How to Use the Guide
Look at the alphabetical list of items below or type your key word into the search box. The reuse and recycle suggestions for each item focus on the most local options and are continually under revision. Always check first to make sure the location is still accepting your item.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, try Kitsap Solid Waste’s What Do I Do with It?/Waste Wizard guide.
If you don’t see something on the list but do know of a local reuse or recycle option, please contact us.
To give your item to an individual, try posting on Facebook’s Buy Nothing Bainbridge or Free on the Rock or on craigslist or Freecycle.
- All
- Clothing & Textiles
- Compostables
- Curbside Recyclables
- Electronics
- Household items
- Medical
- Personal Care
- Plastics
- Transfer Station
Recycle:
Empty Cans: If you cannot hear propellant gas being released from the aerosol can when you hold the trigger, the can is safe to put in scrap metal at the Senior/Community Center small scrap metal collection bin or in the scrap metal dumpster at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station (they may charge).
Full or Partially-full Cans: If you can’t use up the product or give away, take to Kitsap County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility for free disposal. They may put it in their Reuse Shop. Visit the facility website for hours and instructions for using this facility.
Rethink:
Use refillable pump spray bottles instead of aerosol cans and sprays.
Last updated 1/18/2025
Reuse:
> Zutto Vintage & Antiques, 162 Bjune Dr SE
Recycle:
> Safeway or T&C – Pop and place in the designated plastic bag recycling container.
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
> The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
> Abraham’s House, 312 N Callow AV, Bremerton, WA 98312. See their website for donation hours or pick-up services.
Recycle:
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – There is a drop-off fee for large appliances and air conditioners
Puget Sound Energy – If you have a refrigerator or freezer manufactured in 1992 or before, Puget Sound Energy will haul away and recycle for free. You might even get a rebate. Find out more here.
Last updated 4/28/2024
Reuse:
> The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
> Abraham’s House, 312 N Callow AV, Bremerton, WA 98312. See their website for donation hours or pick-up services.
Recycle:
> Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Anything with a cord — except string lights – is accepted. Put in the scrap metal container; do not put in with mixed recyclables.
A fee may be applied.
- Small household appliances such as microwaves, blenders, coffee pots, crock pots, mixers, irons, tea kettles, toasters, toaster ovens, fans and humidifiers
- Lamps (remove bulb!)
- Radios
- Power tools
- Vacuums
> Yank a Part Auto Wrecking, 23719 Stottlemeyer Road NE, Poulsbo, WA 98370 – Drop off scrap metal, including small appliances, for free.
> Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale – See list here.
> Best Buy, 9551 Ridgetop NW, Silverdale – See list here.
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
- The Boys and Girls Club, 9453 Coppertop Loop NE, Bainbridge, might take still-usable art supplies.
- Little Island Crafts, 124 Madrone Lane N, will accept new paper and gently used items, such as stamps, tools and skeins/balls of yarn.
- The Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project will reuse non-plastic beads. Bainbridge locations for drop-off during open hours:
Esther’s Fabric Store, Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, Bay Hay and Feed, BI Museum of Art (BIMA) and Sole Mates.
Recycle:
The following can go in the Zero Waste bin outside the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West:
- Pens
- Markers
- Glue sticks
- Watercolor palettes
- Plastic tape dispensers
Last updated 1/29/2025
Reuse:
Recycle:
Antifreeze – 5-gallon limit
Automotive batteries
Uncontaminated motor oil
Drop-off is free at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. Look for the designated container.
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
> Kidvantage, 1463 NE Dawn Rd, Bremerton, WA 98311, accepts donations of new or quality used baby gear and more. See this page for details.
Some items include:
- clothing for children, birth through age 12 (size newborn to size 14)
- maternity clothing (especially larger sizes)
- baby gear: strollers, monitors, swinging chairs, bouncy seats, safety gates, changing tables, boppy pillows, infant tubs
- shoes
- bottles
- new bottle nipples
- new pacifiers
- unopened/unexpired formula
- toys
- books, especially board books, books for children under 5, and Spanish-language story books
- school supplies
- diapers in all sizes (new or opened packages)
- unopened wipes
- diaper cream
- twin sheets, comforters, waterproof bed pads
- small play tables and chairs
- freestanding high chairs
- crib, car seat, or pack’n’play — scroll down on this page to see if accepted
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
> These places will reuse paper grocery bags with handles:
Recycle:
Put in curbside recycling cart or Bainbridge Island Transfer Station’s mixed recyclables dumpster.
Last updated 3/8/2025
Recycle:
This item is accepted at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station, not in curbside recycling. Please look for its designated container. Do not put in the mixed recyclables container.
Last updated 5/21/20
Recycle:
> Batteries are accepted at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station, not in curbside recycling. Please look for the designated container — white 5-gallon buckets next to the electronics shed. Do not put in the mixed recyclables container.
> Bainbridge Ace Hardware – They take household batteries: alkaline and rechargeable (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) and lithium-ion (button type).
> Ridwell, a doorstep subscription recycling service, accepts these types.
Here is an interesting video filmed at a lithium battery recycling plant in Arizona.
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
Helpline House accepts unopened cosmetics and toiletries.
Recycle:
Pact is a nonprofit collective that collects and recycles beauty and wellness packaging not accepted in regular recycling programs.
You can find drop-off locations at these stores:
- Ulta Beauty at the Trails in Silverdale, 11066 Pacific Crest Pl, Ste A120
- Sephora – many Seattle locations
- Nordstrom
You can drop off any beauty or wellness packaging, as long as it’s clean, empty and on the following list:
-
Plastic bottles + jars smaller than a than a fist
-
Plastic + aluminum squeezable tubes
-
Ceramic + porcelain containers
-
Colored glass bottles and jars
-
Caps + closures
-
Pumps + dispensers
-
Droppers + applicators
-
Compacts + palettes
-
Lipstick/lip gloss tubes + applicators
-
Mascara tubes + wand
-
Plastic pencil components for eye/lip liner + brow pencils
-
Toothpaste tubes + dental floss containers
-
Silicone containers
- Supplement bottles
-
Pouches
They can not accept aerosol cans or perfume, nail polish or nail polish remover bottles.
Have packaging that’s not on this list? Use their Packaging Drop-Off Guide to see where it goes.
Last updated 1/26/25
Reuse:
> Kidvantage, 1463 NE Dawn Rd, Bremerton, WA 98311 – children’s bikes
Recycle:
If your bike is totally mangled, take to the scrap metal dumpster at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
Donate books that are in good condition. Do not donate (or recycle) if books are moldy, dirty, damp, water-damaged or infested with insects.
> Bainbridge Public Library – no older textbooks, encyclopedias or Reader’s Digest condensed books
Recycle:
- If books are damaged, e.g., have broken spines, loose or torn pages, or too many pages that have been written in or highlighted, then recycle.
- Put mildewed or water-damaged books in the trash.
- Hardcover books must have the hard cover torn off and discarded.
- If the thickness of the book is greater than a half inch, tear out the pages in half-inch chunks or less to recycle.
E-books (e.g., Kindles) should be recycled at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station in the E-cycle shed.
Rethink:
Consider hosting a Little Free Library in your neighborhood.
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Many artists on the island love to use metal bottle caps in their art.
Recycle:
Plastic bottle caps should be taken off bottle before recycling in Bainbridge Island/Kitsap County and put in the trash. However, Ridwell, the local special recyclables subscription service, will take bottle caps. If you don’t have a Ridwell subscription, find a neighbor or friend who does (over 1,200 islanders do) and ask if they will take them. The caps are recycled into new plastic pellets for manufacturing new plastic items.
Last updated 1/17/2025
Reuse:
Zutto Vintage & Antiques, 162 Bjune Dr SE – Clean, no tape
Bainbridge Island Box Exchange Facebook group
Recycle:
Safeway and T&C – Clean, no tape. Just the clear type, not silver insulation. Put in the container designated for plastic bags.
Last updated 1/23/2025
Reuse:
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Neighbors are happy to reuse calculators.
Recycle:
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – in designated container
> Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale – See list here.
Last updated 5/26/20
Reuse:
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Neighbors are happy to reuse cameras.
Last updated 5/23/20
Reuse:
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Neighbors are happy to reuse camping canisters if there’s still some fuel in them.
Otherwise, you can take to the Kitsap County Household Hazardous (HHW) Collection Facility if it’s one liter or under. The facility receives many household products still in usable condition. They keep these items from going to waste by placing them in their Reuse Shop. Residents are welcome to visit the Reuse Shop during HHW facility business hours.
Recycle:
tbd – Canisters must be empty!
