Where to Take Unwanted “Stuff” in Kitsap County

Some neighbors and I were recently talking about where to donate items we no longer need/want and how helpful it would be to have a resource guide of places that accept various items. After searching online and not finding what I was looking for, I decided to create my own.

There are a number of places where you can simply drop off pretty much anything you want to get rid of; however, this list is a bit more curated. I’ve tried to include locations that I feel benefit the community and the environment based on my research and/or experiences. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and if you have had good experiences donating or recycling at a specific location, please share it with me so I can update this list.

There is no question that we, as a society, produce far more waste than is necessary. In a culture that normalizes single use plastics (like containers from prepared foods, take-out and convenience drinks) and promotes an expectation of “new is necessary” (new clothes, shoes, home décor, cars and toys for all ages), it’s no wonder we have significant waste. And while I’d love to say our household is zero waste, unfortunately reducing waste to that level is a real challenge and is impractical for many individuals and families. I believe it’s important that we each evaluate our purchase habits and make decisions that encourage less waste as much as possible based on our own capabilities and needs. Even small changes go a long way. And when possible, we can help our unwanted items have a second life, oftentimes to the benefit of others.

• Barter in Kitsap – This Facebook group provides a forum for people to share items. Have something you no longer need? Swap it for something you want!
• Buy Nothing Groups – There are a number of Buy Nothing groups on Facebook. Look for the one that is specific to your local area. These are the ones I’m aware of: Kitsap Buy Nothing, Bremerton Building Community: Buy Nothing, Buy nothing Gig Harbor, KP, Olalla & Port Orchard, Buy Nothing for all of Bremerton.
• Plant Swaps – Gardening is all about sharing! Plant swaps are a great way to meet new friends, add plants to your collection, and share plants that are ready to be divided. Here are the local plant swaps I’m aware of: Poulsbo Plant Swap, Gig Harbor Plant Swap, La La Land of Olalla Plant Share. Kitsap Gardeners Trade isn’t a plant swap event but is a great place to share wants/needs with other gardeners.

Adults & Teens

• Second Season Thrift Store (Poulsbo) – This resale shop accepts “better-quality” clothing, accessories and housewares to benefit Fishline, “a North Kitsap hub that provides food and access to resources that offer stability, improve health and well-being, and help people onto a path to self-sustainability.”
• New Beginnings Closet (Bremerton) – Accepts clothes, shoes and children’s items. All items are available at no charge to “customers.” Items can be dropped off at the closet location during donation drop off hours. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can join the Facebook group, post the items you have to donate and then arrange for pick up directly with the interested person(s).
• Coffee Oasis (multiple locations) – In need of clothing and supplies for homeless and struggling teens. Common needs are clothing, shoes (especially waterproof), socks, coats/jackets, tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, track phones with donated minutes and foods (individually wrapped snacks, pop-top soups, instant drink powder, and PB&J. Go to the bottom of the link to see specific needs for each location. Due to limited space, Coffee Oasis asks that you contact a Youth Program Manager before dropping off items.
• Abraham’s House (Bremerton) – This charity accepts clothing, which it gives away to those in need.
• American Cancer Society Discovery Shop (Silverdale) – This resale shop accepts clothing, accessories, jewelry, artwork, antiques, collectibles, furniture, and other household items. Sale of the items benefits the American Cancer Society.
• St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store (Bremerton) – This thrift store accepts clothing, household goods, furniture and more. All items are sold at low prices, and low-Income clients can purchase items using vouchers provided. Profits fund the Assistance Office & Food Bank as well as the SVdP Shelter.
• Northwest Hospitality (regional) – This regional nonprofit works with the unhoused community in Kitsap. They offer a mobile closet that takes clothing, shoes, blankets, tarps, tents and other necessities directly to people in need. If you have items you’d like to donate, contact their director Anton Preisinger at anton@nwhospitality.org to make arrangements.

Children

• New Beginnings Closet (Bremerton) – Accepts clothes, shoes and children’s items. All items are available at no charge to “customers.” Items can be dropped off at the closet location during donation drop off hours. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can join the Facebook group, post the items you have to donate and then arrange for pick up directly with the interested person(s).

Pick up services might be available.

