"TRASH-FREE" FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO
CELEBRATES INDEPENDENCE FROM LANDFILL

2008 marks the 29th year of the Festival for the Eno in Durham, North Carolina. Each year, for 3 days anchored by the 4th of July, approximately 30,000 people from around the State come to the West Point on the Eno to dance, eat, hear live music, browse great crafts and learn about regional environmental topics. 

Organized by the Eno River Association, the Festival for the Eno offers an array of activities with an underlying theme of community action and environmental awareness. Festival exhibits, activities and programs highlight the relationship between the river, the surrounding land (its watershed), and the community. The premise of these educational programs and activities is that participation will foster ecological awareness. It is believed that increased awareness and understanding of one's environment leads to informed choices and ecologically responsible behavior. 

In 1992, the Association made a commitment to reduce its landfill-bound waste, striving to offer a "Trash-Free" Festival for the Eno. A collaborative effort of organizers, sponsors,vendors, volunteers and participants is undertaken to minimize the amount of waste generated during the Festival, and to recycle or compost as many materials as possible.

How the "Trash-Free" Festival Works


Recycling volunteers aid Festival-goers.
photo by: Jon Upchurch
compost pic
Compost is carefully sorted and weighed by dedicated volunteers
photo by: Jon Upchurch
Educating and working with vendors - Most of the waste from the Festival is generated as a result of food and beverage vending. Festival organizers and vendors work together before and during the Festival to reduce excess packaging and other waste, and to ensure that food service items such as plates and cups are recyclable or compostable wherever possible. The Festival provides all food vendors with compostable cutlery made from wheat and recycles all used vegetable oil through Piedmont Biofuels. Other exhibitors are also encouraged to recycle, making recycling easy and educational for participants. 

Instead of traditional garbage cans, the Festival provides a number of recycling stations throughout the grounds. The recycling stations have separate receptacles for each of the material types generated at the Festival. The majority of recycling stations are monitored by volunteers to ensure that materials are properly placed. These volunteers are a vital link in the success of the program, as they also serve to educate Festival participants about the importance of proper separation and answer specific questions. Materials recycled at the recycling stations include glass bottles, aluminum cans, corrugation, newsprint and compostables (food scraps, paper plates and paper cups). Materials such as cardboard packaging are recovered directly from the vendors for recycling.

Securing local outlets for recovered materials - The final component of the Trash-Free Festival is the collection and processing of recovered materials. Another team of recycling volunteers is assembled to collect the materials from the recycling stations at the necessary intervals. Prior to the Festival, the Association arranges with several local companies or organizations to recycle or compost the recovered materials. Only a fraction (8%) of the total materials generated at the Festival ends up at the landfill.

Volunteers set up the Recycling Center in the Grove
photo by: Ed Clayton

Signage and supervision help to keep contamination to a minimum.
photo by: Ed Clayton

The compost made from the Festival's food waste is processed at a nearby site, and the resulting product is used during subsequent Festivals for display and educational purposes. In this way, Festival-goers are able to actually see the results of their participation in the Trash-Free program. 

Program Results - The Festival for the Eno has reduced its waste by over 90% since initiating the Trash-Free program. This remarkable achievement can be attributed to the partnership between organizers, sponsors, vendors and volunteers, and the active participation of the Festival attendees. The Eno River Association will continue to expand on its Trash-Free program, aiming for maximum waste reduction. Similar results can be achieved at other community events with the proper planning and cooperation.


photo by: Grant McNichols

A huge thanks to the folks at the Orange County Department of Solid Waste Management for their generous assistance with our Trash-Free program.
Visit their web-site to learn how they have the highest waste reduction percentage in North Carolina.

Three cheers for Piedmont Biofuels who turns our food vendors' waste vegetable oil into clean, powerful B-100 diesel fuel.

Thanks, too, to Earthware Biodegradables for the biodegradable cutlery made of non-gmo wheat used at this year's Festival and to Marcopolos Construction for their technical assistance with our program.

Email to:trashfree@enoriver.org 
to volunteer at the Festival
or
for more info on
our award winning waste reduction program.

A Handbook - "Developing Trash-Free Special Events-A Planning Guide for North Carolina Communities and Event Planners" is available.

Published by he Eno River Association, with the aide of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources this book outlines startegies and timelines useful in adapting the success of the Tras-Free program for your special event.

Funding for this project was provided in part through a grant from the' North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance.

DOWNLOAD PDF here.(Document Size:4.2 mb)


Special thanks to our contributors, without whom the Festival would not be possible, including:

Sponsors:

P&R
Durham County
Dur Co
NC state parks

with major support from:

 
WholeFoods
CT Wilson
Orange County
redwoods  
Orange County
N&O
TROSA WRAL.com

 Action Piano Sales & Service, Appliance Center, Azalea Graphics, Carolina-Duke Best Value Inn, Carrboro Solar Works,
CBC/WRAL Community Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, Cirrus Pharmaceuticals, Durham Chamber of Commerce, Frog Hollow Outdoors,
Great Outdoor Provision Company, Highwater Clays, Independent Weekly, Lebanon Fire Dept, Rustin Paving, Solus International, Summertime Cruises, the Anthony & Stella Schomberg Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation, Townsend Bertram & Company, Williams-Scotsman Company, WUNC-91.5 fm

Archetype Graphics, Bennett Point Grill, Carolyn Dalby, CPA, Freudenberg Spun Web, Pickett-Sprouse Real Estate

Last updated: May 20, 2008