2nd Quarter (May) 2026 Enewsletter

May happenings

Zero Waste Washington drives policy change for a healthy and waste-free world. We envision a just, equitable, and sustainable future where we all produce, consume, and reuse responsibly.

Plastic Detox film showing

Along with our Plastic-Free partners, we are planning to show the new film from Netflix – The Plastic Detox – followed by a discussion. This brand-new documentary follows six couples with infertility issues who, guided by scientist Dr. Shanna Swan, drastically reduce their plastic exposure for three months to boost their conception chances. The film shows how endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) from plastics, such as BPAs and phthalates, impact reproductive health, linking them to lower fertility rates, hormone disruption, and other diseases. For people concerned about plastic, we have heard this film is a “must see”!

Please let us know your interest by filling out this quick form including your date constraints, so that we can email you a direct invite once the date and details are finalized: here

There is nothing like seeing a compost or recycling facility in action to really understand the issue!  To this end, we are looking at 3 tours for this summer or early fall. Each tour will include lunch and the tours are free:

• Industrial compost facility. See how food and yard waste get turned into healthy compost in short order, and especially the techniques used to remove plastic and other contamination.
• Mattress recycling facility. Over 90% of a mattress is recyclable!  And it is fascinating to see the innards of a mattress and how the various components get managed.
• Paint recycling facility. Latex paint can be easily recycled and the “new” paint is carefully matched really well to a suite of popular colors. These paints are sold at half the price at places like Habitat for Humanity and other locations.

Please fill out this form to indicate which tour(s) you are interested in.  We will use the responses to help set the dates: here

Come join members of our zero waste community as a group of volunteers to help build tiny homes at Sound Foundations, in the SODO area of Seattle. It is super easy (absolutely no skills are needed!) and pretty amazing to see the way they are made.

From a zero waste perspective, it is sad and important to note, that some of the most  concentrated load of plastic pollution in our stormwater runoff is contributed by encampments. This is because there is a lack of solid waste containers and infrastructure ….and much of the food handouts come in plastic. Tiny home villages are a step in helping address this challenge. And a step towards permanent next housing and support assists for the residents of the villages (average stay is 3-6 months).

Please fill out this form to indicate if you are interested in joining our group. We will provide lunch. You can come for 1 hour or up to 5 hours. We will use the responses to set the date for our volunteer day: here

This summer, we need help with easy detective work related to the effort to ban plastic bags at checkout. It is time to truly shift to “bring your own,” with paper bags available when needed. We need some specific data to help make the case in Olympia (next January).

If you are interested in helping with this mini-research project across the state, please contact Heather at heather@zerowastewashington.org. It will take less than 5 minutes and would be when you are at the stores where you usually shop. It is just a quick thing  …Easy to fold into your regular activities when you are out and about running errands.

And as you likely know, the BIG opportunity to Give happens on May 5, 2026 this year.

Zero Waste Washington’s commitment to tackle the toughest waste, recycling, plastics, toxic chemicals and consumption issues is stronger than ever. Together with all of our members and partners, we work tirelessly to drive policy change for a healthy and waste-free world. You can help us reach our goals in 2026 and beyond!

Click this link to donate: https://www.wagives.org/organization/zero-waste-washington-1

Thank you so much for your gift.