We generate 25% of our landfill-bound trash during the November-December holiday period. Learn how to lower that figure by going to the Zero Waste Holiday Guide page for tips on how to reuse or recycle locally.

Remember: Never put light strings in your regular recycling bin. Light strings are known in the recycling biz as "tanglers," the nemesis of recycling facilities. Tanglers jam up the sorting equipment and cause the facility to shut down, sometimes twice a day!

Bainbridge Disposal hauls our recycling to JMK Fibers, a materials recovery facility, or MRF (pronounced "murf") in the Port of Tacoma. Help them operate efficiently by also keeping these other tanglers out of your recycling bin: 


• plastic bags (#1 tangler)
• hangers
• hoses
• extension cords
• rope
• chains
• textiles

Turn your Christmas tree into mulch while supporting BI Scout troops in their biggest fundraiser.

Reserve a curbside tree pick-up by January 10, and Troops 1564 and 1804 will swing by on Saturday, January 11, to take your defrocked tree over to Tilz, the island's compost company.

The ReFashion Show celebrates its 10th anniversary this April.

There are five new categories for participation:

• Pants and Pockets
• Birthday Party
• Shoddy Challenge
• Rotary Remix Challenge
• Mystery Challenge

As always, the goal is to inspire reuse of existing materials to make wearable apparel. Go here for details.

The ever-popular Mochi Tsuki festival is Saturday, January 10, 11am-3pm. Zero Waste helps manage the discards by showing guests which container to put discards in.

There are two disposal stations. Can you spare an hour to staff one? No experience necessary! Please go here to sign up. (You'll need to scroll down a bit to get to the "Green Team" section.)

This year's Washington state legislative session is a short one, and all bills face the fiscal challenge of being revenue neutral or positive. Luckily, two of the primary waste reduction proposals are just that.

Following up on the successful passage of the Recycle Reform Act in 2025 -- which will bring recycling to all parts of the state and make producers pay 90% of the recycling costs -- is the Recycling Refund Act. More commonly called a bottle bill, it will encourage recycling and decrease litter because of a 10-cent fee on each drink container.

The second measure takes the 2020 plastic bag law, which required thicker plastic film bags, and actually eliminates them altogether.

If you want to advocate for these and other bills, all of which you can read about here, please contact Diane Landry. She sends out timely emails for when to strategically and easily send in PRO or CON messages to our state representatives.

Zero Waste Washington was founded in 1982 by activists trying to get a state bottle bill passed. Forty four years later, it may just come to pass!

Read about all the upcoming bills, their work with youth, and more in their latest newsletter.

Dec 27 - Metal sorting, 11am-noon @ BI Senior & 
 Community Center

Jan 10 - Help with discards at Mochi Tsuki

Jan 10 - Last day to reserve tree pick-up

Jan 10 - Metal sorting, 11am-noon @ BI Senior & 
 Community Center

Jan 19 - Last day to recycle light strings @ Ace Hardware
Jan 31 - Last day to submit ReFashion Show entry form

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.