Achieving Zero Waste at events
GLEE held its 2nd annual Green Living Awards last weekend. With all the recent attention on recycling and GLEE out in the forefront of the discussion, we felt we had to walk the walk when it came to reducing waste at our own event. We decided we would strive not just to reduce, but to be a Zero Waste event. This concept is gaining favor across the country in places like San Francisco, Austin, Texas and many other cities that have adopted Zero Waste policies.
So how did it go? The event hosted about 150 people, with food and drink served. I’m happy to report that at the end of the night there was nothing thrown in the trash. Zero. In fact, there were no trash cans displayed because there was no need. How did we do this? With some proper planning, commitment to the 4 Rs of reduce, reuse, recycle and rot, and diligence to ensuring the plan was executed.
We set up a “Zero Waste Station” with a sign to reflect that. The station included these components:
- Re-use (a big sign specified which items should be placed there)
- Cloth napkins were collected for washing and reuse.
- Plastic plates were collected and washed for reuse. We opted for plastic that could be reused (we figure they have a lifespan of at least 3-4 more uses) over paper plates, which are too dirty to recycle after being contaminated with food.
- Trays for donated food (thank you Blue Heaven, The Café and Kelly’s) were washed and returned to the restaurants.
- Biodegradable cutlery was used. It was washed and can be reused many times. I have an ongoing debate with myself about bioplastic “compostable” products in the Keys. For any use where there is threat of the product ending up in the ocean (boats and businesses in close proximity to the water), the choice is clear for biodegradable over plastic. Plastic and Styrofoam live forever in our oceans, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces that fish and marine life mistake for food. They end up starving to death with full bellies. Yuck. When it comes to an event like ours, well protected from the ocean, I favor recyclable or reusable materials over biodegradables because the fact is that “compostable” cups and cutlery must be composted at a commercial compost facility where temperatures reach 140 degrees. We don’t have such a facility (yet.) So, the only option for these compostable materials is to put them in the trash. This is not a good choice in my opinion.
- Recycle (again, a sign specified which items should be placed there)
- Recyclable cups (#1 PETE plastic) for wine, beer and soft drinks
- Bottles and cans
- Plastic bags from ice, cups and plates were saved to be taken to Publix, where they can be recycled
- Rot (a sign directed people to put their food scraps here)
- For demonstration purposes, I brought my Enviro-cycle compost tumbler for people to put their food scraps in. It generated lots of questions about how it works and I was able to explain my own composting challenges and successes. An added advantage of this station was that the dishes to be washed were already scraped mostly clean of food.
Is achieving zero waste more trouble than simply filling trash cans and sending it to the land of away ? Sure. Did everyone comply with the “rules” ? No, even with proper signage, old habits die hard. We had to do some monitoring and separating. But they did pretty well. And I’d like to think that as more and more event organizers make the effort to work towards zero waste, the guests will start paying attention and catch on.
It feels good knowing that the Key West Botanical Gardens wasn’t left with our trash to deal with and pay for hauling it to the incinerator. We filled one of their recycling bins about half full and the rest of the stuff went home with us. With all the special events in the Keys, imagine if all of them made an effort to truly reduce waste. Zero Waste Fantasy Fest, how about it?
For more information on zero waste, visit www.grrn.org/zerowaste. There is a technology being used by agriculture, resorts and wastewater utilities around south Florida called in-vessel electric composting which composts food and yard waste, paper products, even sewage sludge and dead chickens – in three days! This technology saves thousands of dollars on trash disposal, and creates a useful soil amendment to be used in landscaping and gardens. The composter will be on display at the GLEE Expo at Marathon High School on March 28th. Check it out.