Lopez Solid Waste accepts many household batteries for free recycling! However, there are a few very important things you need to know before you bring your batteries to the dump: Positive terminals must be covered! To reduce fire hazard on-site and during transport, positive terminals must be securely covered with non-conductive tape. You can also individually bag your batteries in plastic bags. These instructions come to us from The Battery Network, our battery recycling pa

There are so many things to love about fall in the islands! One of our favorite fall traditions is coming back together after the busy season to clean up our shared trails, beaches, and roadways. The Great Islands Clean-Up is a county-wide event, supported by San Juan County and the WA Dept. of Ecology and brought to life by various organizations across the islands — including Lopez Solid Waste! This fall, the event is taking place on Saturday, September 26! Here's our tentat

Long-time Lopez community member Asa Kinney joined Lopez Solid Waste in April 2025, and it didn't take long for him to make an impact. His contributions quickly expanded and he put his excellent organizational and communication skills to use as site administrator, helping to make sure essential processes flowed smoothly behind the scenes. In August 2026, Asa began his tenure as Facility Manager — a new, full-time role that stewards all LSWDD operations and site admin, and dir

We have great news: Lopez Solid Waste has added a second roll-off truck to our fleet! This is a major accomplishment, enabling the team to manage our community's waste reliably, safely, and efficiently. The purchase was possible thanks to our committed and knowledgeable staff, who searched far and wide and found the perfect fit from City of Tacoma Public Works, and to YOU, Lopez voters, who year after year show your support by approving our annual LSWDD Levy. We couldn't have

Great news, Lopez! The Washington State Department of Ecology has announced that starting June 1, 2026, the Mercury Lamp Recyclers Association (MLRA) is expected to take over administration of the state-wide Light Recycle program. Pending conditional approval of MLRA's stewardship plan, Lopez Solid Waste will once again be able to accept spent fluorescent bulbs for free recycling starting June 1. This includes compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) and tubes: As a reminder, the LSW

A few years ago, new reports about the viability of plastic recycling went viral. PBS Frontline outlined how oil and plastics executives had been skeptical of recycling from the start: "The plastics industry pushed recycling as a solution, even though industry officials have known for a long time that it wasn't going to be viable at scale... they really looked at recycling as a way to kind of fend off regulation, and to keep selling more plastic." In one report, data from 201

Hey, Lopez — don't forget! This year's Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Round-Up is taking place Saturday, May 2, from 10am to 2pm. Every year, San Juan County hosts one HHW Round-Up on Lopez. Residential households can bring up to 25 gallons of qualifying hazardous wastes for free, safe, and legal disposal! WHAT YOU CAN BRING: Pesticides, fungicides, and other poisons Gasoline and other used fuels Wood preservatives Solvents and thinners Pool and photo chemicals Resins Corros

At the end of 2025, the state's LightRecycle program — which enabled Lopez Solid Waste to collect spent fluorescent bulbs and tubes for free recycling — came to an end. LightRecycle was the result of a Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law — one of the first in Washington state — which aims give manufacturers responsibility for end-of-life recycling/disposal costs. This particular program was designed to address the problem of mercury (which is highly toxic) in our waste

Spring has arrived in the islands! Rain or shine, we're gathering friends and neighbors on Saturday, April 18 , for our first Great Islands Clean-Up of 2026. The Great Islands Clean-Up is a twice-annual volunteer extravaganza across San Juan County, when island residents and visitors come together to clean up our shared beaches and roadways. Litter collected is then thrown away for free at the Lopez Dump! Participate as an individual or form a group and pick a route to walk

For more than 20 years, Michael Sobel has been visiting Lopez Island, developing close connections to people and place. Though he lives in Seattle, he’s a member of the Lopez Island Artists Guild, and many Lopezians recognize him as a familiar friend. Drawn by “the adventure of discovery,” Michael spends time at Take It Or Leave It, curious about the stories within shared objects and the act of sharing. “One fall, four or five years ago, I was wandering about TIOLI and no