Last updated 1/18/2025
Reuse:
Kidvantage in Bremerton –
- Car seats are accepted only if they are clean and have at least 1 full calendar year left before expiration; the expiration date can be found in your owner’s manual. Their staff will confirm usability upon donation.
- There is a car seat acceptance form to fill out.
Recycle:
Target hosts a car seat take-back collection for two weeks in April. The most recent was April 14-27, 2024. Drop off in the designated area near guest services. A 20% off coupon for another car seat or select baby gear is available upon trade-in.
All types of car seats are accepted, including infant car seats, convertible car seats, car seat bases, harness or booster car seats, as well as car seats that are expired or damaged.
Materials from old car seats will be recycled by Target’s partner, Waste Management, to create new products like pallets, plastic buckets and construction materials like steel beams and carpet padding. For complete details, go here.
Last updated 4/14/2024
Reuse:
BuyNothing: Post boxes on the BuyNothing app. Neighbors who are moving or shipping items are happy to reuse cardboard.
Last updated 5/31/20
Recycle:
Curbside or at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station in the designated cardboard container.
Remove all inner packaging. Flatten.
Do not recycle greasy or food-stained pizza boxes. If the top is unstained, tear off and recycle that part.
Last updated 5/31/20
Only recycle corrugated cardboard in the designated cardboard container at the transfer station.
Corrugated is defined by the “squiggle” layer between the top and bottom layers.
Last updated 5/23/20
Recycle:
Best Buy – 9551 Ridgetop Blvd NW, Silverdale, WA 98383. Ink or toner cartridges, limit 3 per day. You may receive credit towards future purchases.
Staples – 2850 NW Bucklin Hill Rd, Silverdale. Ink or toner cartridges, up to 20 per month. You may receive credit towards future purchases.
HP – Offers different ways to recycle cartridges for free. Check here.
Canon – Accepts certain of its own products through free mail-in program.
Last updated 1/25/2024
Reuse:
Bainbridge Island Public Library accepts donations of CDs, DVDs and audiobooks (no cassette or VHS tapes). They must be in good condition in the original cases.
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Neighbors love to watch and listen to media.
RE-PC, 1565 6th Ave., just South of the Mariners’ T-Mobile field in Seattle, lets you drop off CDs and empty audiocassette, DVD, and CD cases for free.
Recycle:
Disks (CDs and DVDs) may be recycled year-round in the Zero Waste bin, located outdoors at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West. We can also take the hard plastic cases (please no CD holders). To prepare, please separate disks from cases (because they get recycled by different companies) and remove any paper so we volunteers don’t have to. (Recycle the paper in your own recycling.) If what you have exceeds the capacity of the Zero Waste bin, please set in a bag or box next to the Zero Waste bin and email bizerowaste right away so I can remove it asap.
1 Green Planet in Seattle recycles CDs, VHS tapes and cassettes for ten cents per pound.
You may also pay a fee to GreenDisk to order boxes in which to recycle CDs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, DVDs, Blu-ray, 3.5” and 5.25” floppy disks, zip and jazz disks, and cases, plus VHS and audio cassette tapes.
American Shredding in Tacoma accepts, for a fee, CDs, DVDs, hard drives and data tapes for recycling and will provide a certificate of secure destruction on request.
Last updated 1/21/2025
Cell phones contain rare earth and toxic metals and should be reused, refurbished or recycled. In fact, a single mobile phone uses 74 kilograms of precious metals. But recycled devices can eliminate that waste. For example, one metric ton of old devices can yield more than 100 times more gold than a metric ton of gold ore mined for new devices.
Remember, before donating, be sure to take the SIM card out of your cell phone.
Reuse:
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Plenty of neighbors could use old working cell phones.
City Hall – 280 Madison Av N. There is a box in the lobby. They give to the YWCA ALIVE program.
Recycle:
> Helpline House sends them to Pace Butler.
> Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Place in dedicated electronics container
> Ace Hardware – Place in Call2Recycle box on counter. The rechargeable batteries in the phones will be recycled. Cell phones collected through the Call2Recycle program will be refurbished, recycled or resold when possible, with a portion of proceeds donated to national charities.
Last updated 2/13/22
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Mosaic artists love to reuse ceramics, and neighbors are happy to reuse your old plates, bowls, and mugs.
Zero Waste Washington has a whole host of suggestions, so please go to their page on how to repair, repurpose and/or recycle ceramics.
Last updated 4/14/2024
Repurpose:
Cashmere, silk, linen, wool, leather – If you have holey or stained clothing made of these fibers, or if you have fabric scraps of the same, Amos Staffler will gratefully accept them.
Please drop off at 309 Wallace Way NW (off Grow) or she can pick up from you if you email her.
She notes that when cashmere with a hole or silk with a stain is donated to Goodwill, it doesn’t get sold as a garment for a second life; it gets diverted
to be ground up as fiber filling because it isn’t saleable as a garment. So keep those pieces local and give to Amos. She snips and puzzles cashmere and silk together to make new creations and gives the precious fibers a second life. From quilts to all sorts of garments, it’s become a sustainable form of expression that she feels good about. In fact, she recently donated a cashmere & linen all-season baby blanket (pictured right) to the Seattle Children’s Thrift Store on Bainbridge.
Reuse:
Check the “Borrow, Buy, Sell, Trade, Repair” section on the ReFashion Bainbridge resource page.
This blog has plenty of ideas for reusing and upcycling old t-shirts.
> Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
Recycle:
Any clothing, shoes or fabric that is not wet, moldy or have hazardous trace material – Northwest Center dropboxes located in Eagle Harbor Church parking lot, Via Rosa parking lot
Denim – If your denim (blue jeans, jackets, etc. ) is 90% or more cotton, you can recycle it for free through Zappos’ mail-in program. It may be torn or stained but not wet or moldy. The denim will be recycled into various kinds of insulation.
T-shirts – Marine Layer – 319 Pine St., Seattle. Give them your old t-shirts and receive $5 credit up to $25. Clothing in the store is very environmentally friendly.
The fashion industry accounts for about 10% of our global carbon emissions and 20% of its wastewater, not to mention the millions of microplastics shed into the ocean from washing machines.
Calculate your closet’s climate change impact by taking this short and fun survey.
9 Ways to Reduce the Impact of Laundry on the Climate & Microplastic Crises
1. Wash clothes less often. (Wear longer between washes.)
2. Where possible, spot clean or air your clothes instead of washing.
3. Wash at 30 C /86 F.
4. Max 1 teaspoon of liquid detergent (avoid powdered detergent).
5. Opt for a front-load machine over top-load one.
6. Avoid PVA pods.
7. Use a filter or a Guppyfriend bag in your washing machine.
8. Avoid using your laundry dryer; air-dry instead.
9. For sports wear (polyesters), hand soak with as little agitation as possible and air-dry.
Rethink:
Clothing and other textiles are primarily responsible for the presence of microplastics in the ocean (accounting for 35%, according to the poster below left).
To make clothes last longer — and shed fewer microplastics into the environment — simply wear them longer before washing. This Guardian article has good suggestions for how to delay having to wash your clothes. The poster below right offers other tips to reduce microfiber pollution.
Here are eight tips for giving socks a longer life.
Tips for Laundry Day
Excerpted from The Secret to Longer-lasting Clothes Will Also Reduce Plastic Pollution, by Alisha McDarris
Start by separating your clothing items—not by color, but by material. Wash rough or coarse clothes like jeans separately from softer items like polyester T-shirts and fuzzy fleece sweaters. This way, you reduce the friction caused by rougher materials crashing into more delicate ones for 40 minutes. Less friction means your clothes won’t wear out as fast and the fibers will be less prone to premature breakage.
Then, make sure you’re using cold water instead of hot. Heat weakens fibers and makes them more likely to break; cold water will help them last longer. Next, run a short cycle instead of a normal or long one, which will limit the opportunity for fiber breakdown. While you’re at it, reduce the speed of the spin cycle if you can—this will reduce friction even further. One study showed that together, these methods reduced microfiber shedding by 30 percent.
While we’re on the subject of washer settings, avoid the delicate cycle. That may run contrary to your beliefs, but it uses more water than other washing modes to prevent friction—and a higher ratio of water to fabric actually increases fiber shedding.
Finally, skip the dryer altogether. We can’t emphasize this enough: heat can shorten the life of materials and make them more likely to break in the next load of laundry. Fortunately, synthetic clothing dries fast, so hang it outside or over your shower rod instead—you might even save money by not running your dryer so frequently.
