We are so proud of our awesome volunteers and Recycle Dogs. They put together a fun and informative parade float, and brought home the Lopez Lions Club, Bosko Bailey Award. Way to go! If you did not get a chance to see them in the parade, enjoy these photos from the big day.

The LSWDD Board has been working hard on producing a planning document to guide development and use of District resources to best meet the future needs of the Lopez community. The text of the document is listed below: Lopez Solid Waste Strategic Planning Outline Q4 2022 Mission of the LSWDD The Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District (LSWDD) provides a convenient local facility for solid waste collection with reuse and recycle options, operated in a fiscally, socially, and environmentally responsible manner with a goal to educate and inspire the community to reduce waste. The Outline The LSWDD Strategic Planning Outline describes the current state of the utility and lays out a vision for the future. The outline is a living document that contemplates the challenges and opportunities the District may face over a five-year time horizon period, defines the actions required to prepare for these trends and events, and sets priorities based upon available resources. The outline development process is managed by the Strategic Planning Committee and is updated annually by the LWSDD Board. LWSDD Challenges and Opportunities Challenges 1) Increased demand for waste management services due to population growth, increased tourism, and residential and commercial development 2) Fiscal pressure from increased waste disposal fees, increased operating and transportation costs, inflation, and disruption of supply and waste management lines 3) Service demand spikes in the summer season 4) Burden and unpredictability of annual campaign to pass operating levy Opportunities 1) High level of community involvement and support for waste reduction 2) Large customer base and support for “the Dump”, which is seen as a community asset 3) Highly experienced and dedicated operational team and staff 4) San Juan County Solid Waste management support 5) Availability of state, county and local resources working to reduce waste 2027 LWSDD Vision An operation that: ● has expanded its footprint to include the former Public Works facility to the south ● is structured to ensure financial viability for the foreseeable future ● has added services of value or supports other organizations’ efforts to further reduce waste ● has reduced the waste generated per resident ● continues to be strongly supportive of and supported by the Lopez community 2022 Goals in Support of Vision 1) Fortify solid waste operations in service of community a) Complete annual review of emergency preparedness b) Complete baler shed expansion c) Purchase box truck d) Develop site plan for expansion in partnership with San Juan County and site consultant e) Create and execute plan for increasing volunteer hours to support operations 2) Strengthen fiscal health of the District a) Forecast 2023 expenses / revenues and long term capital requirements. b) Review plan for sustained fiscal management c) Research potential external funding sources/partnerships 3) Continue and expand environmentally and socially responsible operations a) Develop organics reduction initiative b) Initiate planning to reduce LSWDD carbon emissions c) Ensure equal opportunity access to TIOLI goods by all community members 4) Educate and inspire community to reduce waste a) Create and execute community education plan with topics toward waste reduction (refuse, reuse, repurpose, recycle) b) Identify metrics to display and construct on-site “scoreboard” for Lopez waste amounts c) Create and distribute educational articles regarding the value of LSWDD to Lopez d) Encourage volunteer participation and expand opportunities e) Investigate an update to the LSWDD website to expand and simplify access to community waste & recycling information f) Develop and strengthen partnerships with other Lopez organizations with similar goals to impact waste in the community 5) Reduce waste thru the following efforts a) Continue organics reduction and home composting initiative b) Coordinate with the Lopez School to decrease waste and increase school recycling rates c) Research viability of local glass crusher recycling options d) Join efforts to institute Washington State Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation

Your Help is Needed to Create Commercial Composting for Island Residents and Businesses! San Juan County is exploring how to best implement commercial composting for residents and businesses in the Islands, and we need your help! The County’s Solid Waste Program has created a survey to gauge community interest in such a program. The survey is available now through August 30 at https://bit.ly/3OTj5R4. Commercial composting is the large-scale decomposition of organic waste such as food and yard waste. A commercial composting facility in San Juan County will collect organic waste from restaurants, grocery stores, other businesses, and individual residents. It is designed to handle large amounts of waste and creates compost that can be used at farms, nurseries, local municipalities, or at individual residences. Commercial composting improves soil quality, reduces waste, and saves money. According to the EPA approximately 30% of landfill waste could be composted and turned into fertilizer that could be used to benefit the local community. “We want to hear from all residents on San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, Shaw, and the outer islands to get input on their interest in participating in commercial composting and to help us ensure that an organics recycling program can be successful,” said Katie Fleming, Solid Waste Coordinator in San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship. For more information, contact Katie Fleming at katief@sanjuanco.com or 360-762-5821.

