Let's have fun with less trash!

As I was walking to the 54th Pier on the Hudson River for a Big Band Swing event, I had to stop myself from collecting lemonade plastic cups from the Target High Line Street Festival. After all, those corn-made compostable cups were the focus of my attention during three-hour volunteering with the CENYC Office of Recycling Outreach and Education (OROE) earlier that day.

The idea was to make this public event as trash-free as possible. The event producers, The Usual Suspects used biodesel generators to power the event. With OROE's assistance, they agreed with the vendors to offer/sell their goodies - including the delicious lemonade - in compostable plastic- or paperware. At the event, OROE encouraged people to dispose of it in specially designated bins, which were then taken to the composting sites by a private hauler, Action Carting. According to Rebekah Sale, OROE's Public & Special Events Recycling Coordinator,

The event was huge success from a waste management point of view. A few bags of trash and dozens of bags of recyclables and compostables were collected from all the recycling stations for the entire day. This was the first large scale low-waste street event in the City.

Overall, I was overwhelmed by the total amount of garbage created by a public event in New York. This particular one was much more environmentally-conscious due to the organizers' special efforts. I rarely see recycling bins at public events or street fairs, although the law requires it. In addition, people, including myself, are still pretty confused regarding recycleble garbage. To learn more on what is recycled in New York, check this site regularly.

Photocredit: laverrue@ CC