Beyond the Bin RECYCLING GUIDE Skagit Plastic Reduction & Recycling Coalition Protecting shorelines and marine waters by reducing plastic waste in Skagit County Beyond the Bin RECYCLING GUIDE Refuse – Reduce – Repurpose – Recycle Skagit Plastic Reduction & Recycling Coalition A Project of Friends of Skagit Beaches January 2021 CONTENTS Recycle Right! ..........................................................................................ii How to Use this Guide .........................................................................ii Part I – Recyclable Items ............................................................ 1-18 Acknowledgments Avoid “Wishful” Recycling ....................................................................1 Understanding Battery Types ............................................................2 Special thanks to writer Jan Hersey for Skagit County Battery Recycling.......................................................3 initiating, collecting, and organizing much Take the Carseat Challenge ................................................................5 of the information in this guide. Thanks, Why Buy New? ....................................................................................11 also, to Betty Carteret for collaborating with Jan on research, editing, and organizing. Know Your Plastics ..............................................................................16 The guide would not be possible without When All Else Fails ..............................................................................18 their dedication to reducing waste and Part II – Recycling/Re-use Outlets .......................................19-39 envisioning this community resource. Reduce Your Use of Chemicals ....................................................... 39 Additional thanks to Skagit County Waste Part III – County, Municipal & Curbside Recycling .....40-44 Reduction Recycling Education Specialist Required Municipal Recycling Services ....................................... 40 Callie Martin and to research volunteers Michelle Marquardt and Ruth Taylor. Recycling at Public Events ................................................................ 40 Skagit County Recycling Resources .............................................. 42 Hazardous Waste Guidelines ........................................................... 43 Paint Disposal .......................................................................................43 Waste Management Curbside Services ....................................... 44 But, why bother?..................................................................................44 Waste Management Recycling Guidelines ................................. 45 Waste Management Yard/Food Waste Guidelines .................. 46 Part IV – Publications & Resources .....................................47-49 Glossary ..................................................................................................49 Notes ........................................................................................................50 04 i Recycle It Right! Part I Are you drowning in the waste stream of modern life? Whether faced with the byproducts of RECYCLABLE ITEMS COVID-19-induced closet cleaning or a desire to declutter and live with less, we’re all faced See Parts II-IV for specific outlet locations, hours, and contact info, with the challenge of managing the excesses of our lives. followed by helpful online resources and a glossary of terms. Beyond the Bin provides the resources and motivation to take charge! ANTIFREEZE Mt Vernon Develop the habits below to preserve limited resources, curb expanding landfills, slow marine Clear Lake Appliance & More Connection (working) pollution, reduce clutter-induced stress . and live more simply. Recycling & Compactor Site Clutter Cops Concrete Goodwill (small, working) Manage your resources to avoid waste. Here’s how: Sauk Recycling & Transfer Station Lautenbach Recycling • Refuse single-use materials and items destined for the garbage. Skagit County Lowe’s Skagit Building Salvage • Reduce your use of toxic materials and those with a limited lifespan. Household Hazardous Waste Facility Skagit Habitat Store (working) • Repurpose items creatively, finding new ways to re-use things that outlive their original ANTIQUES (See Thrift/Secondhand/Antique Shops) Online/Mail-In purpose. Call2Recycle • Recirculate unneeded, usable items by donating, selling, or gifting them. Shop for gently APPLIANCES (large & small) Craigslist (working) used items instead of buying new. Dishwashers, refrigerators, furnaces, etc.; Earth911 hairdryers, toasters, stick vacuums, etc. See Facebook (search “Skagit Buy, Sell, Trade”) • Re-imagine a world that makes the best use of our limited resources. Part II