Once your clothes are washed and dried, don’t go back to the washer for a while. Many items don’t need to be washed after every use, so put those shorts or that shirt back in the dresser for another wear or two if it doesn’t smell like wet dog after one use. If there’s just one dirty spot, wash it out by hand instead of starting a load.
There are also several tools you can use to reduce microfiber shedding. Guppyfriend makes a laundry bag specifically designed to capture broken fibers and microplastic waste, but also to prevent fiber breakdown in the first place by protecting clothing. Just place your synthetics inside, zip it shut, toss it in the washer, and pick out any and dispose of any microplastic lint that gets caught in the corners of the bag. Even standard laundry bags help reduce friction, so those are an option as well.
A separate lint filter that attaches to your washing machine’s discharge hose is another effective and endlessly reusable option, shown to reduce microplastics by up to 80 percent. But don’t spring for those laundry balls that are supposedly meant to catch microfibers in the wash: the beneficial results are comparatively minimal.
1/18/2025
Recycle:
Put in the Zero Waste box at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West:
- Plastic coffee capsules*
- Coffee and tea aluminized pouches
- Coffee and tea aluminized packs
*Please empty as much as possible.
Note: Nespresso makes aluminum pods. When buying them online, you may also order a free bag to fill with used pods for recycling and mail back for free. Or the aluminum pods can be recycled in the scrap metal dumpster at the transfer station or in the scrap metal collection bins at the Senior Center (with coffee removed). They should NOT go in the Marge Zero Waste box.
Last updated 1/6/2025
Reuse:
> Kidvantage, 1463 NE Dawn Rd, Bremerton, WA 98311 – can use working laptops
Recycle:
- Accessories/adapters/cables
- All-in-one computers
- CD/DVD/Blu-ray players
- Computer speakers
- Connected home devices
- Desktop computers
- eReaders
- Flash drives
- Hard drives
- Keyboards & mice
- Laptops
- Modems
- Monitors (including CRT, LED/LCD, plasma)
- Printers (not cartridges*)/multifunction devices
- Routers
- Scanners
- Small servers
- Stereo receivers
- Tablets
- UPS/battery backup devices
- Video streaming devices (Apple TV®, Roku Player, etc.)
- Webcams
> Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Place in the shed designated for electronics.
> Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale – See list here.
Last updated 3/8/2025
By weight, this is the single largest category of materials that go into the landfill.
Reuse:
Pallets (wooden) – They are popular on give-away sites (see below). Otherwise, Bay Hay and Feed or Bainbridge Gardens will take back a few to reuse. Bay Hay will give them to their truck drivers and Bainbridge Gardens will add them to their stack. But they both think giving them away is the better alternative.
> The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
> Abraham’s House, 312 N Callow AV, Bremerton, WA 98312. See their website for donation hours or pick-up services.
Last updated 5/30/20
Recycle:
Bainbridge Vision
345 Knechtel Way NE # 104, Bainbridge Island
Island Family Eyecare
164 Winslow Way West, Bainbridge Island
Includes blister packaging.
Last updated 10/20/22
Never put fat, oil or grease down the drain or toilet. It can clog not only your pipes but also the city sewer mains. You should also not add oil to a septic system. It can clog pipes and, even worse, your distribution lines and drainage field.
Effective 2/20/2024, residents can no longer take cooking oil to any Kitsap garbage and recycling facility, including Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station, nor does the Kitsap County Household Hazardous Waste Facility collect cooking oil.
Check out this Serious Eats article about how to properly and safely reuse fry oil.
Kitsap Solid Waste provides this additional information:
Reason for the change
Regional cooking oil recycling companies will no longer accept cooking oil from residents due to new traceability guidelines. Traceability refers to the ability to track the origin of the oil collected. This change affects public recycling centers across Washington.
Kitsap County Solid Waste and the Washington Department of Ecology are actively researching and working with the cooking oil recycling industry to find solutions.
How to handle household cooking oil
Avoid cooking with large amounts of oil at home. Cook with small amounts, and then use paper towels, napkins, newspaper, flour, baking soda or kitty litter to absorb the oil before disposing in your garbage. You can also search online to find other methods for hardening cooking oil.
Throw away small amounts of oil frequently; don’t save it up into one large container.
For larger quantities of cooking oil (e.g., from a deep-fat fryer), solidify it with a cooking oil solidifier or stearic acid before disposing it in your household garbage. These products are available for purchase online.
Absorbing and solidifying oil is necessary to prevent dangerous oil leaks onto the roadway during trash collection. Liquid oils may be rejected for disposal.
What to avoid
- Do not pour cooking oil, fat or grease down the sink or drains, as it can clog pipes.
- It is illegal to dump oil, fat and grease into the environment, down storm drains or other outdoor drains, or into water bodies. This pollution is harmful to fish and wildlife, and it can lead to penalties and costly cleanups.
- Oils, fat and grease are not accepted in curbside compost bins.
Restaurants and food trucks must recycle or solidify cooking oil
Restaurants, food trucks and other food establishments should subscribe to a FREE commercial cooking oil collection service. Search online to find a list of available service providers. Or use a cooking oil solidifier or stearic acid to harden the oil before throwing it in the trash. These products are available for purchase online.
Last updated 2/20/2024
Reuse:
Donate working electronics and accessories to the following organizations. Check their donation guidelines to make sure they will accept the item.
To find out when, why and how to donate a used computer, check out TechSoup’s tips page.
> Kidvantage, 1463 NE Dawn Rd, Bremerton, WA 98311 – children’s bikes
Recycle:
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – Place in the designated recycling box for electronics. Because of Washington state’s E-cycle program, electronics are recycled responsibly and free-of-charge.
- Accessories/adapters/cables
- All-in-one computers
- CD/DVD/Blu-ray players
- Computer speakers
- Connected home devices
- Desktop computers
- eReaders
- Flash drives
- Hard drives
- Keyboards & mice
- Laptops
- Modems
- Monitors (including CRT, LED/LCD, plasma)
- Printers (not cartridges)/multifunction devices
- Routers
- Scanners
- Small servers
- Stereo receivers
- Tablets
- TVs
- UPS/battery backup devices
- Video streaming devices (Apple TV®, Roku Player, etc.)
- Webcams
These stores take everything listed above, plus ink toner and cartridges:
Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale, up to 20 per month
Best Buy, 9551 Ridgetop NW, Silverdale, up to 3 per day
See this page for CD, DVD and VHS tape recycling.
Last updated 1/23/24
Reuse:
Donate your prescription or reader (drugstore) glasses and non-prescription sunglasses to the following places:
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Neighbors would love to reuse them.
Ace Hardware has a Lions Club box (no cases) at one of the counters.
Bainbridge Vision, 345 Knechtel Way, has a Lions Club box (no cases).
Island Family Eyecare, 164 Winslow Way West donates to a charity.
Last updated 10/1/21
Disposal:
- Ace Hardware, collection box inside the store
- American Legion Colin Hyde Post 172, 7880 NE Bucklin Hill Rd – Look for the collection box upon turning in.
Last updated 5/31/20
Reuse:
Helpline House is the local food bank. Place donations in the drop boxes of the local grocery stores, Safeway and T&C, or drop off at Helpline Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Neighbors love to receive food items and neighbors with chickens love human food for their hens.
West Sound Wildlife Shelter accepts expired frozen meat. Please call 206-855-9057 before bringing.
Compost:
Bainbridge Disposal offers a curbside subscription service for yard waste, which includes food. (We are lucky: only 5% of U.S. compost facilities accept both yard waste and food.)
You can also drop off food in the yard waste receptacle at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. There is a minimal charge.
Through Bainbridge Disposal, any type* of food may be composted, including…
- Coffee grounds and paper filters
- Tea bags (remove attachments)
- Nutshells
- Thin shells and bones (no ham bones or oyster shells)
- Produce (remove stickers!!!)
- Dairy
- Meat
- Baked goods
* NO cooking oil or grease. Household cooking oil must be put in the garbage. (It is no longer collected for recycling at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station due to new state recycling regulations.) See this page for how to properly dispose of cooking oil.
Note: Our compost facility does not want compostable plastic bags, even if they are BPI-certified. Please empty your bag into the yard waste cart and throw the bag into the trash.
Rethink:
STOP FOOD WASTE
If food waste were its own country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind China and the United States. The water, land, processing and transport that went into getting our food to market — make it all count by eating what you buy. Also, wasted food = wasted money.
The National Resources Defense Council “Save the Food” initiative has excellent resources, including tips on meal planning and recipes for using up leftovers and food scraps. At epicurious.com, you can type in ingredients you have on hand to find a dish to make.
