Zero Waste Event Guidelines Created by the Environmental Action Council (EAC) Find us on LINK! 1
Step 1: Plan Ahead 1 Step 2: Organize for Success Zero Waste Event 2 Steps for Success Step 3: Bins & Labelling Step 5: Measure and Celebrate 3 4 Step 4: Engage 2
Step 1: Plan Ahead Planning a Zero Waste Event Think about the materials and products you plan to use at your event: How much waste do they produce? How can you make sure it s only recycling or compost? That s the Zero Waste goal! Pro Tip: check the Landfill list a few pages in and AVOID any of those items Assign members as trash talkers to inform about your Zero Waste event before, during and after. How it s run, what goes where, etc. 3
Organize for Success If catering, reach out to local businesses before ordering to discuss Zero Waste food transport & storage options and ask them to use compostable, recyclable, or reusable containers If purchasing, make sure all packaging is recyclable or compostable If serving food, save $$ and go Zero by borrowing Shareware from the Clark Sustainability Collab email CSC_Eboard@Lists.clarku.edu Step 2: Organize for Success Educate event staff about Zero Waste and 'What Goes Where 4
Step 3: Bins & Labelling Bins and Labeling Create a Zero Waste station (or two) at your event by labeling bins with signs that say Compost / Recycling Bins can be borrowed from the UC but must be returned right after your event is over. See the picture Or you can use whatever you ve got, even a box with a sign works! Make sure you and your event staff know what goes where and are ready to help others (Print the signs at the end of the Guidelines) 5
Step 3: Bins & Labelling Food and food scraps What goes in COMPOST? Paper plates, paper cups, coffee cups Napkins & paper towels Coffee grounds & tea bags Wood stirrers Sugar packets, paper tea packets Liquids, sauces, condiments Bio-based / compostable utensils Compostable wraps / bio-based cellophane Milk and juice cartons Waxed paper If it was ever alive, you can compost it! 6
Step 3: Bins & Labelling What goes in RECYCLING? Everything made of plastic, metal or glass Cans, Bottles Plastic cups Straws Jars Coffee lids, soda lids Plastic silverware Aluminum foil Foil pans and foil liners Plastic containers / lids / caps All hard plastics #1- #7 Everything EXCEPT soft, squishable plastic! 7
Step 3: Bins & Labelling What goes in PAPER? Clean, dry paper is recycled locally! Any CLEAN & DRY paper items without food or liquid remains Newspaper Copy paper, handouts Notebook paper Magazines Posters Crepe paper streamers Cardboard 8
Step 3: Bins & Labelling What goes in LANDFILL? Just AVOID these! No bin needed! **ALL SOFT, SQUISHABLE PLASTIC*** Styrofoam plates, cups and containers Chip bags Candy wrappers, granola bar wrappers Plastic shopping bags Plastic wrappers Thin plastic liners like in boxes Saran wrap STYROFOAM Plastic film 9
Step 4: Engage Engage Inform participants that this will be a Zero Waste event in your invites & posts It s OK to ask them to BYO plates, cups & silverware, or borrow the Shareware from CSC (CSC_Eboard@Lists.clarku.edu) Place a sign at the entrance of the event saying 'Welcome to a Zero Waste Event' Make an announcement about where stuff goes before the event starts and ask if people have questions people get excited about going Zero Your 'trash talkers' can remind participants during the event and even stand by the Zero Waste stations to help out 10
Step 5: Measure & Celebrate Post-Event Bring all the bags of compost and recycling to the University Center concourse, leaving them next to the large recycling container by the stairs If you borrowed any of the recycle, compost or clean paper bins from other rooms in the UC, make sure to put them back 11
Step 5: Measure & Celebrate Well done! Count how many bags are filled with compost and how many recycling! Those bags are reason to celebrate! Count how much landfill was produced during the event, with all your planning and following Steps 1 5 there should not be any Share your successful Zero Waste event results with members and attendees and in posts good news! 12
Compost 13
Recycling 14
Paper 15