Recycling & Composting at Commonwheel Labor Day Festival 2010

Over a 3-day period 22 volunteers sorted refuse at one of  8 “Waste Stations” volunteering 87 hours. Volunteers ranged in age from 8 to 86! Our goal was to reduce CO2 emissions and return as much waste as possible to recovery systems.

RESULT: 2.2 Tons of CO2 Emissions Avoided

680 pounds of food scraps, paper, sugarcane or corn-based food service items was composted resulting in 631 lbs of  CO2 emissions avoided

Bestway Disposal recycled 900 pounds of plastics, aluminum, glass & cardboard = 631 lbs CO2 avoided

292 pounds of liquid (35 gallons) was recycled back to Waste Water = 330 lbs CO2 avoided

960 pounds of refuse went to the landfill (mostly heavy food service waste).

Total Pounds Collected – 2,832.  Thanks to the volunteers  66% of the total collection was diverted from the landfill.

This year we aimed at increasing our compostables and did so by an additional 140 pounds. That was accomplished largely by requiring food vendors to provide compostable service containers. Based on the data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), keeping organic materials out of the landfill and avoiding potent methane emissions is the quickest, easiest and cheapest first step for a community to immediately reduce its GHG emissions.

After two years we still have a lot to learn about changing human behavior and administering a truly Zero Waste Event. Yet a 66% success rate is a big step in the right direction and, thanks to the volunteers, we took a big step.

Thanks also to Bestway Disposal and BETTR Recycling for their valuable contributions.