Green Event Strategies

Transcription

1 Green Event Strategies This toolkit includes tips and strategies compiled from the 2016 Green Events Workshop to help county and park staff, along with city recycling coordinators, think through making their next event as low-waste as possible.

2 Recycling 101 Three common community events include parades, races and marathons. These gatherings cover a lot of ground, which means there s multiple challenges and opportunities when it comes to recycling. Recycling on a route - City of Rosemount You don t have to be a Leprechaun to know something about being green, but it helps! More than a dozen years ago the City of Rosemount started recycling at their annual summer celebration, Leprechaun Days. We re sharing some of their tried and true tips for how to efficiently recycle when your event is on the move. Challenges Much like a leprechaun hiding its gold, there are challenges along the way when recycling at parades: Lack of existing recycling infrastructure. Event takes place over a large area. Requires lots of containers. Requires quick set-up and take down. Lots of very small trash items, e.g., candy wrappers. May be concurrent with other events. Little or no control over the waste stream. All trash and recycling must be brought somewhere else. Parade recycling Here s a quick and easy checklist of parade recycling logistics: Include the parade staging area in your recycling efforts. Although it s the main gathering point before the official route begins, it can be an easy to miss spot if you re not thinking ahead. Pair trash and recycling bins at regular intervals along the route. The more bins, the easier it is for attendees to participate. Enlist volunteers to walk the route and collect recyclable items in rolling carts or bags. This helps address people who are willing to recycle, but don t want to lose their place or miss a float as it rolls by. Collect water bottles at the end of the parade route to help discourage throwing them in the trash. Conduct a waste sort immediately after the event to pull out any recyclables that ended up in the trash. Opportunities Collecting recyclable materials is a pot of gold of sorts, so stick with it the entire parade route: Recycling is becoming more common and accepted. The temporary nature of the collection bins helps reinforce the importance of recycling. Parade recycling is a good opportunity for large groups of volunteers. Parades have a start and end spot, where you can easily place large quantities of containers for collection. Promoting recycling along the route is as important as the actual amount of material collected. Make sure any materials advertising the parade state the goal is to have a lowwaste event and recycling will be taking place.

3 Races and marathons Here is a quick and easy checklist of race and marathon recycling logistics: Target your efforts based on the items provided, e.g., fruit, cardboard boxes from granola bars, plastic water bottles. Customize your messaging with signage targeting specific items you hope to recycle. Place waste stations at the start and end of the running route. Monitor the waste stations with volunteers who can help prompt people to place their items in the correct bin. Conduct a waste sort immediately after the event to help confirm the right materials are heading to the right place. Getting sorted materials to dumpster site. Preventing contamination once sorted materials reach dumpster site. Opportunities Successfully recycling at races or marathons can be your own personal best: Recycling is becoming more common and accepted. Cooperative race participants. Control over items provided, e.g., maximize recyclable or compostable items at aid stations. Waste stations are concentrated, so monitoring is easier. Races have a start and end spot, where you can easily place large quantities of bins for collection. Promoting recycling along the route is as important as the actual amount of material collected. Make sure any materials advertising the race or marathon state the goal is to have a low-waste event and recycling will be taking place. Organics 101 Organics are the next frontier of recycling. Forty percent of food in America is wasted, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Organics Organics are the portion of trash that can be composted, including food scraps, certain paper products and certified compostable products. Challenges Much like the race itself, there will be points where you might feel tempted to slow down: Lack of existing recycling infrastructure. Matching the number of waste stations to the size of the crowd. Event is spread over a long route. Collecting materials along the route. Runners and spectators come in waves. Monitoring waste stations. Consider the event. Will you have food served at the event either to attendees or staff and volunteers behind the scenes? If so, this is an opportunity to collect food scraps, napkins and compostable items. Plan ahead. Check to see if your hauler is prepared to collect organics or if you ll need to make arrangements to bring the materials to an organics drop-off site.