ReFED is a national nonprofit working to end food loss and waste across the U.S. food system.
Pages 4-11 of this guide by Seattle Public Utilities show how to store 100 fruit and vegetables to prevent spoilage, or check out UC Davis’ one-sheet or tips from Oregon’s “Don’t Let Good Food Go Bad” resource page.
This page from The Cool Down encapsulates a lot of the advice above.
Except for infant formula, dates on food/drink packaging do NOT mean, “throw away” (Source: Food and Drug Administration):
- “Best if Used By/Before” indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
- “Sell-By” date tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date.
- “Use-By” date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used on infant formula as described below.
Why compost?
More than 30 percent of what gets thrown away every day is food waste that could have been composted. When you compost, you keep valuable resources out of the landfill and avoid methane emissions that contribute to climate change. When compost is returned to the soil, it adds nutrients, retains water, increases yields when growing food and stores carbon. Using compost on lawns and gardens also reduces pesticide use, reduces stormwater runoff and returns important nutrients to the soil so more fruits, vegetables, trees, grasses and other plants can thrive.
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
> The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
> Abraham’s House, 312 N Callow AV, Bremerton, WA 98312. See their website for donation hours or pick-up services.
Recycle:
North Mason Fiber, 431 Log Yard Road NE in Belfair, takes particle board, grinds it up and turns it into hogg fuel. The boards can NOT have a plastic coating; paper coating is okay.
There is a charge.
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
Make sure games have all their pieces.
> Bainbridge Island Senior/Community Center – Donate to the Puzzle Room and take a new-to-you puzzle home! (Or take without swapping.)
> Bainbridge Island Friends of the Public Library – Donations to Bainbridge FOL support programs, services, physical expansion and operation of library facilities. They also provide funding for children’s programs, magazine subscriptions, support for the staff and other services as needed.
> Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
Last updated 3/8/2025
What is household hazardous waste? If the product label has one or more of the following words on it, chances are you should dispose of your product at the Kitsap County Household Hazardous (HHW) Collection Facility in Bremerton, 5551 SW Imperial Way.
- danger
- caution
- flammable
- warning
- toxic
- poison
- combustible
For a list of what is and is not accepted, go here. Fire extinguishers are not on either list, but they are accepted.
The facility is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10am-4pm. (They will be closed January 26, 2025 – February 12, 2025.)
Reuse:
The Kitsap County Household Hazardous (HHW) Collection Facility receives many household products still in usable condition. They keep these items from going to waste by placing them in their Reuse Shop. Residents are welcome to visit the Reuse Shop at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility during business hours.
Kitsap County will NOT be holding any more household hazardous waste collections on Bainbridge Island. A new household hazardous collection facility is set to open in North Kitsap in late 2025 or early 2026.
Last updated 1/19/2025
Reuse:
The Women’s Shelter Jewelry Project accepts donations of any and all jewelry — even broken — to sort, clean, repair, and give to women’s shelters in Kitsap, Jefferson and Mason counties. Members of the Seattle Metals Guild, and their friends, volunteer to do the sorting and cleaning.
Drop-off is at theses Bainbridge locations during open hours:
> Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
- BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Neighbors love to receive jewelry and beads through their local gift economy.
Last updated 12/6/2024
Recycle:
> Put in the Zero Waste bin* outside the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.
> Businesses – Sign up for an office recycling service through Grounds to Grow on.
* Empty out (compost in the dirt) all the grounds first.
Last updated on 3/8/2025
Lights with mercury (look for the Hg element symbol) need to be properly recycled. LightRecycle Washington explains why it is important to safely dispose of mercury-containing bulbs. LEDs and incandescent bulbs can go in the trash.
Recycle:
- LEDs, CFLs (curly), fluorescent tubes, incandescent (old-timey), halogen, flood lights:
Ridwell subscription service - CFLs, fluorescent tubes and HID bulbs (all contain mercury-do NOT put in trash) :
Bainbridge Island Ace Hardware – free drop-off > unlimited CFLs, limit 15 fluorescent tubes per day, limit 2 HIDs per day
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station – free drop-off at kiosk > only CFLs, unlimited
Home Depot – free drop-off > only CFLs, unlimited - String lights
Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station– Put in scrap metal dumpster. There may be a charge.
Bainbridge Island Ace Hardware – Free drop-off between mid-November to mid-January. They are then picked up by a Kingston metal recycler.
Last updated 2/20/2025
Reuse:
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
Recycle:
Staples, 2850 NW Bucklin Hill Rd, will take broken and worn out suitcases, duffel bags and the like. See here for all that they recycle.
Last updated 1/19/2025
Reuse:
Otherwise, for these types of mailers (numbers correspond to pictures below)…
- Plastic bubble wrap – Recycle with other plastic film at the grocery store.*
- Paper with bubble wrap lining – Put in the trash.
- Plastic film – Recycle with other plastic film at the grocery store.*
- Tyvek – Recycle with other plastic film at the grocery store.*
- Paper with padded (fiberfill) interior – Compost after removing the plastic strip and cutting out the paper mailing label.
- Flat paper – Put in with your paper recycling.
- Paperboard – Put in with your paper recycling.
- Paper with white glue dots – Put in with your paper recycling.
* Trex, which recycles this plastic, says the best practice is to remove (cut out) the paper label. However, if left on and it is a small enough amount of contamination, it will burn off in their process.
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Last updated 3/8/2025
Cedars Unitarian Universalist Church has purchased a box through the Terracycle recycling program in which disposable masks — not cloth — will be sent away to be recycled. Cedars invites the Bainbridge community to keep these disposable masks out of the landfill. There is a collection bucket located outside the Cedars Church office at 284 Madrona Way NE #128. The office building is on the north side and east end of the street.
Terracycle accepts non-woven disposable plastic-based masks including 
- 3-ply surgical
- dust masks
- KN95
- N95 masks
The plastic and metal components are recycled into new products.
Washable fabric face masks can go in the threads bag of a consenting Ridwell account holder.
Last updated 1/17/2025
Reuse:
If your mattress is in usable condition, try giving it away on local Facebook sites, such as Buy Nothing Bainbridge or Free on the Rock, or try Craigslist or Freecycle.
BuyNothing: Post them on the BuyNothing app. Neighbors reuse mattresses and save a bundle!
Recycle:
DTG Recycle (formerly known as Recovery 1) – 1805 Stewart Street, Tacoma, WA 98421. A nominal fee may apply.
Last updated 1/5/2025
Reuse:
> Knights Community Hospital Equipment Lend Program (KC HELP)
The local drop-off spot is 7252 NE Carene Lane, Bainbridge Island. Leave the following in front of the big white door of the shop unless it is something not described in the list below. If it’s not waterproof, please cover with a plastic bag to keep it from getting damaged. Most durable medical equipment is waterproof.
- Wheelchairs (manual* and motorized)
- Walkers of all types
- Knee scooters
- Shower chairs and benches
- Commodes
- Toilet risers
- Bed rails
- Medical grab bars
- Home hospital beds
- Over-the-bed tables
- Lift chairs
- Transport chairs
- Hoyer lifts and slings
- Sit-to-stand lifts Save
- Oxygen concentrators
- Disposable diapers and bed pads
* Manual wheelchairs are always especially needed.
They can accept power chairs and scooters that are in great shape, but none with damaged upholstery or fiberglass. They cannot use or accept medical supplies — even if unopened — e.g., C-paps, C-pap supplies, walking boots, orthotics, and braces. In some cases, they can try to broker or place items such as adjustable craftmatic type beds, exercise equipment, and stair lifts. If you have a question, please leave a message at 360-329-2461.
Hearing aids – Drop off at Ace Hardware. Poulsbo Lions Club collects them and sends to a regional center for refurbishment and distribution to those in need.
Last updated 2/22/2025
NEVER FLUSH MEDICATIONS DOWN THE TOILET.
They adversely affect aquatic life and have shown up in drinking water.
There are three medication take-back locations on Bainbridge:
> Rite Aid Pharmacy, 301 High School Rd NE – Open during pharmacy hours
> Safeway Pharmacy, 253 High School Rd NE – Open during pharmacy hours
> Bainbridge Island Police Station, 625 Winslow Way E – During open hours, 8am-4pm, Monday-Friday. Keep pills in bottles and deposit in the dropbox in the lobby.
Check here for other Kitsap County dropbox locations.
To find out how to recycle empty pill bottles, go here.
What medications are accepted?
