April 2025 ZWM Quarterly Newsletter

County of Marin, California sent this bulletin at 04/01/2025 07:30 AM PDT

Green Team Students at Miller Creek Middle School

Welcome to Earth Month! What Actions Will You Take?

Happy Earth Month! April is a time to reflect on how our daily choices impact the planet, and how we can make changes to reduce waste, conserve resources, and protect our environment. Small shifts in our habits can make a big difference! Here are five practical zero waste tips you can adopt this month (and beyond). Want to increase your impact? Chat with your friends about what new habits you’re adopting!

Skip Single-Use Plastics: Prevent microplastic pollution and landfill waste by keeping a reusable water bottle, coffee mug, and set of utensils with you when you’re on the go. Say no to plastic bags and bring your own reusable bag when shopping.
Compost Your Food Scraps: Composting is a simple way to reduce waste and give food scraps a new life as a nutrient-rich soil additive. Make sure all of your food scraps, yard waste, and paper towels go into your green curbside compost bin. (Don’t have a green compost bin? It’s the law to have access to one at your home, apartment, or business!)
Shop Secondhand: From clothing to furniture to electronics, buying used helps keep items out of landfills and reduces demand for new products, which saves energy, resources, and emissions from production. Check out local thrift stores, vintage shops, or online secondhand marketplaces.
Repair Before You Replace: Whether it’s mending a piece of clothing, fixing a small appliance, or patching up a piece of furniture, choosing to repair keeps useful materials out of the landfill. Learn basic repair skills like sewing buttons, patching clothes, or fixing small appliances. Zero Waste Marin will be hosting repair fairs throughout Marin County in 2025 — check out the upcoming events: https://zerowastemarin.org/2025-repair-fairs/!
Buy in Bulk: Buying in bulk allows you to avoid excessive packaging and minimize the amount of single-use plastic waste. Look for bulk refill stations for items like laundry detergent, soap, and cleaning supplies. (Check out a list of refill options in Marin here: https://zerowastemarin.org/zero-waste-at-home/).

Every small action we take adds up to a big collective impact. Reducing waste, extending the life of products, and minimizing our consumption are powerful ways to protect natural resources and combat climate change. This Earth Month, challenge yourself to adopt one (or more) of these zero waste habits and inspire others to do the same!

Celebrate Earth Month At An Event!

Check out these community events happening around Marin to celebrate Earth Day and sustainability! Don’t see an event here that you’d like to see on the ZWM Events Calendar? Send us an email at zero.waste@marincounty.gov.

Date	Time	Event	Location
April 5^th	10am – 1pm	Repair Fair & Clothing Swap	Sausalito City Hall 420 Litho St
April 23^rd	2pm – 5pm	Earth Day Changemakers	Mill Valley Community Center 180 Camino Alto
April 26^th	10am – 12pm	Give & Take Clothing Swap	Christ Presbyterian Church 620 Del Ganado Rd
April 26^th	2pm – 4pm	Plant & Seed Swap	Fairfax Public Library 2097 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
April 27^th	10am – 3pm	Re-Loved & Re-Sourced Market	Mill Valley Community Center 180 Camino Alto

Tips to Celebrate Earth Month

Remember Your Reusables!

Zero Waste Marin has launched a new campaign: BYOCup! We are handing out window decals (pictured right) to businesses to help remind customers at bring their own reusables. We are also handing out counter cards that can be placed next to the register to remind customers to ask for their food "for here" if they are planning to stay for awhile.

Want to see one of these stickers or cards at your favorite local business? Suggest a spot to zero.waste@marincounty.gov!

Honor the Earth on Earth Day and every day!

Share Your Efforts With Your Community

In the grand scheme of things, it is easy to wonder if our individual actions make an impact on the global scale. However, we can scale up the power of individual actions by inviting our friends and community members to join in with us.

This Earth Month, we encourage you to discuss the actions you are taking to reduce environmental impact with friends and family. Maybe you tell them all about the cool item you found at your local thrift store, the delicious plant-based recipe you just tried, or how you've recently committed to ordering less online. Whatever you're trying, sharing your efforts with your community can help inspire others to make a change too.

Thank you for receiving updates from Zero Waste Marin.

Please share this newsletter with anyone you think would be interested in keeping up with our waste reduction efforts!

				Not all events are sponsored by the County of Marin. County of Marin sponsored events are required to be accessible. If you are a person with a disability and require an accommodation to participate in a County program, service, or activity, requests may be made by calling (415) 473-4381 (Voice), Dial 711 for CA Relay, or by email at least five business days in advance of the event. We will do our best to fulfill requests received with less than five business days’ notice. Copies of documents are available in alternative formats upon request.
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