Properly disposing of hazardous wastes is one of the most important things we can do to protect our community and our shared home. If not managed safely, hazardous wastes easily and severely damage the air, soil, and water that we and our neighbors need to survive. Many types of hazardous waste — including batteries, motor oil, coolant/antifreeze, fluorescent bulbs, personal electronics, and many paint products — can be recycled at the Dump for free year-round. Learn which hazardous wastes you can bring to the Dump year-round. To safely and legally dispose of hazardous wastes that aren't on that list, San Juan County organizes Household Hazardous Waste Round-Ups on San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez Islands. This year, the Household Hazardous Waste Round-Up on Lopez will take place at the Lopez Dump on May 31, 2025 . Each household can bring up to 25 gallons of qualifying , labeled hazardous wastes for FREE disposal. (Please bring waste in 5-gallon containers or smaller.) WHAT YOU CAN BRING Pesticides, fungicides, and other poisons Gasoline and other used fuels Wood preservatives, solvents, and thinners Pool and photo chemicals Resins Corrosives, degreasers, cleaning products Mercury Rechargeable batteries Small propane cylinders (camping style) Aerosols Containers holding hazardous waste will be taken, too. Please DO NOT BRING: More than 25 gallons per household (combined) Flares, explosives, or ammunition Anti-freeze or coolant — this can be recycled at the Lopez Dump! Motor oil — this can be recycled at the Lopez Dump! Vehicle batteries — these can be recycled at the Lopez Dump! Fluorescent bulbs Large propane tanks (BBQ style) Paint products — bring these to the Lopez Dump on Sundays! Questions about what you can and can't bring? Please contact Katie Fleming at 360-762-5821 or katief@sanjuancountywa.gov . To help this event run safely and smoothly, please review the above information before you come, and leave pets at home or secure in vehicles.

In February, we hosted a chilly but impactful home composting class with a small group of Lopezians. While two Master Composters presented composting basics and rat-resistant home composting systems, the discussion was made richer by everyone sharing their own challenges and successes. Many members of our community have been composting food waste for years, or are compost educators themselves. Of the food waste that isn't composted, much still avoids the landfill thanks to our beloved chickens, pigs, and goats. Lopez Solid Waste recently collected a short food waste survey — 139 total responses both online and in-person — and about 66% of respondents said they throw less than half of their food waste in the trash. More than 70% said they compost at home. Most who compost use a closed bin system, of which there are many types, but many of us combine systems in ways that work best for our spaces and the types of food waste we generate. Open piles work great for some, worm bins are best for others. So why don't we all compost? 20% of respondents wrote that they don't experience any barriers to composting food waste, but about the same number of folks cited rodents as the reason they don't compost more (or at all). Other top challenges included lack of space, uncertainty around their rental situation, no use for finished compost, and mobility. At LSWDD's class in February, we discussed several rodent-resistant composting systems, focusing on one in particular: dig-in steel can composters. We visited a three-can system that's been used to compost food waste for about four years, successfully keeping out both rats and raccoons. Participants took home free steel can composters, courtesy of our friends at Solid Waste Alternatives Program (SWAP), to try at home. However, these types of composters don't work for everyone — maybe you don't have a yard where you can dig one in, or your landlord has a policy against them. If you want to throw less food in the garbage, chances are there's someone on Lopez composting in a way that would work for you. About 37% of survey respondents are interested in learning more about home composting — some are brand-new to composting and looking for an introduction, while others expressed their desire to connect with other composters and tackle challenges together. So, in addition to hosting a second "composting for beginners" class this spring, we've also carved out an evening at the Grange to bring the composters of Lopez together! Home Composting for Beginners SATURDAY, MAY 10 • 2 to 3:30pm For those new to home composting! Learn compost basics & rodent-resistant systems. Take home a free sig-in steel can composter, courtesy of SWAP. Location near village & space is limited so registration is required . Register by emailing sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org . Compost Knowledge Share at the Grange WEDNESDAY, MAY 14 • 5 to 7pm Join compost educators & fellow composters to share experiences, ask questions, celebrate successes, & troubleshoot challenges. Arrive & leave as able. Light refreshments provided by SWAP! Questions? Email sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org .

Join fellow Lopezians on April 12 to clean up our shared beaches and roadways! Once in the spring and once in the fall, San Juan County organizes community clean-ups on Lopez, Orcas, Shaw, and San Juan. This spring, our neighbors are holding their events on April 26, but since that's Tour de Lopez weekend, we'll be gathering on April 12! Here's how it works: Check-in and pick a route at Lopez Village Park from 10 to 11 a.m. Equipment and coffee/tea provided! Don your high-vis gear & safety gloves and hit the road/beach to pick up litter! Pay special attention to tiny plastic litter, like nurdles . Drop-off litter at Lopez Solid Waste (the Dump) from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Follow "GICU" signs to drop-off area! Disposing of litter collected from public spaces is free at the Dump, paid for by San Juan County. Learn more> Questions about the Great Islands Clean-Up? Email sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org .

