ZERO WASTE EVENT: MILLION POUND PARTY The Million Pound Party is under a month away and as we put finishing touches on our preparations we thought it would be beneficial to share with you what it means to be a zero waste event. Zero waste is a shift away from the typical linear flow of materials towards “a more circular flow of materials – a cycle in which the value and useable life of raw materials are extended through reduction, reuse, recycling and composting” (Teton County Integrated Solid Waste & Recycling). The last resort is a landfill. Did you know that the three words “reduce, reuse, and recycle” are actually listed in order of importance for reducing waste? Zero waste events plan specifically with these three R’s in mind, and their hierarchy, with reducing waste being the primary objective. As much as HFR’s mission is to reduce food insecurity in Teton County, we are just as driven by the need to reduce food waste and divert food from landfills. We see landfill-bound food as more than just a loss of nutritious food, but also as a loss of resources (land, water, energy, fuel) that went into growing and distributing that food. This loss of resources applies to other non-food materials that are also not used to their fullest potential and skip the three R’s.
Thanks to our partners for making this possible; ISWR, WyoFarm Composting, Friends of Pathways, and JH20.