Previously posted in The Exchange (Orcas Recycling Center Newsletter) On June 11 a group of ORS/Exchange board and staff members traveled to Lopez island and spent the day checking out the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District’s facilities on Fisherman bay Road. They visited with the director Dave Zapalac, and several LSWDD board members. Besides running the “Take It Or Leave It” (the Lopez version of The Exchange), the ORS team was blown away by the Lopez recycling system. Lopez Island does the best job of recycling of any island hands down. With an incredible full-time staff of volunteers to help folks with separating their recyclables, they do it right. They even successfully separate different types of plastics. In fact, Lopez no longer accepts co-mingled recycling at all. Later in the day the ORS team visited the only real commercial composting operation in San Juan County, at Midnight’s Farm. A visit to David Bill’s facility reminded us that composting on a large scale is never easy. Still, composting is certainly in Orcas Island’s future. A visit to Lopez is always inspirational. Next time you are over there be sure to stop in and say hello! Original article: https://exchangeorcas.org/lopez-island-a-model-for-the-future/

Have you ever wondered where that disposable plastic cup, old band aid, or chicken bone ends up after you chuck it in the garbage can? Sure, you haul it, along with the rest of your garbage to the dump. But then what, where does it go after that? Well, it gets hauled off the island by truck to the Skagit Transfer Station. And as the name suggests, it gets transferred, this time to a rail car. Then it takes a train trip across the state to its final destination, a massive landfill in Roosevelt, Washington. That's a pretty extravagant journey for garbage! Let's save the travel for something more fun by refusing, reducing, reusing, and recycling!

Lots of news recently in the solid waste and recycling world, not all of it good! Last week there was local news about Snohomish County Transfer Stations having to temporarily close because of logistical transportation issues led to their facilities being overwhelmed with garbage that they could not haul away. At the main facility, there was a 45 foot mountain of trash that required 24 hour fire watch as it smoldered away. Yikes! Fortunately they have started to get things under control but it certainly does make you think... https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/snohomish-county-transfer-stations-reopening-garbage-cleared/281-52e4fe20-bbf7-4285-b095-d0a294023651 Also in national news, new data out from the Environmental Protection Agency shows a decline in plastic recycling rates even as plastic production continues to increase. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/plastic-recycling-rate-5-failure-say-environmentalists/ These are not the most inspiring stories but they are a reminder that the work we do to divert waste and recycle in the most conscientious way is really important. As many of you know, one of the most common problems with recycling plastic is that it is too contaminated to process effectively. That is not the case with the plastic that we send out, it is carefully monitored by our responsible customers and awesome recycle plaza crew! Also, we are closing in on the summer season and will be extending our hours of operation beginning in June. Please stay tuned for more information regarding schedule changes and more, coming soon!

Why composting? Read on! Did you know that food scraps are the single largest component of landfill waste in the US? Compost is not garbage, it is a valuable resource! There are many benefits to home composting, including: Save Money Reduce your garbage bill by composting food scraps. Studies have found that about 35% of household waste is organic material. By composting, you could potentially reduce your garbage expenses by a third! Save Water When you compost, you build soil. Adding compost to your garden and flower beds contributes to soil health, and helps the soil retain moisture. Save Resources Lower your carbon footprint by reducing trips to the dump, and reducing the amount of material that has to be trucked off island and transported across the state to a landfill. Save the Planet When we compost, our food scraps break down into a healthy soil amendment. When we throw our food scraps into the garbage, all that organic material releases methane as it breaks down. According to the EPA, Methane is the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States. Methane gas is a source of significant greenhouse gas emissions and is 28 to 36 times more powerful than CO2 at trapping heat, and is a major contributor to climate change. Every time we divert organic matter from the landfill, we reduce potential greenhouse gas emissions. Inspired and want to start composting now? Here are some links to more information and resources about home composting. Would you like a little more guidance? Feel free to reach out to Larissa Mansfield for additional resources. EPA, Composting at Home https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home Recycle Now - Backyard Composting https://www.ecocycle.org/backyard-composting WSU Backyard Composting Guide (downloadable pdf) https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/backyard-composting Are you already a seasoned composter and want to share your expertise? We would love your help!

Hot off the press, our Spring Newsletter is here! Take a look at what's been happening at LSWDD.

Ever wonder what other communities are doing to reduce, reuse, and recycle? We came across this interesting story of a small town in Japan that has been working toward the goal of zero waste in their community. In 2021 they won the Dezeen Sustainable Building Award for their recycling and reuse center which was constructed almost entirely from recycled materials. For those of you who volunteer in the recycle plaza, imagine helping customers sort their recycling into 45 categories! If you’re interested, you can read more about it here. https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2021/04/zero-waste_world.html Lopez locals, the Eppenbachs, visited Kamikatsu in 2015. You can read about their experience here.

Solid Waste Alternatives Program (SWAP) was one of 10 Lopez nonprofits to be selected as a beneficiary of the GiveLopez fundraiser! Congrats, SWAP, and thanks for all you do! Check out their website to see what they are up to and how they are supporting the Lopez Dump! https://lopezswap.squarespace.com/