Most prescription and over-the-counter medicines can be returned, but medical sharps (needles, etc.) will not be accepted. Drugs sold in any form (solids, liquids, patches) and used by individuals (not businesses) are accepted, including:
- Prescription and non-prescription drugs
- Brand name and generic drugs, and
- Drugs for veterinary use
- Inhalers
- Pre-filled auto-injectables (such as EpiPens) are accepted via mail-back envelope
Medicines NOT accepted – and how to dispose of
- Medical sharps (needles, syringes) and used (empty) auto injectables (such as EpiPens) – Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station booth, seal safely
- Covid tests (go here for extended expiration dates of certain home Covid tests) – trash
- Medical devices
- Vitamins or supplements – trash
- Illicit drugs
- Batteries – Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station battery (buckets) section
- Mercury-containing thermometers – Household Hazardous Waste collection facility in Bremerton
- Herbal-based remedies and homeopathic drugs, products or remedies – trash
- Cosmetics, shampoos, sunscreens, toothpaste, lip balm, antiperspirants or other personal care products – trash
- Pet pesticide products contained in pet collars, powders, shampoos, topical applications, or other forms – HHW facility in Bremerton
Please remove personal or identifying information from any containers you return. This helps us protect your personal information.
In late 2017, the Kitsap Public Health Board approved an ordinance establishing secure medicine return regulations throughout the county, including on Bainbridge. It is free for all county residents. Those who are homebound may dispose of unused medicine by mail at no cost. Go here for all the details.
For a deeper dive into the negative ramifications of flushing drugs, please see here. (Do not use this link for what meds to turn in or where to turn in.)
Last updated 9/23/24
Put only metal food and drink cans in your curbside recycling bin. You can take other scrap metal to the Bainbridge Island Senior/Community Center (BISCC).
Zero Waste partners with the BISCC, which hosts bins for collection of small and medium-sized pieces of scrap metal that are not allowed in curbside carts. The BISCC is open Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm.
Go in the front doors and look around the divider for the two containers, as pictured above.
If you can sort the metal into magnetic and non-magnetic before you come or when you get there (a magnet is attached to the “steel” receptacle for that purpose), it is appreciated.
Examples of small items:
- keys
- hardware
- clean metal lids
- beer and wine caps
- clean aluminum and aluminum trays
- completely empty aerosol cans
- metal hangers
Examples of medium-sized items (place next to bins):
- garbage can lids
- ironing board frames
- pots and pans
- mailboxes
Do not put food or drink cans here; they go in regular recycling.
The scrap is taken to a scrapyard and the proceeds are donated to the site host, BISCC.
If you have a question about whether an item is acceptable or not, please email Barbara.
Another option is to take metal (both big and small pieces) directly to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station and put in the scrap metal dumpster. A fee may apply.
Examples of bigger scrap metal accepted at the transfer station:
BBQs, barbeques, bicycles, blenders, bread makers, cable, chainsaws, chicken wire, clothing irons, coffee makers, cookware, curling irons, lawn edgers, empty drums, fencing, filing cabinets, fitness equipment, hair dryers, hand tools, kitchenware, lawn mowers, lawn tools, metal chairs, metal furniture, metal pots, microwaves, miscellaneous metal, rebar, rims, small kitchen and bathroom appliances, toasters, weed eaters, wheel rim, wire, and yard tools.
Yank-a-Part in Poulsbo also takes metal from the public, free of charge.
Last updated 2/22/2025
Reuse:
Scrappy Art Lab – Takes natural materials like small wood scraps (1 inch to 5 inch squares, or longer sticks to be cut down), shells, interesting rocks and twigs, decorative papers, and old paint or drawing sets.
Last updated 8/7/20
Reuse:
Recycle:
- Copiers (not floor models)
- Cordless phones
- Fax machines (not floor models)
- Printers (not floor models)/multifunction devices
- Scanners
- Shredders
There is a designated box for “anything with a cord” at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
> Staples, 2850 Bucklin Hill NW, Silverdale – See list here.
Last updated 2/10/25
Rethink:
Can you turn your single-use office supply items into reusable ones? There are refillable pens and markers, liquid glue and paint, and permanent tape dispensers.
Reuse:
Recycle:
The following can go in the Zero Waste box at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.
- Pens
- Markers
- Glue sticks
- Watercolor palettes
- Plastic tape dispensers
Last updated 2/10/25
Reuse/Recycling:
To avoid having too much leftover paint, use this paint calculator to determine how much is needed for a project. And for basecoat, use your leftover light-colored paint.
Mallory Paint Store – 937 Hildebrand Lane NE, Suite 100, Bainbridge Island.
Mallory Paint Store is a collection point for the Paint Care program. * Here is what they accept:
- Interior and exterior architectural paints: latex, acrylic, water-based, alkyd, oil-based, enamel (including textured coatings)
- Deck coatings, floor paints (including elastomeric)
- Primers, sealers, undercoaters
- Stains
- Shellacs, lacquers, varnishes, urethanes (single component)
- Waterproofing concrete/masonry/wood sealers and repellents (not tar or bitumen-based)
- Metal coatings, rust preventatives
- Field and lawn paints
Go here for what is not accepted.
If Mallory Paint store is continually “full” and cannot accept your load, you can always take it to the Household Hazardous Waste facility in Bremerton. See their web page for open days and times.
* In April of 2021, Washington State’s Paint Care program, borne of extended producer responsibility legislation passed in 2019, went into effect. The law provides collection points for residents to turn in latex paint and oil-based paint and certain other items.
Disposal:
Oily rags are hazardous and should not go in the trash. Follow the instructions for disposal of oily rags before taking them to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility.
Last updated 2/10/2025
Reuse:
Paper egg cartons – Butler Green Farms
Compostable:
Some types of paper are not recyclable but are suitable for composting in commercial service yard waste bins.
The following are compostable, not recyclable, because their fibers are too short to make new paper or because they are food-soiled.
- Molded paper egg cartons (bottom part only if top has paper label)
- Paper towels
- Shredded paper (NO shiny paper, NO plastic) – Put in a paper bag to keep from flying away when emptied into the truck. Envelopes with plastic windows or glossy paper mailers have plastic coatings. Recycle these instead.
- Tissue paper
- Tissues
- Pizza boxes (recycle if clean)
Note: Do not compost paper tea bags. The majority of paper tea bags contain plastic fibers used in the sealant, as well as a potentially troubling chemical called epichlorohydrin that is added to prevent the bag from breaking.
Last updated 12/18/22
Put in your curbside recycling bin or take to the Bainbridge Island Transfer Station. There is an $14 flat fee at the transfer station that covers mixed recyclables, cardboard, scrap metal and one can of trash.
Recycle:
- Junk mail
- Magazines and catalogues
- Newspapers
- Office paper
- Writing paper
- Colored paper
- Construction paper
- Greeting cards (just plain – no batteries, plastic, glitter, 3D objects)
- Wrapping paper (non-foil)
- Toilet paper tubes
- Paper towel tubes
- Food boxes (no liners, PLEASE flatten)
- Paper bags – Look under “Bags (Grocery)” category for reuse options
- Phone books
- Softcover books (tear apart if more than 1″ thick) – Donate if possible.
- Paper envelopes (no bubble-padded envelopes)
Make sure paper is…
- Flat, dry and clean
- Larger than a postcard
- Without glue, glitter, or other 3D decoration
- Loose, not in a plastic bag
- Envelope windows, staples and labels are okay
DO NOT recycle:
- Milk and juice cartons – Put in trash.
- Dirty or wet paper – Put in compost if paper has no gloss.
- Moldy paper or moldy softcover books – Put in trash.
- Paper smaller than a postcard (e.g., Post-it notes or scraps) – Put in trash.
- Shredded paper – Put in compost ONLY IF it is regular copy paper or writing paper. Nothing with plastic or plastic coating is allowed.
- Paper covered in glue, glitter, or paint – Put in trash.
- Receipts – Put in trash.
- Stickers or backing to peelable paper – Put in trash
- Paper egg cartons -Put bottom half in compost; if top half has a paper label, put in trash. Or give cartons to Butler Green Farms at the farmers market.
- Tissue paper – Put in compost; put in trash if has glitter specks.
- Shiny/glossy gift wrap – Reuse or trash.
- Padded paper bubble mailers – Reuse or trash.
- Laminated paper – Put in trash.
- Paper you can’t tear (ferry tickets, etc.) – Put in trash.
Reduce:
Reduce the amount of unwanted mail filling up your mailbox:
- Use CatalogChoice.org to stop catalogs and junk mail from coming to your home.
- Register at YelllowPagesOptout.com to stop receiving phone books.
- Follow the FTC’s instructions to stop receiving credit card offers and other marketing junk mail.
