Waste Wise program offers composting, recycling tours in Stanwood-Camano

Eight community members from Island and Snohomish counties stood Thursday, April 16, on a ridge overlooking the Lenz Enterprises Stanwood composting facility.

With a view of the Olympic Mountains in the background and eagles flying overhead, a 100-acre operation could be seen from above.

Piles of processing and finished compost emitted steam while Waste Wise trainees and Climate Steward Program members listened to Vice President and General Manager Jason Lenz talk about the process of taking residential compost and turning it into the various types of soil the company supplies out of its facility.

Lenz fielded questions from attendees about sanitation and emissions, detailing the facility's processes for eliminating volatile organic compounds from the materials it brings in.

The field trip was the first of many this spring for the trainees involved in the Waste Wise Education program through the Washington State University Island County Extension.

Other field trips, happening regularly until the end of May, will take trainees to multiple facilities and businesses working to increase sustainability in their communities.

Program Coordinator Heather Vitiaz said these field trips serve as an opportunity for Climate Stewards and Waste Wise trainees to learn by understanding the positive implications and challenges of processes such as commercial composting.

Vitiaz said she tries to match field trips to the topics covered in that week's class. On Monday, April 27, they'll cover food waste.

The following week, on May 4, the class will tour the Stanwood Camano Food Bank. Vitiaz said the food bank has a very efficient system, producing little waste.

There will then be a field trip to the Stanwood Thrift Store, a funding source for the food bank, on Monday, May 18, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Trainees will learn about donation and waste management systems at the thrift store, which Vitiaz said can help them understand sustainable purchasing options.

Waste Wise training also focuses on building understanding about the process of waste management. In Snohomish County, for example, this looks like transporting waste to Roosevelt Landfill in southwest Washington along the Columbia River.

Vitiaz said she wants members of the program to be aware of the problems that this type of waste management can carry - landfills eventually running out of space, the amount of gas it takes to transport the waste, and more.

The hope, Vitiaz said, is that people in the Waste Wise program will use what they've learned to not only change their daily habits but also educate others to change their habits as well.

"When in doubt, people throw it out, and I kind of wish, when in doubt, they would check it out," Vitiaz said.

Another tour, happening on May 28 from 1-3 p.m., will be at the Cascade Recycling Center in Woodinville.

Tours such as this help people understand what kinds of materials are recyclable and what kinds aren't, Vitiaz said.

It can also be eye-opening, she said, for Waste Wise trainees to see what other people put in their recycling bins.

Vitiaz used to work for Waste Management and said she has seen items from shoes to diapers to dead animals end up in recycling facilities.

She attributed some of the misplaced materials to "wishcycling," which happens when people throw non-recyclable materials into recycling bins, hoping someone else will take care of them.

Many of the Waste Wise program participants are retirees. Vitiaz said older participants express concerns about the world they will be leaving behind for future generations. Others are simply interested in lifelong learning.

Classes run every Monday until May 18, from 4-6 p.m. The course fee is $50 for new members, with a $5-10 suggested donation for those who have taken the course in the past.

The WSU Extension will be hosting sessions at the Camano Island Homestead Fair on Saturday, May 16, at the Camano Island Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There, attendees can learn about practical steps to live more simply and sustainably.

Field trip dates and times vary. More information can be found on the Waste Wise website.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 5:56 PM.