Zero waste stations are a helpful component of diverting waste from the landfill
Thanks to our friends and partners at The Compost Fairy, we’ve been getting some hands-on experience with putting on events that- at least in theory- result in zero waste being sent to the landfill. We are excited to see more zero waste events popping up around town, so we thought we’d share a few tips for anyone who wants to jump in but isn’t sure where to start with their events.
- Tell your guests ahead of time: Include that your event will be zero waste in your invitations, promotional materials, and any emails you send out leading up to the event. Let your guests know that you want environmental sustainability to be a meaningful part of their experience!
- Talk to your vendors: If you have vendors or other outside participants, be sure to confirm that they are aware of your zero waste effort and be prepared to help them think through sourcing any alternative materials or coming up with creative solutions to issues they may encounter using only re-usable, recyclable, or compostable materials.
- Help your guests: Make sure guests know where to go to deposit their recyclables and compostables by having designated bins throughout your event space. The easier they are to locate, identify, and distinguish, the better. We love the bins that the Compost Fairy uses for the events they consult on!
- Help your guests some more: It can be very helpful to include visuals of the items that go into a particular bin. The larger and more specific, the better. For example, this is the sign we hung above our compost bins at this year’s Loving Local event.
- Really, really help your guests: Ok- we do not endorse guest harassment, but it can be very helpful to have a person or two in close proximity to each of your waste stations to help direct people, answer questions, and offer encouragement!
- Expect the unexpected: People will bring in candy and gum wrappers. Vendors will forget about that plastic packaging that can’t be recycled. The bathrooms will probably have trash cans. Remember that this process is still unfamiliar and messy for most people in Shelby County, and we are all bound to make some mistakes along the path to a cleaner, greener community!
Have your own tips about hosting a zero waste event? Let us know in the comments of our recent Project Green Fork Facebook post! Need help with a zero waste event? Contact the Compost Fairy at info@compostfairy.com.
Interested in sourcing your own zero waste stations? We recommend ClearStream Recycling Systems!