• Abraham’s House (Bremerton) – This charity sells antiques and collectibles to support the organization, and they provide household items and clothing to those in need at no cost.
• American Cancer Society Discovery Shop (Silverdale) – This resale shop accepts clothing, accessories, jewelry, artwork, antiques, collectibles, furniture, and other household items.
• Habitat for Humanity Store (Bremerton) – Accepts furniture, building materials, appliances and housewares that are available for sale to the public to raise funds for the organization. They also accept metal for recycling as well as some electronics. Pick up services might be available.
• St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store (Bremerton) – This thrift store accepts clothing, household goods, furniture and more. All items are sold at low prices, and low-Income clients can purchase items using vouchers provided. Profits fund the Assistance Office & Food Bank as well as the SVdP Shelter.
• Port Orchard Helpers (Port Orchard) – Every year, the PO Helpers host a massive yard sale to benefit their selected charity of the year (changes each year). Check their Facebook page for details on accepted items. Most home items, tools, and accessories in good condition are accepted. Drop off is at SE Bailey LN in Olalla during their designated drop off days, or call/text Michael directly at (360) 440-9082 to schedule a different day.

• Many art galleries appreciate the donation of clean bubble wrap that they can reuse to wrap delicate art pieces. Give them a call in advance to see if they’re interested. I’ve never had a gallery refuse my offer of clean bubble wrap.

• Many people depend on firewood as their only source of heat in the winter. Firewood can be donated to Fishline; contact info@fishlinehelps.org to learn more.

• New Beginnings Closet (Bremerton) – Accepts clothes, shoes and children’s items. All items are available at no charge to “customers.” Items can be dropped off at the closet location during donation drop off hours. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can join the Facebook group, post the items you have to donate and then arrange for pick up directly with the interested person(s).
• EBC – West Sound (Bremerton) – I’m actually not familiar with this organization, but they accept children’s clothing and shoes (through Age 7), as well as toys, books, baby gear and maternity clothing.

Most animal welfare organizations are happy to accept used bedding (nothing too large), towels, toys, bowls, harnesses/leashes/collars and crates/carriers in good condition. Many will accept medications and opened food bags as long as they are not expired and are in their original packaging.

Contact the organization to determine their needs. While many places will accept medications, unless they have an animal that actually needs the medicine, it could expire before ever being used. I prefer to find an organization that has an animal in their care who is currently taking that medication to ensure that it gets used.

Many food banks offer pet food and supplies, and some animal rescues offer a pet pantry for community members in need. Food and supplies that the rescue can’t use will be shared with the pet pantry.

• The Kitsap Humane Society lists the items they need on their Donate Items page.
• The Humane Society of Mason County doesn’t have nearly the resources that Kitsap Humane Society has, so they’re one of the first groups I contact when I have things to donate. They often need puppy/kitten food and puppy pads in addition to the supplies listed above. Their office is located in Belfair. They don’t currently have a shelter and rely on fosters to provide care. We currently foster through HSMC and find it incredibly rewarding. They are my favorite local nonprofit to support!
• Melt My Heart Animal Sanctuary – This group provides sanctuary for a variety of animals, both farm and domestic. They take on a lot of pets with special needs, so if you have pet medications or prescription food, they’re a great organization to contact. Plus, if you’re within driving distance, they’ll pick up directly from you!
• PACK (People for Animal Care & Kindness) – PACK is based in Gig Harbor but works to support people and their animals all over our area. They primarily work in crisis situations, working with people who are unhoused or struggling financially, covering the cost of medical procedures, such as surgeries, vet visits or humane euthanasia when needed. Donations can be dropped off at Lucky Dog Outfitters in Gig Harbor. Occasionally PACK will have specific needs, such as a sleeping bag for an unhoused friend and their pet. Their Facebook page will list these items when needed.
• I’m not as familiar with these groups, but you may also want to contact these nonprofits to see if they have a need: PAWS of Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap and Kitsap Animal Rescue & Education (KARE), and Paws of Bremerton.

• Sleeping bags, tents, tarps, backpacks – Northwest Hospitality or Coffee Oasis
• Track cellphones – Coffee Oasis
• Cellphone charger blocks and cables (micro USB and C-type USB) – Coffee Oasis
• Basic Needs Items – Northwest Hospitality, Coffee Oasis and Fishline are often looking for soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc.
• Medical and Mobility Aids – crutches, wheelchairs, shower seats and more can be donated to KC Help. Like a medical lending library, this group loans the equipment to community members in need at no cost!
• Eyeglasses – Donate eyeglasses in good condition at most optometrist offices as well as stores that sell eyeglasses.

• Garden Produce – If you have excess produce from your garden or fruit trees, a good place to donate is to Kitsap Harvest. Drop off at one of their Donation Stations or contact them to request a team of gleaners to harvest for you. Fishline also accepts fresh produce from the garden.
• Non-perishables – If you have items in your pantry that haven’t expired and you no longer/need want them (or if you want to purchase specifically for this cause), you can donate them to: Fishline, Central Kitsap Food Bank, and Bremerton Foodline. Coffee Oasis is always looking for snack bars, hot drink powder packets and the makings of PB&J sandwiches.

