Mr2015.toward zero waste events.donovan final

Amy DonovanProgram Director

Franklin County Solid Waste Management District, Greenfield, MA

Toward Zero Waste Events

MassRecycle R3 ConferenceMarch 31, 2015

Commercial/municipal compost (“organics”) accepts ALL food waste, paper waste.

Martin’s Farm in Greenfield accepts from municipal drop off programs, schools,

markets, events, restaurants. Compost is happening in western Mass!

North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival:A Zero Waste Leader!• 10,000 attendees • Only 3 bags of trash!• 144 bags organics! That’s:

• 2.01 tons, or• 15.85 cubic yards

• Composted at Clear View Composting, Orange MA• 25 bags recyclables

• No bottled water sold: free water in dispensers, compostable cups

• Sells Greenwave utensils to vendors; encourages wooden utensils. Requires compostables.

• Volunteers stand at waste stations• Trash only available at porta-potties• garlicandarts.org/about/green-and-clean

• Loaned free to events within District (only)• Rented to non- District FC events• Springfield MRF: recycle bins

• Signs: Big Daddy’s Signs• Custom design:www.slideshare/AmyDonovan

• Tall sign stakes: corrugatedplastics.net

• Collapsible, lightweight bins by Numatech West fit in any vehicle:Lindac@numatechwest.com

• “Comp-Lete” compostable bags by Fortune Plastics (Mansfield Paper)

• Always group bins together

Other bin sources• Waste haulers (toters?)• Toters are hard to decontaminate or empty.• Attendees don’t want to touch lids.

• Borrow bins: colleges, schools, towns, SWDs, other events

Franklin County Solid Waste District: 22 towns

Franklin County Fair (25,000) Green River Festival (15,000) FC PumpkinFest (8,000) Heath Fair (5,000) Wormtown Music Festival Charlemont Reggae Fest Bridge of Flowers 10K Conway Festival of the Hills Mutton and Mead Franklin County Home Show Turners Falls Block Party Old Deerfield Craft Festival “The Judge” Cast/Crew meals

Franklin County Winter Fare Northfield Transition Town Picnic Old Home Days: New Salem,

Bernardston, Rowe, Wendell Sunderland Fall Festival Scarecrow in the Park Western Mass High School Cross

Country Running Championships Franklin Land Trust Bike Race ChiliFest Free Harvest Supper Iron Bridge Dinner (Shelburne Falls) Private events (grad., anniv. parties) Source to Sea Cleanup

30+ annual events borrow our materials: Green = events that compost (20)

Franklin County Fair: 55% (or 70 cu yd) of the Fair’s waste is now diverted from

landfill!50% savings: disposal costs• 22 waste stations, 50 additional recycle bins• 1.75 T composted, 16 cu yd recycling, 8 cu yd ($240)

returnables, 36 cu yd cardboard (Fair Staff)• MassDEP SMRP grant funded the stations in 2011

• 25,000 attendees• 4 day fair

• Falls under waste ban (more than 1 t/week)

•Managed by FCSWMD

• Stations are heavy: wind

• Greenfield DPW provides fifteen 95 gal. toters for recyclables storage; picks up (+25 huge bags) • DPW also provides OCC dumpster• Donations: tent, golf cart, lights• Vols. deliver and p/u 5 gal pails for vendor food/paper waste • Hose and drain essential

• Waste oil > rendering company• Agricultural wastes > farm• Vendors: maps, pre-fair letter

Recycling Tent, Equipment, Donations

• 75 volunteers, mostly HS students -Key Club, NHS. Comm Svc.• 4 hour shifts with 30 min break• Free admission, T shirt• Provide training, supervision, gloves, water, supplies• They walk around with carts and collect.• They love trash grabbers!

• Unger’s “Nifty Nabber,” $25

Recyclables storage

10 yard organics dumpster: donated by Triple T Trucking, 1.75 T goes to Martin’s Farm

Checking compost for plastic, foil etc.

Sorting recycling

Maintaining/washing bins

Trail Court Community Service crews:• wash bins • help set up for FC Fair

Metal stations stored at Fairgrounds

Green River FestivalBalloon and Music Festival15,000 + attendeesNational acts58% diversion rate50 recycle bins, 25 compost binsCompost dumpster

29 full bags of food and paper waste (2+ c.y.) Brings compostables to McCusker’s Market +Martin’s Farm Brings recyclables to town transfer station

Conway Festival of The Hills• Annual one day event: October• 26 bags of organics to Deerfield school dumpster• 12 bags of recyclables• Water station with paper cups, composted cups• Encourages reusable water bottles

Safety First!

First Aid area, cell phone #’s posted, one adult stays @ Recycling Tent

Gloves! Trash grabbers. Handwashing and sanitizing hands: every time gloves come off! Do not stick hands inside a container to press down on or dig

through waste. Carefully remove contamination from bins w/grabbers. Volunteers with wasp or bee allergies:

Use fans in sorting area to discourage bees from sorting area

Toward Zero Waste EventsAmy DonovanProgram Director, Franklin County Solid Waste Management District Member, Springfield MRF Advisory Board

50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301 (413) 772-2438, amy@franklincountywastedistrict.org

Springfield MRF Advisory Board's 2014 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Guide, online at: www.tinyurl.com/RRR2014

Recycling Works MA: www.recyclingworksma.com• Find a composter, estimate food waste, call for assistance, so much more!

MassDEP’s Sustainable Materials Recovery Program (SMRP) grants