- You can also call the phone number listed on catalogs, or contact the company online, and asked to be removed from their specific mailing list.
Use FormsPal to create an array of free, online legal and formal documents for both personal and business use.
Learn:
Here is a good explanation of the paper recycling process, types of paper, and percentage of post-consumer content recommended for various products.
Last updated 8/10/23
Reuse:
Helpline House takes the following unopened:
- Diapers (adult or child)
- Wipes
- Tampons and pads
- Oral care products (toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss)
Last updated 2/10/2025
Pet waste belongs bagged in the trash. Never put in with yard waste.
Dog feces can transmit disease to other pets, children and adults. Pick up your pet’s poop!
Lasat updated 5/28/20
Reuse:
If you can follow their exact instructions for reuse, the nonprofit Matthew 25: Ministries will use them for medical care in developing countries.
Recycling:
Prescription pill bottles are not allowed in residential or transfer station recycling
Ridwell collects them (can be any color as long as they are transparent and have #5 inside the recycling symbol). If you know someone with a Ridwell subscription, save up your bottles (keep the lids on and remove the label if possible or black out personal information) and ask if you can contribute to their collection.
Non-prescription, over-the-counter pill bottles (empty) are accepted in curbside recycling if they are bigger than 4 ounces. If smaller, throw in the trash because they are too small to make it through the sorting process at the MRF (materials recovery facility, or “murf”), where our recycling is sorted and baled, or take to Ulta Beauty at The Trails, 11066 Pacific Crest Pl Ste A120, Silverdale.
Last updated 1/17/2025
Reuse:
Pillows (bed):
St. Vincent de Paul of Bremerton, 1117 N Callow Ave 98312 – Must be in good condition.
Pillows (throw):
Last updated 2/10/2025
Reuse:
> At the Bainbridge Farmers’ Market, Saturday, 10am-2pm, April-October:
- Central Valley Nursery – 1 gallon or larger round pots
> Farm:
- Persephone Farm – 4″ square pots-no other size (5″ is too big)
You may also donate rubber bands, green molded paper and plastic berry baskets, CLEAN quart-sized yogurt containers (no lids) and long plastic twist ties (to wrap around flower bunches).
Since Persephone is no longer at the BI Farmers Market, these items may be dropped off in the Zero Waste bin at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West. ONLY 4″ square pots may be put in the ZW bin!!!
> Nurseries:
- Bay Hay and Feed – 10-gallon or larger pots and plant trays in reusable condition.
See manager before dropping off.
Drop off plastic plant tags, too! They recycle them.
They also take back any Blooming Nursery plant pots. (They are a maroon color.) - Bainbridge Gardens – 5-gallon or larger pots and plant trays in reusable condition. See manager before dropping off.
- Olmstead Nursery, 19700 Viking Ave NW, Poulsbo, WA 98370 – Takes any size, color and type of plant pot for reuse or recycling.
Recycle:
- Home Depot in Poulsbo and Silverdale – All pots and trays, drop off at the outside corner of the garden section
- Lowes in Silverdale – All pots and trays, drop off in the garden section
Last updated 12/15/2024
Recycle:
Drop off any #6 polystyrene (PS) plastic cup (no Styrofoam cups) in the maroon Zero Waste box at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West. The cups will be recycled through a special program run by Terracycle. You can also tell it is a #6 cup by squeezing it — it tends to crack.
Plastic and paper cups do not belong in curbside or transfer station recycling bins.
Last updated 1/21/24
Keep your plastic bags and other plastic film out of the landfill and instead drop them at the grocery store to be made into plastic lumber! Trex is the leading producer of alternative lumber and buys #2 & #4 plastic film nationwide as feedstock for their product.
You can drop off the following types of #2 and #4 film at either T&C or Safeway in their designated plastic collection container.
→ It must be clean, dry, empty and have no tape or labels on it. ← No crinkly plastic.
What you can recycle:
- Plastic grocery bags
- Produce bags
- Bread bags
- Ice bags
- Wood pellet bags
- Dry cleaning bags
- Garbage bags (CLEAN)
- Newspaper/magazine sleeves
- Pallet wrap
- Case/Bulk item overwrap
- Shipping air pillows (pop first) OR take to Zutto unpopped for their reuse
- Bubble wrap (clean and no tape) OR take to Zutto for their reuse
- Tyvek mailing envelopes (remove label)
- Mailers made exclusively of bubble wrap, like Amazon’s (remove label)
- Furniture & electronic wrap
- Chicken feed bags (WITHOUT webbing)
- Cereal & cracker box liner bags (these are chemically congruent with Trex processing)
- Saltine cracker sleeves
- Zip lock/Resealable bags (remove hard plastic zip)
- Racing bibs (remove electronic chip, no safety pins)
- Plus these two types of packing material:
Not thicker than 1/4″ Must have “4” inside recycling symbol
What NOT to recycle:
- Any plastic film with food residue on it
- *Saran wrap
- **Frozen food bags
- Candy wrappers
- Snack cheese wrappers
- Chip bags
- “Crinkly” plastic (eg, pre-washed salads bags)
- Pet food bags
- Six-pack rings
- Biodegradable or compostable bags
- Styrofoam
- Zippered bedding/comforter bags
- Paper mailers with bubble wrap liner
- Hard plastic
- Potting soil and compost bags
- Produce pre-packed #5 bags (have air holes)
Consider asking friends with Ridwell to take your multi-layer plastic.
* While Saran wrap is stretchy and film-like, it CANNOT be accepted. Rather than one type of plastic, Saran wrap is a combination of plastics that makes it unacceptable for the recycling process.
** While frozen food bags look like regular resealable bags, these bags are not. Apparently, frozen food bags are lined with a preservative that renders the plastic incompatible with the plastic film recycling process.
For a pdf approximating the above list, go here.
Watch what happens to your plastic film after you drop it off at the grocery store.
Read about Sakai Middle School winning the national Trex Recycling School Challenge.
Last updated 3/16/2023
Reuse:
Use durable containers when possible.
Recycle:
On Bainbridge and throughout Kitsap County, curbside service and transfer stations accept only the following types of plastic, and they must be clean and empty:
- bottles
- jugs
- jars
- dairy tubs
Notes:
- Plastic tops and lids go in trash. Plastic screw caps can go to a friend with a Ridwell account.
- Plastic bottles smaller than a fist should go in your trash.**
- Empty squeezable snack plastic pouches and caps, any brand, may be put in the Zero Waste box outside the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.
- Clamshells (#1 PET) are not recyclable except through Ridwell.
- Dark brown or black plastic bottles are not “read” by the scanners at the recycling center and end up in the landfill, so don’t bother recycling them. Please put them in your trash.
- A recycling symbol on a product does not necessarily mean it can be recycled in every community, if at all. (Read EcoCycle’s excellent guide on greenwashing terms.)
** The shop Ulta Beauty, 11066 Pacific Crest Place NW, Ste A-120, Silverdale, WA 98383, has a recycling collection bin for fist-sized or smaller clean and empty supplement and beauty plastic bottles.
Last updated 2/10/2025
Rethink:
Plastic utensils are used for minutes but take hundreds of years to decompose. They are trash, not recyclable. Keep a reusable set on hand instead (Google “bamboo utensils.”)
At gatherings, use washable utensils. The BI Zero Waste Tableware Lending Library has hundreds of pieces of silverware, among other tableware, that you may borrow free of charge.
Reuse:
Reuse:
> The Habitat for Humanity Store of Kitsap County
- Sinks
- Bathtubs
- New commodes
- Complete faucet sets
- PVC/metal/copper pipes in 4 foot lengths or more
> The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
> Abraham’s House, 312 N Callow AV, Bremerton, WA 98312. See their website for donation hours or pick-up services.
Recycle:
> Scrap metal pipes (4′ max) can be put in the scrap metal container at the Bainbridge Island Senior/Community Center, 370 Brien Dr SE
> Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station (possible fee)
> Yank-a-Part salvage yard (free drop-off)
Last updated 2/10/2025
Reuse:
Recycle:
If they are empty, camping propane cylinders may be recycled in the scrap metal bin at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Propane tanks must have the valves removed before placing in the scrap metal bin. There are youtube videos that show how to remove the valve.
Last updated 2/10/2025
Make sure they have all the pieces before donating.
Reuse:
> Bainbridge Island Senior/Community Center – Donate to the Puzzle Room and take a new-to-you puzzle home! (Or take without swapping.)
> Bainbridge Island Friends of the Public Library – Donations to Bainbridge FOL support programs, services, physical expansion and operation of library facilities. They also provide funding for children’s programs, magazine subscriptions, support for the staff and other services as needed.