for each outlet’s acceptable items. Nextdoor • Recycle–as a last resort, returning materials to their original chemical components for Anacortes OfferUp future re-use or refashioning into new products. City of Anacortes Residential Clean Up Days Sedro-Woolley Kiwanis Thrift Shop (working) Sedro-Woolley Recycling Center (fee) Soroptimist Thrift Shop (small, working) Rita Street Appliance Recycling Thrifty Kitty (small, working) How to Use this Guide Skagit County Transition Fidalgo & Friends Fix-It Days (repairs) Puget Sound Energy (refrigerators & freezers) Part I - Recyclable Items – Find convenient outlets for those unwanted items in this alpha- Bellingham Skagit County & municipal recycling sites betized list of items and materials. Keep track of your favorites on the Notes page at the end JDog Junk Removal & Hauling (Mt Vernon, Sauk, Clear Lake) of this guide. Northwest Recycling Waste Management (curbside pickup) Puget Sound Energy Part II - Recycling/Re-use Outlets – Find here the addresses, hours, contact info, and useful Sanitary Service Company (SSC) details for the retailers and outlets listed in Part I. Burlington Avoid Wishful Recycling Part III - Municipal, County & Curbside Recycling Resources – Here are details for drop- Best Buy A clean stream of materials is essential to off and curbside pickup recycling services. Skagit Appliance Recycling recycling success. Place only listed, accepted Skagit Habitat Store (working) items in recycling bins. Recycling companies When in doubt, call ahead, details can change over time. Skagit River Steel & Recycling send truckloads “contaminated” with King County unacceptable items to the landfill–sadly, The Recology Store (small) thousands of tons of otherwise acceptable recyclables never see a second life. ii 1 AUTOS/VEHICLES/BOATS Online Skagit County Battery Recycling Anacortes ARC of Washington Automotive Kiwanis Thrift Shop CarDonationWizard.com (also, other vehicles, Recharge- Single- Button Outlets Lead-acid & watercraft) able Use cell* Bellingham VRLA only Craigslist Northwest Recycling Anacortes Earth911 Burlington Ace Hardware x x x small engine Larry’s Auto & Truck Parts Facebook (search “Skagit Buy, Sell, Trade”) City of Anacortes: Maintenance & Operations Dept x OfferUp Monroe Les Schwab Tires x Cascade Hauling & Recycling Washington Wheels for Wishes O’Reilly Auto Parts x Mt Vernon Snohomish Piston Service x McMillan Bros Auction AD Junk Solutions Burlington Skagit Habitat Store AutoZone x Skagit Valley College Best Buy x Home Depot x x Understanding Battery Types Les Schwab x Household batteries fall into two main types—rechargeable (or secondary) batteries and Skagit River Steel & Recycling x non-rechargeable (or primary) batteries. Within both categories, some are non-toxic and Concrete recyclable; others are toxic and must be disposed of as hazardous waste. A battery’s chemical Sauk Recycling & Transfer Station x x x content is marked on the battery itself. For recycling, separate and bag batteries according to Mt Vernon chart types. AutoZone x Safety: Batteries are a leading cause of garbage facility fires. Safely store and handle batteries Clear Lake Recycling & Compactor Site x x x for recycling. All lithium batteries must be taped on both ends as a precaution against sparking, Les Schwab x then stored in a plastic or cardboard box for recycling. Lowe’s x x Rechargeable batteries (Secondary) contain hazardous metals and should be recycled. These Office Depot x include: Small, sealed lead-acid (SSLA/SLA) gel • Lithium-ion (Li-ion) (tape terminals) • Nickel- O’Reilly Auto Parts x Cadmium (Ni-Cad/Ni-Cd) • Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) • Nickel-Zinc (Ni-ZN). Pacific Power Batteries x x x x Non-rechargeable, single-use household batteries (Primary) are non-toxic and Skagit County Household Hazardous Waste Facility x x x recyclable: Alkaline (AA, D-cell, 9v, etc.) • (LR) & zinc-carbon (ZnC) • Lithium (CR) primary (tape Walmart (kiosks at entry & automotive dept.) x x x ends) • Silver oxide (SR) • Zinc-air. Sedro-Woolley Button cell batteries (watches, hearing aids, remotes, etc.) must be recycled. Mercury button Car Quest x cells, however, are toxic and must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Les Schwab x Automotive batteries include Lead-acid • Valve-regulated lead-acid (VLRA). O’Reilly Auto Parts x Sedro-Woolley Recycling Ctr x x x Hybrid vehicle batteries: For recycling info, contact your hybrid car dealer or visit https:// greenbeanbattery.com) * Those button cells that contain mercury must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Do not drop off at these locations. Further info: https://www.batterysolutions.com/news/dispose-old-batteries-right-way/ “All About Batteries” at https://skagitbeaches.org/our-work/plastic-reduction.html