4 Work with vendors. Make sure your food vendors are prepared to serve food in certified compostable products and that event staff and volunteers know the event will be collecting organics. Logistics. It s also important to have enough waste stations with color-coded containers and clear signage outlining what items belong in which containers. An organics recycling container should be added to every pair of recycling and trash bins. Zero Waste 101 The term zero waste can sound intimidating, but it doesn t have to be. The following tips from Eureka Recycling will help you sort through the zero waste process. images of items you expect to collect, and make regular announcements reminding people what to do. Think through details of stir sticks or toothpicks, and other related items, e.g., stir sticks should be made of wood and toothpicks or sandwich picks must be made of wood and can t have the foil tops. Roles and responsibilities matter. Staff and volunteers need to know how to prep and set-up and monitor activity, verify vendor compliance and clean-up. Who, specifically, is managing vendor guidelines and compliance, and what are the consequences if vendors do not comply. How are you measuring the overall impact is it attendees or the weight or volume of trash, recycling and compost? Less literal. Zero waste doesn t mean there will be no waste whatsoever generated by your event today it means you are working towards a goal of zero-waste. Therefore everyone will be actively reducing waste, making it easy for event attendees to compost and recycle, and measuring your efforts, results and impacts. This will not only help you work towards zero-waste today, it will show you how to get even closer at future events. Community matters. Vendors are part of the community, and our communities increasingly want organics and zero waste options. Doing everything possible to make the compost clean means you will not be sorting through a pile of trash just to pick out straws, or other tricky items. In writing. Vendors should want to do the right thing, but certified compostable products can be more expensive. Ordinances and specific contract language help level the playing field. Remember Leadership support is critical, whether it is event stakeholders or the community insistence. Together we can make the event a success, but we need to support each other. Clearly communicate your intentions. Give people ample notice this is zero waste in advertising materials. Make sure you have detailed signage at your event with specific Challenges: The challenges are real, and include: People confusing recycling and composting. Certified compostable products (BPI, Cedar Grove) can be more costly. The right products to contain food are not always available in certified compostable versions. It takes extra time and labor to manage organics and recyclables at events. It s not always easy to get volunteers to signup, and training them in advance of an event can be difficult.

5 Opportunities: City ordinances leveling the playing field for all events and food vendors. Enforcing existing city or county ordinances at all events. Better labeling of products and packaging by manufacturers. Better certified compostable products less expensive, more options and accessibility. Zero waste works better at events with controlled entrances and exits, where no outside food or beverage is allowed in. Certified compostable Certified compostable materials must have either the BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) or Cedar Grove logo on it. Certified compostable materials can be purchased from the following sources: Hennepin County compostable bags and foodservice ware SelfEco Caterware Litin s Party Value Twin Ports Paper Three Rivers Park District Facility policies and vendor contracts Three Rivers Park District views every angle of their work through a green lens, making them a case study for how to holistically approach sustainability. Incorporating specific event recycling language into facility policies, contract language and guest communications serves as both an opportunity to reinforce their priorities and educate people about recycling. Facility policies Three Rivers Parks zero waste program asks all caterers to follow the zero waste initiative at the following parks: Baker National Golf Course Baker Near-Wilderness Settlement Lodge Bryant Lake Pavilion Cleary Lake Pavilion Eastman Nature Center Elm Creek Chalet Fish Lake Pavilion French Park Visitor Center Gale Woods Pavilion Hyland Hills Chalet Hyland Visitor Center Richardson Nature Center Silverwood Visitor Center At these facilities, failing to comply with the list of allowed and not allowed items may result in losing the damage deposit fee. ALLOWED Washable dinnerware, cutlery, glassware, linens and linen napkins. Compostable paper products, cutlery, drinkware, table coverings and napkins. NOT ALLOWED Single-serving bottles of water, juice or carbonated beverages in plastic bottles. Food served in disposable plastic or Styrofoam containers. Additionally, Three Rivers requires all catered events to select a vendor from their approved caterers list. Compostable products are available for purchase from Three Rivers, any of the approved caterers, or guests can find their own BPI or Cedar Grove certified products. Vendor contracts The following event-related language is incorporated into vendor contracts. 4a. Follow the zero waste initiative. The Park District is committed to lessening their impact on the environment by reducing the amount of waste generated at events by implementing a zero waste initiative. All approved caterers and guests are asked to follow the subsequent zero waste practices: The use of washable dinnerware, cutlery, glassware, linens and linen napkins. [AND/ OR] The use of compostable paper products, cutlery, drink ware, and compostable tables covering and napkins.