Hi, Lopez! Lopez Solid Waste wants to know more about the current state of food waste on Lopez Island. How much of your food scraps are you throwing in the garbage? Do you compost at home? If no, why not? If yes, how's it going? To help us plan more relevant resources, communications, and educational opportunities, please take a moment to fill out this quick, five-question survey . Your answers are really valuable to us, whether or not you compost food scraps! If you have trouble accessing the survey or want to share something with us that isn't represented in the survey questions, please feel free to reach out to sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org . Thank you! TAKE THE SURVEY

On February 8, Lopez residents bundled up for a brief but informative backyard compost class! Two Lopez Solid Waste team members and Master Composters shared some compost basics, and participants discussed several different home composting solutions before receiving a more in-depth demonstration of steel can composters — an affordable and rat-resistant option for reducing food waste at home. Organic Waste on Lopez Lopez residents can dispose of yard and wood waste — NO food waste or noxious weeds — at Midnight's Farm. Sign up & review requirements here: https://www.midnightsfarm.com/dropoff-guidelines . Residents can dispose of many noxious weeds for free at the Lopez Dump, up to a certain volume. Learn more about this program here: https://www.lopezsolidwaste.org/litter-noxious-weeds .  Home gardeners can reduce garden waste by sharing excess produce with neighbors. You can also share produce more broadly through several programs, including Grow-A-Row  (Locavores) & the Food Share  (LIFRC). Lots of residents also compost food waste at home!  Why compost at home?  Save money! If you compost organic waste at home, you don’t have to pay to dispose of it with your regular garbage.  Reduce waste & greenhouse gas emissions. When organic materials decompose anaerobically in a landfill, they produce high volumes of methane, a very powerful greenhouse gas. Composting can also sequester carbon dioxide, keeping it in the soil instead of releasing it into the atmosphere.  Produce a rich soil amendment for your garden!  Compost improves soil health — structure, nutrient retention, and pH moderation. Compost can help protect against plant diseases & invite beneficial organisms.  The Compost Ecosystem Inside of a healthy compost pile, we find a whole ecosystem of composters. To create a healthy compost ecosystem, an ideal carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is 30:1  — 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen (30:1 C:N). Below are some common organic wastes and their typical C:N ratios. CARBON-RICH MATERIALS (“Browns”) NITROGEN-RICH MATERIALS (“Greens”) Small twigs, woody prunings, & dead leaves (40-80:1) Green plant trimmings (15-22:1) Dry plant materials, corn cobs (50-60:1) Fresh leaves & flowers (15-22:1) Sawdust & wood shavings (from untreated wood) (500-640:1) Grass clippings (17:1) Pine needles (100:1) Fruit & vegetable scraps (12-19:1) Straw & hay (80:1) Coffee grounds & tea bags (20:1) Nut shells (50:1) Hamster/guinea pig droppings (14:1) Food-soiled paper (150:1) Cornstarch- & other plant-based packing materials (25-34:1) DO NOT put these materials in your backyard composter:  Diseased plants or plants covered in organisms that you don’t want in your garden Noxious weeds Weeds with seeds Plants that are poisonous to humans or animals Ash from charcoal or coal Meat, fish, or dairy Dog, cat, or bird droppings (chicken droppings OK — let cure for ~60 days before using in your garden!) Your compost pile also needs moisture & oxygen . Aim for a moisture level similar to a wrung-out sponge, and create air pockets for your compost ecosystem by adding bulking agents and/or turning or mixing your pile.   Hot & Cold Piles Within a compost pile, heat is generated by microorganisms hard at work, and lost through conduction, convection, and radiation. Heat moves from the center of the pile outward.  A “hot pile” is classified as a pile that reaches 120°–180° F, which kills pathogens and weed seeds. This can produce finished (“stabilized”) compost in as little as six weeks. A “cold pile” tends to take longer to produce finished compost, but requires less maintenance.  When is it done? Finished compost is dark and crumbly, similar to top soil. It’s most important to let the nitrogen-rich materials finish decomposing — working undecomposed or partially decomposed food scraps into your garden if they’re still hot, slimy, or stinky can attract pests and harm young plants.  Tips & Troubleshooting Cut up your materials before adding them to the pile — smaller particle size increases the availability of carbon and nitrogen.  Is your compost too wet?   Add more oxygen! Mix your compost and try introducing bulking agents, or large pieces of material, to create air gaps in your pile.  Adding more carbon-rich materials can also soak up extra moisture.  Is your compost too dry? Add more greens, or nitrogen-rich materials, plus some water when you do. Prevent compost piles from drying out by covering them — lids with secure bungees on steel can composters work great.  Worried about rats or raccoons?  Exclude rodent-attracting materials from your compost piles.  Use rodent-resistant composters, like steel can composters.   Does your compost smell like rotten eggs? It’s likely too wet and doesn’t have enough air. Add carbon-rich browns and turn your pile frequently or add bulking agents.  Does your compost smell like ammonia? It probably has too many nitrogen-rich greens — add more carbon-rich browns!  Rodent-Resistant Composting Systems Worm Composting (Vermicomposting) Here are some great resources from WSU Whatcom: https://extension.wsu.edu/whatcom/hg/worm-composting/ .  Food Digesters Green Cone is a popular product that’s easy to use and works similarly to a steel can composter. They tend to break food down quicker, but cost about $200 each: http://www.greenconeusa.com/green-cone-solar-food-waste-digester.html . On Orcas, The Exchange has led some home composting workshops for residents using the FreeGarden Earth compost bin, which is available for purchase at Home Depot or online for ~$116 each: https://exchangeorcas.org/more-home-composting-success/ .  Homemade Steel Can Composters There are many DIY methods to transforming a steel can into a backyard composter—take just a few minutes to poke around on YouTube, and you'll find many versions and helpful tutorials! How you do it might depend on where you live, what type of soil you have, what you're putting in it, and what kinds of creatures you're hoping to keep out of (or let into) your compost. Your steel can composter might work similarly to a food digester, or more like a worm bin. Below are some general (and customizable) guidelines for getting started! Drill many holes in the bottom and sides of your steel can, using proper safety equipment and clean-up of metal scraps. Partially bury your can in well-draining soil. Keep a secure lid and consider adding a bungee cord to keep out rats and raccoons. Start adding your food waste! The carbon & nitrogen ratio guidelines above will help you understand what ingredients make a healthy compost ecosystem. This system will take 6-12 months to produce "finished" compost. Once your bin is full, you can try several things: If it's had enough time, mine finished compost from the bottom of your bin. Stab and stir your compost pile with a spade shovel to introduce oxygen and create more space. Install another steel can composter and begin to fill that one while the first composts. Questions? Reach out to our Community Outreach Coordinator & Master Composter: sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org .