Recycle information page for Kitsap County

Includes appliances

• Soda/beer cans – Donate to Melt My Heart Animal Sanctuary. Contact them and they’ll come by and pick up when you have a large amount. They recycle them to support the organization.
• Habitat for Humanity Store (Bremerton) – pick-up services might be available
• Linden Salvage & Demolition (Belfair)
• Olympic View Transfer Station (Silverdale) – metal pieces can be placed in the metal recycling bin

• Habitat for Humanity Store (Bremerton) – items accepted might be limited
• Goodwill (Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard)

• First try to re-use (or donate to someone who can re-use, see above), but if needed, you can recycle bubble wrap in the plastic wrap recycling bins at Walmart and other stores where plastic bags are recycled.

• Some clothing and shoes are beyond use and are more suited to recycling/repurposing. Donate your holey, stained and no-longer-wearable clothing, shoes and other fabrics to The Arc of the Peninsulas, serving those with developmental disabilities. Textiles can be dropped into the Arc collection bins at county waste facilities. Items should be dry and have no mold on them.
• Goodwill (Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard) also accepts worn out clothing and shoes for recycling/repurposing.

• Styro Recycle (Kent) – It’s a bit of a drive but worth it if you’re able to save up a car-load of Styrofoam. Open during weekdays only. Free to drop off clean Styrofoam (tape must be removed). They provide a good example of what they do and don’t accept on their What We Accept page.
• Kitsap County Recycling Events – Periodically (typically twice a year) you can find a Styrofoam recycling collection event somewhere within Kitsap County. They’re typically posted on the Sustainable Bainbridge site, though they don’t necessarily take place on Bainbridge.

• Unfortunately shredded paper can cause damage to the recycling sorters and therefore can’t be placed in curbside recycling or even in the paper recycling bins at the county waste facilities. Instead, you can take shredded paper to a local drop off location for a fee or attend a free community shred event. In both situations, the shredding company will shred the papers for you. As an alternative, you could consider starting a vermicomposting bin. While I prefer to feed my worms newspaper, brown packing paper or cardboard, you can feed them shredded office paper as long as it isn’t glossy. Read about my experience starting my Subpod vermicomposting system if you’re interested in giving this a try.

• Melt My Heart Animal Sanctuary – They use newspapers for the small animals in their care. Contact them and they’ll come by and pick up when you have a large amount.
• Gardeners – A lot of gardeners use newspapers for weed suppression. Ask around to see if any of your friends could use the newspaper before tossing it in the recycling bin.

• Most plant nurseries have a bin where plastic pots can be deposited and available for other gardeners to pick up for free.
• Bay Hay & Feed on Bainbridge is the only nursery I know of that will recycle your plant tags.

• TerraCycle Recycling Programs – TerraCycle is a company that is able to recycle items that are typically not accepted at local recycling facilities. They accomplish this in partnership with various product brands that cover the cost of the recycling process. The process for submitting your recyclables is convoluted and annoying but it’s worth looking into, particularly if you regularly use a sponsoring brand that can’t be recycled locally. How does it work? Go to the TerraCycle Free Reycling Programs page. There you’ll find a list of brands that offer recycling through TerraCycle. Some brand-sponsored programs will only accept their items, such as Brita filters and packaging. But other programs, such as Tom’s of Maine, will accept all brands of certain products, such as toothpaste, mouthwash, etc. First, create a free account with TerraCycle. Then, find a brand or product you wish to recycle and click to join the program. Some popular programs have a waitlist. Start saving your recyclables. When you have a large enough supply, go to your TerraCycle account and request a postage paid shipping label for that program. A few programs will send you an envelope to mail your recyclables back in, but most email you a shipping label to adhere to your own box. When ready, just drop in the mail. Be sure to only send items to TerraCycle that can’t be recycled locally.
• Ridwell – Ridwell offers two options for hard-to-recycle items. Their full-service subscription is only available in certain areas of Kitsap. Through this program, members receive a bin that sits outside their home and is regularly collected. Items accepted include clamshells, multi-layer plastics and plastic lids. You can choose a bonus item at each pick up, such as bread tags, bottle caps and prescription bottles. If the full-service option is not available in your area, or you want a less expensive option, you can instead use Ridwell Express. In this option, you’ll purchase a mail-in bag that you can fill with hard-to-recycle plastics. The current plastics accepted include snack bars, potato chip bags, coffee bags and more. Once the bag is full, just drop it off at any USPS location and Ridwell will send you another one. The cost for this service depends on how frequently you fill the bags. Order the Express bags online or locally at Good Stuff Grocery in Port Orchard.