Last updated 2/10/2025
Rethink:
Instead of single-use plastic, purchase a metal razor.
Recycle:
In the Zero Waste box at the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West
- Razor blades
- Razors, any brand
- The plastic packaging
- NO electric razors
Last updated 1/21/2024
The poster above shows the mixed recyclables collected curbside through a subscription service with Bainbridge Disposal or at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. At the transfer station, garbage or recycling is $14 the first can and $8 for each additional can (2024 rates).
Make sure containers are RINSED and EMPTY; paper should be dry.
Recycle loose, NEVER in a plastic bag. Plastic bags are pulled off the conveyor belt unopened at the sorting facility and thrown in the trash along with the recyclables inside.
To learn where our recyclables are sold after they are trucked to the “murf” (MRF=materials recovery facility) in Tacoma, go to Kitsap Solid Waste’s page and scroll down to “Where do Kitsap’s recyclables go?”
Here are details to the above poster:
Aluminum
- cans – Do not crush. If a can is entirely flat, it may end up in paper bales at the sorting facility and then be thrown away at the paper mill. Put entirely flat aluminum cans in the scrap metal collection bin at the Bainbridge Island Senior/Community Center
NO aluminum foil or food trays – If clean, these can go in the scrap metal collection bin at the Bainbridge Island Senior/Community Center, or they may be put in the scrap metal dumpster at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station (for perhaps a small fee).
Glass
- bottles & jars (no lids*)
* Metal lids can go in the scrap metal collection bin at the BI Senior/Community Center.
NO drinking glasses
NO window panes
Metal
- food cans
NO scrap metal. Scrap metal can go in the scrap metal collection bin at the BI Senior/Community Center or in the scrap metal dumpster at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station (for perhaps a small fee).
Paper
- junk mail
- magazines and catalogues
- newspaper
- copy paper
- construction paper
- wrapping paper (not embossed, metallic foil or glittery)
- paper boxes (no liners, PLEASE flatten)
- paper bags
- phone books
NO milk or juice cartons or Tetrapaks
NO frozen food boxes
NO paper cups, plates or bowls (put in trash)
NO non-tearable paper (put in trash)
NO stickers or sticker backing (put in trash)
NO shredded paper (put in compost if free of plastic)
NO greasy pizza boxes (put in compost)
NO tissue paper (put in compost)
NO tissues, paper towels or paper napkins (put in compost)
Plastics
- bottles & jugs & jars (put caps in trash or give to friend with a Ridwell account)
- dairy tubs (no lids)
Click the button above for the Bainbridge Disposal/Kitsap County poster of what is accepted in curbside recycling and in the mixed recycling container (although there is a separate container for cardboard) at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Watch this 10-minute video made by the Association of Mission-Based (nonprofit) Recyclers that will open your eyes as to why our recycling is so contaminated.
Last updated 2/10/2025
Reuse:
Reuse:
> Bainbridge Island Lumber (Builders FirstSource) participates in Exchange-a-Blade. When you take back one of EaB’s saw blades, the store exchanges it for a new one at a fraction of the original price. EaB will either remanufacture or recycle the blade.
Recycle:
If your saw of another brand type is too dull to be resharpened, you can put in the scrap metal dumpster at the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station.
Last updated 2/10/2025
Reuse:
If the items are in good condition, see if a local school will accept.
Recycle:
The following can go in the Zero Waste bin outside the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West:
- Pens
- Markers
- Glue sticks
- Watercolor palettes
- Plastic tape dispensers
Staples in Silverdale, 2850 Northwest Bucklin Hill Rd, accepts the following:
- Backpacks & lunch bags
- Binders & zipper binders
- Crayons & colored pencils
- Glue sticks & bottles (empty)
- Pencils & pencil pouches
- Pens, markers & highlighters
- Rulers & drafting tools
Last updated 1/13/2025
Sharps are needles, syringes, lancets, blood test strips, EpiPens, and intravenous tubing with needles attached (used or unused).
These cannot go in the garbage or recycling. Follow the safe disposal instructions below.
- Put sharps into a laundry detergent bottle, bleach bottle, 2-liter soda bottle, or FDA-Cleared sharps container.
- When container is ¾ full, secure lid or cap. Label container “SHARPS – BIOHAZARD.”
- Take to Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station and tell the site attendant you have sharps before removing them from vehicle. Disposal is free.
Last updated 5/21/20
Reuse:
> Must be in good condition, no holes, no stains. Used as backing for quilts by a quilter’s circle at Bethany Lutheran Church. They donate approximately 150 quilts per year to disaster areas and refuge camps. Contact Carol Fenner, 842-1573.
> Check with local thrift stores to donate gently used items.
- Seattle Children’s Bargain Boutique
- Waterfront Thrift Shop – located in the Senior Center
Reuse:
> Cleats – There is a Cleat Closet at Strawberry Hill Park. You can drop off or pick up cleats with life left for youngsters in need of the next size up.
> Zappos will let you print a free shipping label if you have new or gently used shoes to donate. Find out more here.
> Northwest Center blue dropboxes in the parking lots of Eagle Harbor Church or Via Rosa.
Last updated 2/10/2025
Reuse:
These H-shaped wire posts are used to hold plastic corrugated (Coroplast) signs. Drop these metal stands off at Herb Hethcote’s house, 1866 Commodore Lane. If they are bent, that’s okay — he straightens them! Herb will lend them back out for anyone’s use. He currently has about 200. Email bizerowaste@sustainablebainbridge.org for his contact information.
Last updated 1/14/2025
Reuse:
Silicone bags: See this article for ways to reuse.
Silicone packets: There are so many uses for silica gel.
Recycle:
If you use Stasher brand silicone bags, you may recycle them for free through the company’s mail-in program.
Last edited 2/10/2025
Reuse:
> Email the coach of a club team to see if they offer usable equipment to their players.
> Check back on our Zero Waste events page for the annual ski (and snowboard) equipment and ski clothing swap in November. You may consign or donate.
> Cleats – There is a Cleat Closet at Strawberry Hill Park. You can drop off or pick up cleats with life left for youngsters in need of the next size up.
Last updated 2/10/2025
Rethink:
Single-use is wasteful. Can you buy bulk and serve from a reusable container?
Recycle:
Squeezable snack plastic pouches and caps of any brand may be put in the Zero Waste box outside the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.
Empty the pouches as best you can.
Last updated: 1/21/2024
Recycle:
Kitsap County Solid Waste will hold a Styrofoam collection in April 19, 2025, its only collection of the year. The event is free. Kitsap residents are welcome to bring one vehicle load per household. Drop-off will be at the Sheep Barn or the Van Zee Building, at 1200 NW Fairgrounds Rd., Bremerton, WA. Entrance to the event is at the intersection of Tibardis Rd NW and Fairgrounds Rd NW. We’ll have signs and volunteer staff directing you.
Options for year-round Styrofoam recycling:
- Subscribe or find a friend with a Ridwell subscription (there are 1200 households on Bainbridge that subscribe) and recycle through them (there may be a fee). People have found success in finding a Ridwell subscriber by asking on Facebook’s Bainbridge Islanders or FB’s Zero Waste Bainbridge.
Here’s what kind of Styrofoam Ridwell takes. - Styro Recycle in Kent accepts Styrofoam Monday-Friday for free.
- DTG (Recovery 1) in Tacoma accepts Styrofoam Monday-Saturday for a fee ($7/cu yd, quoted 11-5-2024)
- Recycle My Styrofoam – Located in Northeast Seattle near Magnuson Park. Please email contact@recyclemystyrofoam.com with the subject “dropoff” and you will receive directions for where and how to drop it off.
Styrofoam preparation guidelines:
- Remove all tape and stickers
- Must be clean and dry
- Bag peanuts separately from block packaging
- No debris in the bag
- Do not include compostable peanuts (usually cylindrical in shape; if they stick together when moistened, they are compostable — dissolve at home)
- Must be #6 EPS foam (it snaps and has beads) – block packaging, coolers, take-out clamshells and cups, meat trays (not tan!)
- Separate white from colored
- Separate block packaging from food ware
Styrofoam not accepted:
- Wet or moldy
- Items contaminated with rodent droppings or other biohazards
- Insulation (e.g., pink or blue stuff or spray-in foam)
- Sealed foam (e.g., Insta-pak)
- Foil-lined foam
- Hot tub and dock foam
- Beach foam
- Floral foam (green blocks of sponge-like foam)
- Styro with glue, attached cardboard or screws
- Foam microbeads
- Tan meat trays
- Soft, flexible foam (EPE)
- Futon mattresses
Rethink:
There are many alternatives to using Styrofoam block packaging and peanuts, which take hundreds of years to degrade and easily become litter. If your product comes packaged in the stuff, write to the company to ask them to switch to packaging that is easily compostable (e.g., compostable peanuts, molded paper, mushroom packaging) or easily recyclable (e.g., cardboard, air pillows).
