From the Office of Resilience and Climate Action and Solid Waste Divisions

This summer has been a hot one. Climate change is raising temperatures in Pierce County and creating more extreme heat events. The County and our partners are preparing for this by creating an action-oriented roadmap to address the impacts of extreme heat being felt by communities across our region.

Help us understand what you and your community need to stay cool when it’s hot by filling out our survey.

Hot Tip:

Splash parks are a great way to beat the heat – especially if you have children! Here’s a list of splash parks in Pierce County. 

Heat Resources: 

Learn how to stay safe and cool when it's hot out. 

Food Waste Prevention Week

Food Waste Prevention Week is a week-long awareness campaign to inspire cultural changes that reduce food waste at home, at work, and in our communities. The week kicks off on Sept. 28.

When we truly value food, we create ripple effects that transform our world. Every ingredient that reaches our plate represents month of growth, countless resources, and the dedication of farmers, producers, and communities.

Find local resources to help reduce food waste here! 

Do you have a recycling question? Email us at PCRECYCLE@PierceCountyWa.gov. We’ll send you a direct response and your question may appear in a future newsletter!

‌Ride Together Pierce invites you to Find Your Commute Buddy this September for a chance to win one of eight $25 prizes! Simply add or update your commute in the Trip Planner between Sept. 1–30 and you’ll be entered to win.

‌Here’s how: 

1. Register on the trip calendar at RideTogetherPierce.com.
2. Use the Pools page to add your trips and find potential matches with users who share your commute! You can look for carpool buddies, vanpool buddies, bus buddies, and walk and bike buddies.

Your home and work addresses are always obscured from public view.

Already have your commute in the database? Be sure to update it before the end of September!



Why now? We’re gearing up for the statewide Switch Your Trips campaign in October, when you can win up to $1,500 for choosing sustainable commutes. Get a head start by finding your commute buddy now!

Avoid car congestion and parking fees by hopping on the Pierce Transit Fair Express to the Washington State Fair!

Park at Lakewood Station, South Hill Mall Transit Center or the South Hill Park and Ride and ride directly to the Blue Gate entrance.

Kids 18 and under are free, seniors are $1, and adults are $2. Learn more at PierceTransit.org/Fair.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges drivers to be alert as children head back to school. Some tips include:

• Around school buses: Drivers should slow down and prepare to stop when a school bus’s yellow lights are flashing.
• Around people walking: Drivers should always look out for pedestrians everywhere, follow the speed limit—especially in school zones and neighborhoods—and use extra caution at dark or in other hard-to-see conditions.
• Around people on bikes: Drivers should give bike riders enough room on the road, being careful not to pass too closely, yield to bike riders, and look left-right-left and behind when turning right on red.

Remember, youth ride transit for free! Order a Youth ORCA transit card today.

Learn with Us in September

New learning opportunities are headed your way this September as part of the Earth Matters Series. Learn more and register.

Explore & Restore

Sept. 19, 10 a.m. to Noon

Meridian Habitat Park in South Hill

No Scrap Left Behind

Sept. 30, 7-8 p.m.

Virtual via Zoom

September Edible Gardens Workshops

Explore the basics of successful vegetable gardening with our free Edible Gardens Workshop Series. Workshops are taught by educators from Pierce County and Harvest Pierce County. 

‌In September, our offerings include: 

• Seed Saving - Sept. 19
• Putting the Garden to Bed - Sept. 26

‌

‌Hybrid and in-person classes are offered through October. View the schedule and register. Help us spread the word with our flyer.

Do with us:

• Play food waste trivia as part of the “Waste Less Food, Save More Ca$h” campaign at Tacoma Green Drinks, Sept. 3, 6–8 p.m. at The Valley
• Visit our Pierce County Solid Waste staff at the Puyallup Farmers Market to get your recycling and food/yard waste collection questions answered! Sept. 12, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., Pioneer Park 
• Paper shredding events:
• West Pierce Fire & Rescue Station 21: Sept. 12, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
• Sumner City Hall: Sept. 19, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
• Key Peninsula Fire Station #46: Sept. 26, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. 
• Kidical Mass Bike Ride - Sept. 12, 1:30 p.m. at Dune Peninsula. This family-oriented bike ride’s theme is “Physics of Motion.”
• Green Expectations, A Poetry Workshop: Sept. 12, 2–3 p.m., Steilacoom Library
• Tree Captains Training: Sept. 19, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., location shared upon registration
• Parkland Community Trail Ribbon Cutting: Sept. 19, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at Sprinker Recreation Center
• Bike and Everyday Science: Sept. 20, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. at 2nd Cycle. This event pairs basic mechanical science instruction with real, hands-on bicycle repair mentorship.
• Pierce County Trails Conference: Sept. 24, 5-7:30 p.m., Puyallup
• Pierce Conservation District
• Peck Work Party: Sept. 5, 9 a.m. to noon, Puyallup
• Various Work Parties: Sept. 12, 9 a.m. to noon, Lakewood, Tacoma, University Place
• WSU Master Gardeners
• Fall in the Rose Garden: more fun than you think: Sept. 8, 5:30–6:30 p.m., Puyallup Public Library
• Growing Herbs: Sept. 10, 3–4 p.m., Buckley Library
• Harvest Festivities: Sept. 19, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Gig Harbor
• WA Tree Far Fall Forestry Seminar: Sept. 25, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Chewelah, Olympia and virtual
• Beyond the Bin community donation events with City of Tacoma every Friday through September at Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Center from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Some Saturday events, too! Check the event calendar for dates, accepted items, and more details. Open to residences in and outside the City of Tacoma.

Civic Engagement Opportunities:

• Tell us how you are reducing food waste at home! Taking this quick survey enters you for a chance to win prizes!
• Help Pierce County plan for sea level rise. We're conducting a Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Risk Assessment to understand how coastal flooding, erosion, and infrastructure damage could affect our shoreline communities. Take the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Survey..
• Whether you rent out a vacation property, live next to one, own one, or just care about how our neighborhoods grow, your voice matters. Pierce County is reviewing its short-term rental regulations and wants to hear directly from residents like you. Take the short-term rentals survey.
• Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are a great way to add housing options in our communities. Think in-law suites, rental units, or space for multigenerational living. Pierce County is developing a pre-approved ADU design program with designs that have already cleared permit review, making the process faster and easier for homeowners. We want your input on what this program should consider. Take the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) design survey.