Langley, WA—On Saturday, November 9, 2024, rePurpose Whidbey, a local grassroots zero waste group, will be hosting a grand opening of its new Reuse and Recycling Center at the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds.
The Whidbey Island Fairgrounds community is a place for economic development, small business incubation, and local events. Bringing rePurpose Whidbey into the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds and Port of South Whidbey space will be a chance to support the efforts of rePurpose Whidbey, but also importantly, an opportunity for the Fairgrounds community to become more mindful of our impact on the Port of South Whidbey, Whidbey Island, and the land we live on.
“I’m ready to learn how the Fairgrounds can reduce waste and continue to serve our community in new and creative ways. The Whidbey Island Fairgrounds is a great place for these relationships and networks, while providing a growing range of services and small business opportunities to South Whidbey. rePurpose Whidbey is bringing something we’ve been missing and we are very excited to see what we can accomplish together, explained Amanda Ellis, Port of South Whidbey, Fairgrounds Director.”
rePurpose Whidbey and Washington State University (WSU) Waste Wise of Island County have been at the center of a cultural change seeking not just to reduce the amount of trash that Whidbey Island generates, but to abolish it through innovative, community-driven, and hands-on zero waste programs, education and events.
Now with more than 150 members, rePurpose engagement has more than quadrupled in just one year, and processes and keeps several hundreds of pounds of local materials out of the landfill every month. This is important because our Whidbey Island trash system creates hazardous air pollution by transporting tons of material 400-miles away to the Roosevelt landfill at the southern border of Washington. So when we refuse, reduce and reuse, we are taking important steps that impact our environment.
The organization started membership drop off events of reusable and hard-to-recycle items at the small back room of the South Whidbey Commons Cafe & Books, and then moved them outside to the South Whidbey Community Center. The fairgrounds space in part of the Coffman Building and two double food booths will more than triple the indoor space for their efforts. rePurpose values the historical and community importance of the Whidbey Island Fair and will move out of the new space according to the fairgrounds needs such as the Country Christmas at the Fairgrounds in December and the Whidbey Island Fair in July.
“This move to the fairgrounds is significant for our organization and the community. Now we can display and share the reusable materials we’ve collected over this past year. It’s a treasure trove for artists, families, educators and locals. We have everything from gift wrapping and packaging to art supplies and creative reuse materials. We see the rePurpose Reuse and Recycling Center as supporting a culture shift to reuse first before buying new,” according to Joan Green, co-founder of rePurpose who lives in Langley.
Education also plays an important role in this community change, explains Sarah Bergquist of rePurpose and WSU Extension Waste Wise, “It’s hard for people to understand the impact of their purchases, both upstream and downstream. When they toss things into the trash can, it becomes an out-of-sight, out-of-mind situation. By considering how we can manage our possessions, by reuse, or even better, refuse, and then recycle, we gain a better understanding of the impact of everything we already have or consider buying.”
Community members can come to the rePurpose Reuse Center events to gather reusable materials from 12 noon to 4 p.m. on most Wednesdays through December. Drop Off events for members are three days a month. All of these events are listed on the event page of the rePurpose website.
Community members can join rePurpose with a monthly membership fee on a sliding scale, or by volunteering a minimum of 2-3 hours per month, and enjoy a number of member benefits.
“The reuse and recycling program is an important step forward for our community. Instead of stockpiling all the recycling my household generates and processing it myself, I’m able to get the support of a community and an organization to make zero waste practices easier, while having the collective impact of knowing I’m doing this with scores of other people,” comments Derek Hoshiko, co-founder, rePurpose Whidbey who lives in Clinton.
The Saturday Grand Opening event is open to the public, and will be held from 1-4 p.m. at the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds in the Coffman Building. Guests can drop off up to 3 grocery bags of reusable and hard-to-recycle material, purchase reusable materials for a suggested donation of $10 per grocery bag, enjoy live music by Sage Hayes, refreshments, learn more about the program, participate in a zero waste activity, and tours the new space.
