Celebrate the coming of Fall with a Great Islands Clean-Up!

— from Orcas Recycling Services (ORS)–

Volunteers throughout the San Juan Islands will get together on Saturday, September 29th to participate in the third-annual Fall Great Islands Clean-Up (GICU). All over the County volunteers will be picking up trash on roadsides, trails and beaches.

The annual spring GICU has been happening County-wide since 2014, and has collected 5.27 tons of garbage on Orcas Island alone.

The Fall Cleanup was introduced to the program in 2016, when organizers realized that after the rush of summer, there was plenty more trash around that needed picking up. Last Fall, 35 volunteers on Orcas collected 540 pounds of trash.

This year’s turnout is expected to be even better—Island Market has challenged every business and organization on Orcas to put together a volunteer team bigger then theirs—and with pretty high stakes: “…bring more people than we do, and we will donate $500 to The Exchange and buy your whole team a round at the (Island Hoppin’) brewery afterwards!”

“I love this event!” said San Juan County Councilman Rick Hughes. “Its awesome how volunteers come together county wide to do this amazing service to the community.”

San Juan County Public Works helps organize the GICU, and supports the event financially with grant funds from the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Bags, grabbers, safety vests and latex gloves will be available to all volunteers the day of the event on Orcas, Lopez and Shaw. San Juan Island volunteers can pick up items at the San Juan County Public Works office on Spring Street during the week before the event. The festivities will commence at 10 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m. on all islands.

Please connect with your business, school, non-profit, service or neighborhood groups, family and friends and encourage them to volunteer!

Check the Great Islands Clean-Up Facebook page, at facebook.com/thegreatislandscleanup for regular updates or contact a specific island organizer for more information. If you choose to coordinate your own group, please let the island organizer know what area you are covering.

• Lopez Island organizers: Mike Moore, eroom@rockisland.com and Kirm Taylor at kirmant@gmail.com
• Shaw Island organizer: Stephanie Buffum at stephanie@sanjuans.org.
• San Juan Island organizers: Catherine Kenney at ckenney@islandersbank.com; Lesley Hambleden lesleyhambleden@gmail.com; Jana Marks (beaches) at jana@sanjuans.org.
• Orcas Island organizer: Pete Moe pete@exchangeorcas.org. Orcas volunteers will meet at the Village Green in Eastsound at 10 a.m. and are encouraged to head to Island Hoppin’ Brewery at 4 p.m. for complimentary snacks and a beer!
  _____________________________________________________________________________
  Orcas Recycling Services/The Exchange is a community-driven 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to: “Build a zero-waste community through service, education, and stewardship of our waste/resource stream.”
  Orcas Recycling Services/The Exchange has been in operation since 1984, managing the Orcas Island Transfer Station since September 2013, and operating a new Exchange reuse store since November 2017. www.exchangeorcas.org