Waste Wise

WSU Waste Wise of Island County

Garbage is not glamorous, but a beautiful thing happens when we make less of it.

WSU Waste Wise of Camano and Whidbey Islands is an education outreach program supported by staff and volunteers who reach into the community to share what they learn in training with others.  We bring ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle to you.  We can talk about composting and vermiculture or help you learn how to safely handle household hazardous wastes.  We can give you simple steps on living more lightly.

Waste Wise works at schools, fairs, information booths, businesses and other settings. This work is important because:

• Our global and local trash production continues to climb
• We have no active landfill in Island County
• Our drinking water comes from underground
• We live in a beautiful place and want to keep it that way

Island County is made up of islands. Most of our drinking water comes from groundwater. To protect our drinking water, Island County closed its Coupeville landfill in 1992 and converted it to a transfer station. All solid waste is transported out-of-county – in fact, to the Roosevelt Regional Landfill in south central Washington.

On Camano and Whidbey Islands, trash is collected at five transfer points called drop-box facilities, located at Camano Hill Road, Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Freeland and Bayview. It is then trucked to a railhead on the mainland, where it is loaded aboard trains and transported to Roosevelt Regional Landfill in Washington, for disposal. This is expensive and cumbersome.

The Waste Wise is a  program Washington State University Extension, Island County and supported by Island County Solid Waste. You will find us at the WSU Extension Office in the Coupeville.  We are located at 406 N. Main Street.

For additional information, please call or write:

Sarah Bergquist, Waste Wise Program Educator and Coordinator

• Phone: 360-639-6062
• Email: ic.wastewise@wsu.edu
• Fax: 360-678-6680
• WSU Extension – Island County – 406 N. Main, Coupeville, WA 98239

If you live on Camano you may also contact your Camano-based Coordinator, Kristine Vannoy at 360-639-4608.

Waste Wise Volunteers: Visit the  Waste Wise Volunteers Page for up-to-date volunteer opportunities.

Sustainability and Waste Wise Training Page

For Training Series participants: Access here for training and education information and documents.

Events

• Household Hazardous Waste Residents in Island County can dispose of household hazardous waste for free at county transfer facilities on Whidbey and Camano Islands. For a list of locations, hours and what is accepted […]
  December 19, 2014
• About Waste Wise Volunteers Waste Wise Volunteers come from all walks of life and share the conviction that we must care for these beautiful islands to protect our quality of life.
  February 26, 2014
• Island County Waste Curbside recycling, self-sorting, and proper disposal of household hazardous waste…
  February 26, 2014