Orcas Island ExchangeOrcas Residents Supporting Health Care Workers
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is causing shortages of personal-protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers and hospice caregivers on Orcas Island. Some island residents have banded together and are actively working to help create solutions. When…
ORS/The Exchange Announces New Board President
Orcas Recycling Services (ORS)/The Exchange has elected Jim “Duff” Duffield as its new president of the board of directors. Duff replaces Tim Blanchard, who has served the board and ORS since its inception. Tim remains on…
Recognition by Zero Waste Washington
Orcas Island Recycling Services/The Exchange was recently recognized by Zero Waste Washington with a number of other zero waste movements across Washington State. Author Mariel Fernandez Thuraisingham writes: “Orcas Island Recycling Services and Exchange began as…
A (not so short) History of Compost
Prehistoric farmers discovered that manure from their domesticated animals – mixed with straw and other brush and crop residues – would gradually change into a fertile soil-like material that was good for crops. The practice of…
What’s Wrong with this Photo?
A photo taken earlier this month at the recycling wall area raises this question: A. Is it mixed, co-mingled recycling dumped on top of separated clean, dry, flattened, corrugated cardboard that has value; or B. Is…
Community Scaled Composting
Greetings All! This column is in support of ORS’s new endeavor into “Community Scaled” composting. To kick it off, three composting workshops were held around the island in September and October to introduce community attendees to…
Replace Plastic Wrap with Beeswax Wrap!
Board Member, Asifa Pasin has ran multiple successful Beeswax Wrap classes. This Workshop focuses on making your own reusable items from Beeswax! Replace all those zipped plastic bags with beeswax wraps, and beeswax sandwich and snack…
Step-by-Step to Recycling Plastics
The NPR recently published a helpful infographic on the in’s and out’s of plastic recycling. If you were not already aware, plastic recycling can be a little different from location to location around the state, and…
Upcoming Workshops at The Exchange
All Workshops are canceled until further notice. If you have an idea for a workshop, send it to info@exchangeorcas.org. We are open to any idea that encourages reuse, recycling, and remanufacturing.
Fall Great Islands Clean Up 2019
It was another successful Great Islands Clean Up! On September 28th (National Public Lands Day), all islands gathered from 10am – 2pm and cleaned up the roads and beaches in the San Juans. We killed it…