6 The use of carafes, pitchers, fountains, etc., for water or other beverages in lieu of singleserving containers of plastic and Styrofoam. Beverages cannot be served in plastic bottles, plastic cups, Styrofoam cups, or any other noncompostable products/materials. In addition, caterers are expected to: Sort compostable products and food waste into the appropriate onsite organics recycling containers and recycle all glass, aluminum, cardboard, beverage cartons, and unsoiled paper products. Provide single-serving meals or boxed lunches in paper packaging or materials that can otherwise be composted. Single-serving food portions cannot be served in plastic clamshells, Styrofoam clamshells, or any other noncompostable products/materials. The contract terms and conditions signed by park patrons also includes a reminder that Three Rivers Park District is committed to lessening our impact on the environment by reducing the amount of waste generated at events. Three Rivers provides park patrons with checklists including requirements that reinforce the allowed items and zero-waste suggestions with tips about reusing or reducing. Challenges Despite having supporting infrastructure in place, Three Rivers faced challenges as the zero waste program was rolled out. Specifically, they found it was important to make sure seasonal staff and caterers were educated about why the program was put into place and its purpose and goals. Event Recycling Ordinances Establishing a city ordinance is a powerful tool in the effort to increase recycling and organics collection at events. It allows you to create standards and set expectations for everyone involved. About the details Be specific. Account for all public events that happen in your community, from small gatherings to multi-day annual festivals. Consider events from every angle. Participants, spectators, vendors and sponsors all have different needs they are hoping to have met. An event ordinance could affect their overall satisfaction or willingness to remain involved. Include requirements. Clearly state your expectations for the quantity, size and placement of collection containers, as well as labels and signage. Indicate which events need to meet these expectations whether it s based on number of attendees, hours open, amount of waste produced or another standard. Guest Communications Education is key to implementing the zero waste program and empowering park patrons and their guests. Learn from other cities Many places already have event recycling ordinances. Take a look at what they require and see whether it is applicable to your city. City of Minneapolis Title 17 Section (parades and races) and Title 17 Section (large block events).

7 City of Saint Paul Title 29 Section 366A.13 (parades, races and public assemblies) and Title 29 Section (block parties and community festivals). Additional cities with event recycling ordinances that may be useful to you include Madison (10.056), Fort Collins, City of Seattle, City of San Diego and City of San Francisco. City of Minneapolis City ordinances and permits In 2013, the City of Minneapolis passed Title 17 Section as part of their streets and sidewalks ordinances, requiring all parades, races and large block events (more than 2,500 attendees per day) to recycle. This ordinance takes advantage of the Block Event Special Event Committee to review recycling plans for new events, very large events or events that had issues effectively recycling in prior years. All parades and races and large block events must submit a written recycling plan to the city in advance demonstrating how they will comply with the ordinance. This includes having a one-toone ratio of recycling to trash containers; signage directing patrons to recycle on all containers, permanent event entry points and all points of sale; and a location for separate collection of cardboard. Within 10 business days following the event, the permit applicant must submit a valid recyclable material processing facility weight ticket, photographs or other written evidence of the recycling being processed to the city. (Please refer to the following city web pages for more information: Parade Permit, Race Permit, Street Use Permit.) immediate consumption requires reusable, recyclable or compostable packing. Recycling or organics collection containers must also be provided to visitors at food establishments. Challenges The following challenges have arisen since the initial passing of the event recycling ordinance: Block event attendee count is too high. The threshold of 2,500 attendees per day is high, and means many smaller events aren t required to provide the same level of recycling services. City staff have recommended reducing the attendee count. Doesn t allow for a zero-waste event. The current ordinance structure would require a oneto-one-to-one ratio of garbage, recycling and organics collection containers to be in compliance. Garbage would also have to be the same sized container as recycling and organics. City staff have recommended there be an exemption to the ratio if a zero waste event plan is submitted and approved in advance. This would eliminate the need for trash or the same size trash container. Lack of information. Specifics about the recycling requirements are not included on city web pages or the permit applications. For example, the Business District Block Event Permit requires a map showing placement of recycling and garbage containers, but does not mention the waste plan that is also required. Not heavily enforced. Lack of staff attending events to verify compliance is difficult. Separate permitting processes. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has a separate set of event permits. More recently, the city passed an environmental packaging ordinance in April 2015 to address the large amount of non-recyclable packaging from food and beverages, which was increasingly making up a large portion of the city s waste stream. The ordinance bans the use of rigid polystyrene (e.g., StyrofoamTM) and requires all containers to be recyclable or compostable by April Additionally, food prepared for

8 County Resources Contact your county directly to learn more about what resources and assistance may be available to you. Anoka County Carver County and search event planning Dakota County and search event recycling Hennepin County hennepin.us/eventrecycling Ramsey County ramseyrecycles.com/eventrecycling Washington County Additional Resources Recycling has become relatively routine for most Minnesotans, but we all can use a little refresher from time to time. Check out Rethink Recycling s event guides: How to Host a Green Event Top 10 Tasks to Reduce Waste More Resources recycleminnesota.org mnarm.org