From the Office of Resilience and Climate Action and Solid Waste Divisions | | Beyond the Bin Community Donation Events | | |
Have gently-used household items you no longer want or need?
Think Beyond the Bin! The City of Tacoma’s Solid Waste Utility is offering weekly Beyond the Bin collection events every Friday at the Tacoma Recovery & Transfer Center through the end of September, allowing Tacoma and Pierce County residents to drop-off gently used household items for reuse. Dropping off items at these events is a simple way to reduce waste, support neighbors, and keep valuable materials in use and out of the landfill.
What can you donate?
Five community partners - Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, Northwest Center, NW Furniture Bank and Second Use - support Beyond the Bin donation events on a rotating monthly schedule. Please review the Beyond the Bin event calendar to learn about each partner’s participation dates and accepted items lists.
Want more opportunities to donate and reuse?
Beyond the Bin is also partnering with Tacoma Public Schools to hold neighborhood collection events select Saturdays June through September.
| Secure Your Load for Safer Roads | | |
June is national Secure Your Load month! Join Pierce County in keeping our roads and community safer by strapping down or covering up your vehicle loads every time you hit the road. During the June 2025 “Secure Your Load” campaign, transfer stations in Pierce County saw over 300 unsecured loads. That’s alarming considering that every year in Washington unsecured loads cause over 300 crashes and up to 40% of roadside litter!
During the month of June, County staff will be talking with motorists at transfer stations and educating them on why it is important to secure their loads and how to properly do it. A limited supply of equipment to help motorists secure loads will be available. Learn more at: SecureLoadsWa.org
| | Wildfire, Smoke, and Heat Preparedness Workshop | | |
On May 8, representatives from multiple cities and towns in Pierce County met to discuss wildfire, smoke, and heat preparedness for the upcoming summer which is predicted to be hot and dry. Over 55 attendees from different areas and organizations participated to equip officials and planners with the information needed to keep communities safe.
Concerned about wildfire risk?
Contact Pierce Conservation District to learn more about your fire risk and how to create defensible space around your home. Remember, Pierce County’s burn ban goes into effect on June 1.
Prepare for wildfire smoke
Prepare for wildfire smoke by making a box fan filter for around $40 with materials from your local hardware store. Learn more about the risks of wildfire smoke and how to protect yourself (including how to create a box fan filter) on Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department's website.
Stay cool this summer
Do you have a plan for keeping yourself and your family cool when it is hot out this summer? An important part of heat safety is recognizing the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Did you know that Pierce County Council proclaimed May as Wildfire Awareness and Prevention Month??
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No, you don’t! Go ahead and put them directly into your recycling bin. These small bits of plastic are sorted out at paper recycling facilities during the paper pulping process.
Please make sure that pasta and tissue boxes are free of food residue or actual tissues before recycling.
| | 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! | | Last Chance for the Bike Everywhere Challenge! | | Bike Month has just ended, but you still have time to qualify for the Bike Everywhere Challenge prizes of $20 and $50 and a team pizza party. If you rode your bike to destinations like school, work, or a friend's house in May, visit RideTogetherPierce.com and log your trips on the trip calendar to automatically enter the prize drawing by June 7. | | |
Consider an e-bike to keep you going!
The Washington State Department of Transportation is hosting a WE-Bike program, which offers people living in Washington a rebate to help lower the cost of buying an eligible e-bike. People age 16 and older can apply, with rebates of $300 or $1,200 depending on household income. Applications are open through March 2027, and selections take place each month.
| | | Reminder to Join us at Transit Trivia | | |
June is Ride Transit Month in Washington! Celebrate with Ride Together Pierce, Pierce Transit and Tacoma On the Go at our fifth annual in-person trivia event.
Transit Trivia will take place on Tuesday, June 9, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Mikey's Public House and Frog Pub (former location of Zeek’s) in downtown Tacoma.
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This event is free to participate, and the event and location are family friendly.
Registration is strongly encouraged!
| | Take Transit to Soccer Events This Summer | | This June and July, Seattle is hosting six World Cup 2026 soccer matches at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field). Seattle is expecting nearly 750,000 visitors in town for the matches, which will heavily impact our transportation system. Now is a good time for fans to become familiar with public transportation options to the Tacoma Fan Zone at the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ Headquarters and Seattle Stadium for gameday activities. | | | New learning opportunities are headed your way this June as part of the Earth Matters Series. Learn more and register. | | | |
Explore & Restore
June 13, 10 a.m. to Noon
Meridian Habitat Park in South Hill
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The Art of Noticing
June 17, 6-7:30 p.m.
Meridian Habitat Park in South Hill
| | June 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 June, our offerings include:
- Canning the Harvest - June 13
- Freezing, Dehydrating, and Fermenting the Harvest - June 27
Hybrid and in-person classes are offered through October. View the schedule and register. Help us spread the word with our flyer.
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Read with us:
Watch with us:
Listen with us:
Do with us:
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Purdy Landfill Solar Project Info Sessions:
- June 4, 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the Key Center Pierce County Library
- June 6, 10:30 a.m. t 12 p.m. at the Key Center Pierce County Library
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June 24, 6-7:30 p.m. via Zoom
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Deadman's Pond Work Party with Pierce Conservation District: June 5, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. in Puyallup
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Paper shredding events:
- Anderson Island Fire Station: June 6, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Roy City Hall: June 13, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Eatonville Middle School: June 20, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- UP Refuse & Recycling: June 27, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
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Fern Hill Access Walk — Tacoma On the Go: June 6, 9 -11 a.m. at Baker Middle School
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Tomatoes in the Pacific Northwest with WSU Master Gardeners: June 13, 2 - 3:30 p.m. at University Place Library
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Visit our Solid Waste staff at the Village Farmers Market to get your recycling and food/yard waste collection questions answered! June 14, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Frontier Park in Graham
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Creative Reuse Crafting - Running Stitch with The Remakery: June 16, 5 - 6:30 p.m. at Sumner Library
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Tacoma Lincoln District Food, Culture, and Community Walk — Tacoma On the Go - June 17, 6 - 7 p.m.
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Tacoma Social Justice Bike Ride Tour: June 20 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. starting at 2nd Cycle Community Cycling Center
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Wonders of Wapato Hills with Tacoma Tree Foundation: June 20, 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Wapato Park in Tacoma
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Container Gardening with WSU Master Gardeners: July 2, 5:30 - 7 p.m. at Milton/Edgewood Library
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Bird Walks with Tahoma Bird Alliance: various dates and locations
Civic Engagement Opportunities:
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The Transportation Advisory Commission has a vacancy for two positions:
- A community group member who either represents a community group or serves on a community group.
- A community member who represents the agriculture production sector
- The Conservation Futures Advisory Board has a vacancy for three positions:
- A community member who works in the agriculture industry
- A community member from a small town or city (less than 15k population)
- A community member who lives in District 1
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Learn about Washington’s energy code updates to help make energy codes stronger and homes healthier.
- Share your input to inform the Puget Sound Region Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Plan. The survey is intended for cities and counties, utilities, transit agencies, ports, schools, infrastructure vendors, and other organizations, agencies, or businesses that permit, install, own, operate, or coordinate EV charging infrastructure. Take the survey here: Regional EV Plan before June 19th.
- New regulations for yard waste burning are being proposed in King, Pierce, Kitsap, and Snohomish. Registration, additional information on the proposed rule, June workshops, a survey, and FAQs are available at www.pscleanair.gov/RAOB.
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