You didn’t ask for it, but here are some of the things I think about before purchasing something.

• Do I really need/want the item? Sometimes we’re quick to purchase an item because it’s fun, cute, saves us time, etc. Can I make do with what I already have? Some items we only need for a short time. Can that item be borrowed/rented instead of purchased?
• Can the item be repaired? If I’m replacing a broken item, can the old one be repaired?
• Can I find a used version of this item? Check with your local Buy Nothing group (see above), Facebook Marketplace and craigslist. There are numerous resale shops in our area, including the ones listed above. Additional shops to consider include: REI (their garage sale includes used items), various consignment shops and some architectural salvage shops, such as Second Use, Earthwise and Ballard Reuse (located in Seattle and Tacoma). There are numerous topic-specific Facebook groups that offer items that are available, many of which are free. A few other Facebook groups to consider: ~Seabeck~Silverdale~Poulsbo~Bremerton~ FREE & BUY & TRADE & SELL!!!! ALL FREE Kitsap County Kitsap Sells Kitsap Farm and Garden ~ Buy Sell Trade ~ Kitsap County buy, sell, trade: No spam, no clothes. Gig Harbor Reclaimed/Surplus Home Building Supplies Sales
• Is the item well made and likely to last a long time? If it breaks in the future, can it be repaired? Are replacement parts available? Does the product offer a lifetime guarantee? Very few items offer a lifetime guarantee nowadays, but my favorite sock brand Darn Tough does (can you imagine SOCKS with a lifetime guarantee!). Here are a few other brands that offer true lifetime guarantees: Osprey, Nalgene, and LupinePet. There are more out there, but many only offer a guarantee on manufacturer defects and not normal wear and tear so do your research in advance.
• Can I buy it from “bulk bins” with no packaging? Many food items – nuts, flour, salt, beans, spices, coffee, and more – can be purchased with no packaging. Of course, you can use the plastic bags provided in the bulk bin section, but that’s unnecessary waste (although I sometimes get these and use them as dog poop bags). Instead, bring in your own reusable containers. Some stores even have shampoo, olive oil and cleaning supplies (to name a few items) available without packaging! Weigh your container before you fill it. Then, at check out, the cashier will type in the TARE weight so you only pay for the weight of your item and not the container.
• Do I use a large amount to justify buying in BULK sizes? I use a lot of beans, oats, nuts and honey. These are things I eat almost daily, and after comparing costs multiple places, I have found that it makes the most financial sense to purchase very large amounts from Azure, an online grocery store that makes free deliveries to Silverdale once a month. For a 25-pound bag of organic rolled oats, I can cut my cost almost in half by purchasing through Azure rather than my local store. Not everything is cheaper, so you’ll want to compare costs. I keep a list of the items I regularly buy and track the cost at various local and online stores to make sure I’m getting the best deal. Azure sells fresh produce, frozen foods, books, natural remedies, plants, canned foods and more, in addition to dry goods. How does it work? Sign up for an Azure account and select “Anchor of Hope” as your drop location (Silverdale). You have until the cut-off date to place your order, and even after you’ve placed an order, you can continue to add items to your cart until the cut-off. The cut-off is typically a Monday afternoon at the end of the month. Your items will be delivered to the Anchor of Hope Reformed Church in Silverdale later that week, typically on a Wednesday. The drop coordinator will email you when the drop will take place (when Azure confirms with her). Then you simply go to the church and pick up your items. If you can’t make the pick-up time, you can arrange an alternate pick-up with the coordinator. It sounds convoluted, but it’s actually pretty easy. Full disclosure: I receive a $25 credit with Azure if you sign up using the link above. I share this information, not to make any money but because I think it’s worth sharing. But if I’m going to provide you with a link to the site, I’d be crazy not to use the one that gives me a credit.
• Can I purchase the item locally to avoid shipping packaging? While a lot of shipping packing can be recycled or reused, it takes energy to recycle and re-make the packaging products. I recognize that online shopping is often easier than having to find something in a store. And some items simply can’t be found locally or are far less expensive online. However, purchasing items locally does support our local/regional economy. It’s possible to order online and pick up in the store in many instances. Just things to consider…
• Can the product packaging be recycled? I noticed that Kitsap County is no longer able to recycle milk/juice cartons but we can recycle plastic liquid containers. Because of this, I’ve switched the brand of orange juice I purchase. The cost for the new brand versus the old is fairly comparable and the juice tastes the same. Not only am I able to keep the container from going to the landfill, but I’m limiting the amount of garbage that needs to go into my small trash bin, which is only collected once a month.