Zero Waste at Boston Local Food Festival! What’s a Zero Waste Festival?

The Boston Local Food Festival always aims to be a Zero Waste event. Zero Waste goes beyond recycling by maximizing recycling, minimizing waste, and reducing consumption. A Zero Waste Festival is an event that has 90% of waste recycled, reduced, or reused and has the least amount of impact on the environment.

We will do our part, our vendors will be doing their part, and we need you to do your part to ensure that we all succeed.

To achieve these goals, we are working with Save That Stuff (STS), one of the nation’s leading companies in Zero Waste services. STS set up Zero Waste waste stations throughout the festival, each with bins for compost, commingled containers, mixed paper, and trash.

STS believes that many of the materials in your trash should have many more lives. To learn more about Zero Waste and see what others are doing globally, check out the Zero Waste Fact Sheet.

Materials Targeted:

  • Compost: This includes food waste, waxed cardboard, biodegradable dishware, and PLA plastic cups.
  • Commingled Containers: This includes bottles, cans, and rigid plastic containers #1-#7 – but no Styrofoam.
  • Cardboard
  • Trash

How Vendors and Exhibitors are Participating

Vendors are required to:

  • Serve on biodegradable dishware certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute.
  • Use recyclable materials as much as possible.
  • Bring minimal paper and plastic waste.
  • Compost any food scraps.

Exhibitors are encouraged to:

  • Create interactive exhibits with minimal paper handouts.
  • Use recycled paper and materials.
  • Share ways to live lighter on the earth.

How You Can Do Your Part

Zero Waste Festival

  • Bring your own water bottle
  • Bring your own fork, spoon, cup, cloth napkin or handkerchief, and reusable shopping bag.
  • Recycle and compost everything you can.
  • Use public transportation, walk or cycle to the festival.
  • Volunteer and bring a friend to help us 1) post Zero Waste signage 2) collect cardboard from vendors and 3) monitor Zero Waste stations.
  • Tell your friends and spread the word!

If your interested in more information about it you can visit bostonlocalfoodfestival.com