Monday, August 30, 2010

A New Community Aspiring for Zero Waste


Zero Waste at The Island Gateway

“Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.

Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.

Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.”



Why is waste reduction important to the community of Bainbridge Island? 

It has everything to do with impact – our impact on the health of our natural and human environments. 

Kitsap County is producing over 215,000 tons of garbage per year.  Beginning at our homes and businesses, that garbage now goes through seven steps of pickups and transfers before eventually reaching the landfill.  Due to overcapacity and closure of local landfills, our garbage now makes a 300-mile train trip to the Columbia Ridge Landfill in Arlington, Oregon.  

All this movement of our garbage uses an incredible amount of fuel.  Further, we’re shipping our waste into another state and relying on a final destination for our garbage that already covers 687 acres of land (20 times larger than Kitsap Mall).

Every piece of waste created on Bainbridge Island has a long chain of reaction.  This is why the Island Gateway has joined the Sustainable Bainbridge movement in their goal of Zero Waste.

The Island Gateway community has committed to the goal of Zero Waste as set out by ZWIA, and we are finding innovative ways to make this new addition to the greater Bainbridge community a healthy, sustainable place for everyone.  

.......................

Every couple of days, over the next few weeks, we will post about a selected element of our Zero Waste program so that you can learn more specifically about how The Island Gateway community is aspiring to become a Zero Waste community.

....................... 

Click here to learn more about our Zero Waste goals and mission and download the PDF.