Raffle Basket Finds a Home.

On July 27, 2020 at the Community Club House, Elaine Wojda of Sunset Bay won the coveted raffle basket filled with products that help avoid the use of single-use plastics and paper, and some totally no-plastic, no waste items. Examples of items included in the basket were the following: Sponges to replace paper towels , cloth napkins and rings to replace single-use napkins, shampoo in a metal container, wax paper bags to replace plastic bags, mesh bags to transport grocery produce, bamboo stick cotton swabs, biodegradable garbage bags, reusable metal “Solo cups”, laundry detergent sheets to replace liquid detergent in plastic bottles all inside a reusable shopping bag made from colorful single-use plastic packaging.

The raffle concluded the session entitled, What Can We Do This Summer and Beyond during which Hanford Baykeeper members exchanged information and suggestions with the attendees about how we can collectively and individually reduce, reuse and recycle plastics and other materials to help enhance and protect the lake and the bay area. There were members of both Hanford Bay and Sunset Bay present due to increasing interest in this important effort. One item of discussion was the ongoing concern about wind turbines being installed in the lake and the recent reporting that each turbine (which may be made of plastic) may shed 2-3 tons of microplastics into the lake during its service life. Another highlight was Anne Priore explained how we can benefit world-wide efforts to collect data regarding removal of plastics and other materials from bodies of water by using the Clean Swell APP.