Win an Eagle Harbor Books Gift Card!

How to be entered in the drawing:

1. Get out in the community and complete five of the 45+ activities/events listed on the Earth Month page, or
2. Focus more on individual actions and complete a bingo of five contiguous squares on the Earth Month Bingo card.
3. Then email us your full name and a list of the activities you participated in from the Earth Month page, or send a picture of your x'ed out squares on the bingo card.
4. If your entry is pulled, you will be notified as the recipient of the $25 gift card!

The City of Bainbridge Island has proclaimed April to be Bainbridge Earth Month. This year, BI downtown resident Abby Wade was singled out for special recognition, as she has picked up litter around the downtown Winslow area for the past 30 years on an almost daily basis.

(At right, Abby receiving the proclamation from council member Leslie Schneider.)

Abby's original motivation was an article explaining how nicotine and cigarettes were harmful to aquatic life. Over time, she has seen a decrease in littered cigarette butts (yay!) and an increase in both bagged and unbagged dog poop (boo!). When people thank Abby for her efforts, she tells them that the best compliment is to copy her.

In that vein, if you would like to borrow a grabber for picking up trash and recyclables, please shoot Zero Waste an email.

Just a few tickets remain for the

10th Annual ReFashion Show!

Get the scoop on how the ReFashion Show has evolved from less practical, artsy clothes to today's completely wearable apparel made from repurposed, secondhand or deadstock material.



Panelists, who include a past and current judge, entrants, and the creator of the show, will share not only the history of the show, but also their creative processes, the environmental urgency behind textile waste, and how refashioning opens up new pathways for expression, community connection, and a more sustainable future.

Come down to Windermere's patio at 249 Winslow to participate in a creative art project sponsored by Bainbridge Arts & Crafts. Using materials donated by the community this past month, Port Townsend artist Margie McDonald will guide islanders in creating a wearable art project. More information is here.



Bainbridge Arts & Crafts' Tossed & Found exhibit honors Earth Month 2026 with work by eleven artists and special guests from ReFashion Bainbridge who turn discarded, repurposed, and recycled materials into works of art.

If you have ever left out items for BI Flashdrive pick-up, please consider taking this short survey from founders Kathy McGowan and sons. Kathy will be presenting their unique program at the upcoming Washington State Recycling Association conference in early May.

She notes that, "Since BI Flashdrive is a community effort at its core, it is very important to us that we incorporate your voice into our presentation to WSRA attendees."

Please take the survey before April 19. Thank you!

Home pick-up this month is on a Monday, April 27. If you have any of the items below, please email Kathy before that date.

The recipient of the donations is One Wild Heart, an organization that brings people and animals together to grow. Check if you have...

• Kale, parsley or romaine lettuce
• Expired or freezer-burned fruits and vegetables (must be UNseasoned)
• Baking soda (used or open is fine)
• Apple cider vinegar (used or open is fine)
• Blankets and sheets 4'x4' or bigger (NO fitted sheets)

Kitsap Sensory Lending Library



A few island parents have started the Kitsap Sensory Leading Library, a free community resource to help lessen the burden of finding the right sensory tools for you or your family.

All items are free. You can keep the item for as long as you like. If you are done with the item, feel free to donate it back to the library. If the item breaks, no worries, no need to replace it.

You can email them if you have donations of sensory tools, including...

• balance boards
• toys for fidgeting
• fabric swings for indoors or outside
• weighted blankets/stuffies/lap pillows

As their post states, "Neurodivergent families know how important it is to meet our families' sensory needs! It is our hope that our community can provide more choices at low commitment so that needs can be explored and more easily met."

Redeemed Reclamation Gear Exchange

Redeemed Reclamation is a new outdoor gear consignment store in Silverdale. At their discretion, they accept recreation gear and apparel that is clean, functional, and in good condition. Go here for general guidelines.

For a more in-depth look at the store and its owners, scroll down in this recent newsletter from Zero Waste Washington.

They will be having a special sale of youth sports gear in May. Consignment takes place very soon in April. If you want to consign or get the sale on your calendar, go here and scroll down for information.

The ReUse Depot

This incipient organization sponsored by Sustainable Bainbridge is looking for volunteers to help in all different sorts of ways. If you are interested in being on a working group for...

• a location search
• storage space for beginning inventory
• grant writing/fundraising
• repair experts for Library of Things
• artisans for developing workshops

then email hello@thereusedepot.org.

Share what you would like The ReUse Depot to be by clicking the survey box below. With 109 responses already tallied, 90.8% agree that The ReUse Depot would be a total game-changer for the island.

To get their newsletter, scroll to the bottom of The ReUse Depot home page.

Kiwanis Shredfest



The BI Kiwanis are hosting their annual Shredfest on Saturday, April 25, from 9am-4pm, in the bank lot across from Safeway. Bring in Bankers Boxes of grocery bags full of tax or personal information. Please no corrugated cardboard or other recyclables.

The shredded paper will be recycled. Shredding does shorten the paper fibers, which decreases the number of times the paper can be recycled, so please only bring "must shred" documents.

Your tax-deductible donation will go to scholarships for Bainbridge Island youth.

Worn-out Socks



Bay Hay and Feed is once again collecting worn-out clean socks in singles or in pairs during April. All socks should be loose. Please do not bag, roll, clip or band together.

Smartwool sends these socks to Material Cut, a textile waste circularity company in North Carolina. For a quick look at what they do, watch the video here.

 Light Bulbs

Washington state has free takeback programs for specific products to ensure that hazardous materials are disposed of safely, including for electronics, medication, paint and mercury lights.

At the beginning of this year, the company that had been administering the stewardship program for light bulbs ceased doing so, and as yet there has been no replacement.

Because of this, Ace Hardware has stopped accepting any kind of bulbs until the stewardship program resumes.

The Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station is still accepting compact fluorescents (like the curlicue lights in the photo.)

Kitsap County's household hazardous waste facility will take all mercury-containing bulbs, including fluorescent tubes.

Thursday, May 28

Rotary Green Team Open House

6-7pm @BARN

Bring a friend and find out how you can help raise money for local nonprofits by keeping stuff out of the trash at the Pacific Northwest's largest rummage sale, the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island's annual Rotary Rummage & Auction Sale.

The quarterly Zero Waste Washington newsletter has some great articles this month:

• WA state legislature zero waste-related bill round-up
• Tackling construction & demolition waste
• Silverdale gear consignment shop
• Kitchen plastic swaps

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.