If you haven't yet heard, tiny plastic pellets called "nurdles" are washing up in large volumes on some beaches in the San Juan Islands. Nurdles are the raw materials used to manufacture most plastic products, and end in up our oceans due to shipping spills, leaks, and drainage from factories. These pellets are usually less than 5mm, and sometimes as small and flat as lentils, which makes them very difficult to spot — and very easy for marine wildlife to consume. As part of the Plastic-Free Salish Sea coalition, Lopez Solid Waste wants to learn more about where Lopezians are finding nurdles, particularly on public beaches. With better information, we can focus our clean-up efforts during our Great Islands Clean-Up events, and beyond, with a new focus on this prevalent and dangerous type of plastic pollution. Next time you're on a beach walk, take a closer look at the sand around you — nurdles are hard to spot, unless you know what to look for. Here's a photo from a beach clean-up on San Juan Island in October: If you find nurdles, let Lopez Solid Waste know — email sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org . Please remember to wear gloves when picking them up! Then, you can bring them to the Dump for FREE disposal. Residents can dispose of any litter collected in public places for free at the Dump — learn more at www.lopezsolidwaste.org/litter-noxious-weeds .

Join Lopez Solid Waste on Saturday, February 8 , from 2 to 4 p.m ., for a free backyard composting workshop. Participants will: Learn composting basics for reducing food waste. Learn to build & use steel can composters — one free composter per participant! Connect with other folks on Lopez who are composting! Steel can composters are a popular, affordable, and rat-proof option for composting food waste. The workshop will be facilitated by two Master Composters at a location close to the village. Bring questions! REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Space is limited. Register by emailing sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org .

Last month, in a big win for efficiency and safety at the Lopez Dump, Facility Manager Colby White and District Manager Ric Carr facilitated the purchase of a long-awaited backhoe to replace aging equipment on-site.  “The old backhoe needed more and more repairs,” said Colby, who located the new (to us) machine in Colville, Washington. The search had been extensive for a machine that met both the organization’s needs and its budget. “The new backhoe has more power, packs containers more efficiently, and will save LSWDD money in the long-run.”  “Whereas we all feel we should respect our elders, replacement parts can only prolong life so far,” noted Gene Helfman, LSWDD board member and Recycle Dog.  The team depends on the backhoe to compress garbage into containers, allowing LSWDD to dispose of as much garbage as possible during each trip off-island. This minimizes both the cost and the environmental impact of hauling our community's waste. After some maintenance in Burlington, the new backhoe was ready to get to work. Huge thanks to David Zapalac for inspecting the machine and delivering it to the site! And the news just gets better! Shortly after the backhoe purchase was complete, the Solid Waste Alternatives Program (SWAP) board voted to support the Dump in a big way, making a donation to LSWDD that covered nearly the full cost of the backhoe and necessary maintenance. If you don’t know about them already, SWAP is the organization who put together this summer’s unforgettable Trashion Fashion event. Trashion Fashion raised thousands of dollars in support of community-led waste disposal and zero-waste efforts on Lopez! “LSWDD offers its profound thanks to SWAP and the Lopez community for this generous donation,” said Ric.  Learn more about SWAP here !

Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District (LSWDD) is a truly community-led endeavor, and requires dependable and recurring support from several sources to maintain current services, including free recycling and Take It Or Leave It (TIOLI). Our sources of support include garbage disposal fees, volunteer hours, donations, and our annual levy. Washington State authorizes disposal districts to seek levy funding only one year at a time, which means LSWDD must pass a levy each year to secure funding for the following year. How much do property owners pay? The proposed 2025 levy rate is about $0.094 per $1,000 of taxable assessed property value. So, if your property's taxable assessed value is $600,000, you will contribute about $56.40 over the entire year to help sustain the Lopez Dump. Taxable Property Value $300,000 $600,000 $1,000,000 Estimated Total Contribution $28.20 $56.40 $94.00 How does this levy compare to previous years? Historically, levy revenue has remained the same, despite significant increases in operating costs. In 2014, a levy of $105,000 supported about 40% of LSWDD's operating expenses. In 2023, that same amount covered only 19% of expenses. The LSWDD board determined that in 2025, a $210,000 levy is needed to sustain services and make essential improvements. This levy amount is required to: Repair and replace critical equipment. The Dump's garbage truck, excavator, and forklift are in urgent need of replacement. Cover significant increases in transportation and disposal costs. This year, the rate LSWDD pays to dispose of our community's garbage is increasing from $111 to $138 per ton — a 24% increase. Within five years, the rate will increase to nearly 30%. Rising fuel and ferry costs also add to LSWDD's growing expenses. Maintain sufficient staff. In order to safely and efficiently operate the Dump and sustain services like free recycling and TIOLI, LSWDD must maintain sufficient staff by offering sustainable wages and benefits. Prepare for uncertain circumstances following LSWDD's interlocal agreement renewal with San Juan County in 2025, which could include new lease payments and capital improvements. What if the levy fails? If the levy doesn't pass, LSWDD will have to operate on about 67% of the funding that's needed to sustain current services. Difficult options to address such a large drop in revenue would include drastically reduced services (including recycling and TIOLI), elimination of free recycling, and significant increases to garbage disposal fees. If you have any questions about the levy, please reach out to sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org !

The Great Islands Clean Up (fall edition) is coming up on September 21! All are welcome to join in this semi-annual island tradition, an event organized by San Juan County to care for our island home. Each year, GICU volunteers pick up thousands of pounds of litter from shared beaches and roadways. Fall 2024 Great Islands Clean Up 10am to 11am — Check in, pick your route, and pick up supples and snacks at Lopez Village Park. Some supplies will also be available outside Southend Market. 12pm to 2pm — Drop off supplies and collected litter at the Lopez Dump, following signs to the designated GICU intake area. Traditionally, we've measured and compared litter by weight, year after year. This year, in addition to total weight, we will also keep track of microplastics — litter that doesn't weigh very much, but that has a very harmful impact on our ecosystem. In particular, San Juan County is asking volunteers to keep an eye out for nurdles — small plastic pellets that are the raw materials used to make plastic products. If you find any nurdles, consider picking them up in a smaller container so we can track how they're impacting Lopez beaches! Want to volunteer, or learn more about Great Islands Clean Up? Email sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org .

Summer hours at the Lopez Dump will end after Labor Day. Starting Friday, September 6 , the Dump will be open to the public: Friday – Monday 11am – 3pm Take It Or Leave It (TIOLI) shopping and donation days will remain the same: TIOLI Shopping Only Fridays & Sundays 11am – 3pm TIOLI Donations Only Saturdays & Mondays 11am – 3pm Questions? Email sarahr@lopezsolidwaste.org .

This month, two of Lopez Solid Waste's board members took a field trip to Burlington to visit Skagit River Steel & Recycling — the facility that processes a majority of our community's recyclables. Gene Helfman and John Trench, who are both dedicated recycling volunteers at the Dump, met with Skagit River Steel's General Manager Todd Reynolds, who gave them a full tour while they asked lots of questions about where our garbage really goes. "The result of [our] meticulous parceling of waste is gratifying. Skagit River Steel recycles over 99% by weight of deposited materials, less than 1% eventually entering the waste stream!" Gene reported. "Reynolds was very complimentary of Lopez efforts at recycling, emphasizing that deliveries from Lopez are exceptionally free of contamination." Read their full report, published this week in Islands' Weekly: " Where does it go when it goes 'away.' "