets evaluated to determine its highest reuse.

The higher-valued pieces are set aside for sale to the public (see upcoming event at left), with proceeds given as unrestricted grant funds to the shelters.

About half of the donations are deemed appropriate for the shelters and head off to Kitsap, Jefferson, Mason and King counties.

Other categories of jewelry might stay closer to home. Scout badges and pins are donated to the troops. Period costume jewelry is picked out for play productions. Some religious pieces are given to churches to find appropriate homes. Bags of kids' bead projects might end up at a free shed. Jane and her sorters' trained eyes and experience always try to find the best avenue for the donations you make.

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.

Newsletter editor: Diane Landry, Zero Waste BI (Volunteer) Director

Back issues are available here.

Zero Waste BI is an all-volunteer program of Sustainable Bainbridge.

Send feedback here.