Plastic Film Recycling program expands through new partnership

Published 1:30 am Monday, April 20, 2026

San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship, the Town of Friday Harbor, Valmark (Friday Harbor Marketplace) and community volunteers have joined forces to sustain the plastic film recycling drop-off program.

Since launching in July 2023, the program, which offers bins outside of Friday Harbor Marketplace for plastic films recycling, has diverted over 10 tons of plastic film from the landfill. Community response has been so strong that weekly pickups are now required to keep up with demand.

“This is a welcome problem,” Katie Fleming, Solid Waste program coordinator in San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship, said. “But it’s one that pushed costs beyond what the County’s Solid Waste Program could sustain alone.”

Rather than scale back or end the program, Fleming reached out to community partners at the Town of Friday Harbor and Marketplace for help. Each partner is now contributing in ways that play to their strengths — whether that’s covering transportation and disposal costs, providing financial support or handling the day-to-day work of managing on-site collection bins.

The bins in front of Friday Harbor Marketplace have been upgraded in size and are available to everyone to recycle their plastic films, bags, wrappings, etc. Residents of the Town of Friday Harbor have both the curbside pick-up and Marketplace bins as an option, while for county residents, the Marketplace bins are the only avenue for on-island plastic film recycling. The mixed recycling bins picked up curbside and processed by the transfer station only takes rigid plastics like plastic containers and bottles.

Mike Liptack, Public Works director for the Town of Friday Harbor, has been thrilled with the success of the town’s plastic film recycling, which began around the same time as the County’s. Theirs has consisted of a monthly pick-up from town residents, who have been provided a small bucket and instructions.

“It’s been a very successful program for us,” Liptack told the Journal. “In working with Katie, we realized they were struggling to pick up all the film there, we knew that townspeople were using the bins there as well and it is quick and easy for our team to pick it up! It was really a partnership with the county and town working together to solve a problem. We’re all in this together and are aiming toward the same goal.”

Valmark, known for their continued financial support of community endeavors and local nonprofits, immediately agreed to be a part of expanding the program rather than seeing it collapse due to lack of infrastructure.

“Friday Harbor Marketplace is proud to help support this useful program for the community,” Ashley Draffkorn of Valmark.

“This is exactly what community-driven environmental stewardship looks like,” Fleming said. “When grants and outside funding aren’t available, we look to each other.”

Residents can drop off plastic film, including bags, wrap and film packaging (in compressed bags no bigger than a soccer ball) at the collection bins located at the Marketplace in Friday Harbor. Contact Katie at 360-762-5821 or katief@sanjuancountywa.gov with any questions.