Last updated 2/7/2025
Reuse:
> Consider donating gently used (no stains) solid-colored tablecloths to the Zero Waste Tableware Lending Library. Email us at bizerowaste@sustainablebainbridge.org .
> Bethany Lutheran Church’s quilters’ circle can use them as backing to quilts. They must be in good condition: no holes or no stains. They donate approximately 150 quilts per year to disaster areas and refugee camps. Contact Carol Fenner, 842-1573.
Last updated 2/10/2025
Reuse:
> Fabric – At least 8″ x 8″ size or anything larger. Used by a quilters’ circle at Bethany Lutheran Church. They donate approximately 150 quilts per year to disaster areas and refugee camps. Contact Carol Fenner, 842-1573.
> Cashmere, silk, linen, wool, leather – If you have holey or stained clothing made of these fibers, or if you have fabric scraps of the same, Amos Staffler will gratefully accept them. She remakes into new apparel. Please drop off at 309 Wallace Way NW (off Grow) or she can pick up from you if you email her.
> Northwest Center blue dropbox – Eagle Harbor Church parking lot, Via Rosa parking lot
They take all sorts of textiles, including
- Clothing (all ages, styles, and condition – not wet or mildewed) See Clothing section for more info.
- Linens (bedding, towels, pillows)
- Fabric scraps
- Shoes and boots
- Accessories (purses, belts)
- Outerwear (coats, hats, scarves)
- Blankets
- Stuffed animals
Last updated 2/10/2025
Many tire shops recycle tires for a fee.
Discount Tires in Poulsbo recycles for $3/tire. They send to Lakin Tire Recycling.
You may also take to Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station for a $15/tire dump fee.
Kitsap Solid Waste usually holds a free tire disposal event annually, usually in the summer. Watch for an announcement on the Zero Waste home page and/or in the ZW newsletter for their event, or subscribe to the Kitsap County Solid Waste email notification system for the news release.
Last updated 6/26/2024
Reuse:
> Take unopened, travel-sized toiletries to Helpline House Monday-Friday (closed Wednesdays), 9:30am-4:00.
Recycle:
> Zero Waste bin outside the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West – empty toothpaste tubes and brushes, empty dental floss, manual razors
> Ulta Beauty store at The Trails in Silverdale, 11066 Pacific Crest Pl Ste A120 – Drop off the following in the PACT box inside the front door
Everything must be clean and empty!
-
Pumps + dispensers
-
Droppers + applicators
-
Toothpaste tubes + dental floss containers
Last updated 2/10/2025
Reuse:
Take unopened toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss to Helpline House.
Recycle:
> Take these empty oral care products to the Zero Waste box outside the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West (a free Terracycle recycling opportunity sponsored by Colgate):
- Toothpaste tubes and caps – empty tubes as much as possible
- Manual toothbrushes and outer packaging – NO electric toothbrush parts
- Dental floss containers
- Any brand
> Ulta at The Trails in Silverdale, 11066 Pacific Crest Pl, Ste A120 takes empty:
- Toothpaste tubes and caps
- Floss containers
> Sephora locations in Seattle takes empty:
- Toothpaste tubes and caps
- Floss containers
Last updated 1/26/2025
Reuse:
Recycle:
- CD/DVD/Blu-ray players
- Televisions
- Video streaming devices (Apple TV®, Roku Player, etc.)
Take to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station and put undercover in the designated container (free disposal).
Last updated 1/26/2025
Reuse and Recycle
The local special recyclables subscription service, Ridwell, will pick up bread tags. They find organizations that reuse them or companies that recycle them. If you don’t have a Ridwell subscription, find a neighbor or friend who does and ask when the collection is and if you can contribute.
Last updated 1/17/2025
Reuse:
> Flowering Around – They will accept vases and Mason jars (quart size on up) in good condition. If the shop is closed, you may leave them outside the front door.
> Island Volunteer Caregivers – IVC’s program, Flowers from the Heart, delights islanders with surprise, home-grown bouquets styled by volunteers. They start receiving vases in late spring up till Labor Day. Please drop off at the IVC office, 147 Finch Place, Suite 4 (behind the Marge Williams Center).
Last updated 2/11/2025
Reuse:
> GameStop, 3299 NW Randall Way, Silverdale . They accept trades on select games, accessories, console and handheld hardware for the following gaming platforms: Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, XBOX One, and Nintendo Switchoffers.
Recycle:
Place undercover in the designated electronics peripherals box at Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station (no charge).
Recycle:
Greendisk – Mail in VHS, audio cassette tapes, DAT, DLT, Beta, and Digibeta
Last updated 5/26/20
Recycle:
You may recycle any brand water filter in the Zero Waste box outside the Marge Williams Center, 221 Winslow Way West.
You may also recycle any of the following only from Brita:
- Pitchers
- Dispensers
- Bottles
- Faucet systems
- Packaging
Last updated 3/8/2025
Reuse:
> The Habitat for Humanity Store, 3451 Wheaton Way, Bremerton
They provide donation pick-up services to all of Kitsap County free of charge. You may also drop off your donation at the store during open hours. Store staff and volunteers will help unload your donation.
Donations are taken at the discretion of the warehouse staff or drivers, they are most familiar with what sells and how much is in stock.
Habitat Store may not accept items that are damaged, broken, missing parts, rusted, rotting, or splintered.
> Abraham’s House, 312 N Callow AV, Bremerton, WA 98312. See their website for donation hours or pick-up services.
YES:
- Clean double-pane vinyl or wood windows — undamaged, unfogged, without rot, in working condition, and no larger than 5′ x 6′ in size
- Curtain and tension rods
- Window blinds — new and in a box
NO:
- Single-pane or metal-framed windows
- Vinyl shutters
- Drapery
- Used blinds
- Other window treatments
Last updated 1/26/2025
Reuse:
> Neighbors who are artists and crafters love to receive wine corks.
Recycle:
These places accept natural corks only. They are recycled through ReCORK.
- Eleven Winery Tasting Room, 287 Winslow Way East
- Eagle Harbor Winery, 8897 Three Tree Ln NE
- Total Wine and More, 11066 Pacific Crest Pl a110, Silverdale, WA 98383
Ridwell collects them, also. Find a friend who has an account.
Last updated 1/26/2025
Reuse:
Pallets – They are popular on give-away sites. You can also see if Bay Hay and Feed or Bainbridge Gardens will take a few to reuse.
Recycle:
Take to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station. There is a charge.
- Discarded lumber
- Wood scrap
- Pallets
- Plywood
- Particle board
Do not recycle painted, stained or pre-treated wood. Small nails are okay.
Last updated 1/26/2025
Compost:
Subscribe with Bainbridge Disposal for bi-weekly pick-up.
Take to the Bainbridge Disposal Transfer Station or Tilz.
Accepted by Bainbridge Disposal:
- Food waste (any type)
- Grass
- Leaves
- Weeds — Note section below on invasive weeds-some need to go in the trash instead of compost
- Prunings
- Branches under 4′ long and 4″ diameter
- Wood (goes in separate dumpster) – no painted, stained or pressure-treated; small nails okay
Accepted by Tilz:
- Stumps
- Branches – any size
- Grass
- Leaves
- Weeds — Note section below on invasive weeds-some need to go in the trash instead of compost
- Prunings
- Wood – no painted, stained or pressure-treated; small nails okay
Not accepted by Tilz: Food waste
NOT accepted by either place:
- Sod
- Dirt
- Gravel
- Landscape fabric or plastic
- Manure
Invasive species to put in trash
- Tansy ragwort – too poisonous to compost and/or dangerous to compost
- Poison hemlock – too poisonous to compost and/or dangerous to compost
- Japanese knotweed – able to easily spread via root or stem fragment and can completely contaminate any compost it is put in
- Morning glory/bindweed – able to easily spread via root or stem fragment and can completely contaminate any compost they are put in
- Lamium – able to easily spread via root or stem fragment and can completely contaminate any compost it is put in
- Vinca – able to easily spread via root or stem fragment and can completely contaminate any compost it is put in
- Scotch broom with seeds – highly resistant to composting and heat killing (Scotch broom without seeds can be composted.)
Invasives species that can be composted
- Ivy
- Holly
- Blackberry
- Laurel
Last updated 2/12/2025