In early November, DTG Recycle, a Pacific Northwest company with a facility in Woodinville that is “planet-obsessed,” dropped off a swing can. And over the course of a week, our local farmers collected 23 cubic yards of recyclable materials, primarily irrigation tubing, at no cost.

DTG is introducing a new, more flexible option called The Big Blue Bag, made from recycled plastic and 100% recyclable. It’s smaller and easier to maneuver than a swing can. We’ll be using this as an option for holding our hard-to-recycle items in between events.

As you can see, our event was successful in collecting hard-to-recycle materials. We’re learning more as we go. Next time, it may be easiest to create a pile of irrigation tubing for DTG to pick up with their grapple truck. If you have questions, ideas, or thoughts to share about recycling, please e-mail Kelly Rankich at KellyR@21acres.org.

If you have a project coming up (such as renovations or winter landscaping) and are interested in the Big Blue Bag, you can learn more here:
https://bigbluebag.com/how-it-works

About Kelly Rankich
Kelly is a Green LEED Associate and our Facility Manager. She helps operate and maintain our living laboratory for green building and supports our soil team, market, and various programs. She has a passion for sustainability and reducing her carbon footprint. She is a long-time Woodinville resident, raising her two kids in this community, and is enjoying not having a commute. She grew up on a small 6-acre farm in Wisconsin and completed her MS in Environmental Engineering at Washington State University. She is a proud WSU Snohomish County Extension Sustainable Community Steward. You may catch her giving a Green Building Tour, multi-tasking ten projects at once, or helping set up for an event. When not working, she enjoys the plethora of wineries in Woodinville, music, dancing, and yoga.