Zero Waste Fair

The 30 wooden corrals you’ll see at this year’s Evergreen State Fair in August aren’t for livestock– they’re for the recycling, compost, and garbage bins that are part of the Fair’s new “Zero Waste” effort.

The corrals are called “Zero Waste Stations” and will be staffed by “Zero Waste educators” to help fair-goers sort their waste into the appropriate compost, recycling and garbage bins. Not only will the Zero Waste campaign benefit the environment, it could also help reduce Fairgrounds operating costs by as much as $10,000 a year by cutting down on garbage headed to the landfill.

“We want Snohomish County to be a leader in sustainability,” said Snohomish County Executive John Lovick. “We’re committed to making the Fair a great place to enjoy the summer and create memories with friends and family. This year, we also want to share our commitment to making the Fair as ‘green’ as possible.”

The Zero Waste Fairgrounds initiative kicks off this year with the goal of diverting 100 percent of the waste generated at the Fairgrounds away from the landfill by 2017. The largest volume of Fairgrounds waste is generated during the two-week Fair.

Fair Manager Hal Gausman said the focus of the three-year zero waste plan is to increase recycling and composting at the Fair itself and reduce landfill waste by about 150 tons. The 30 Zero Waste Stations at the 2014 fair, along with educational signs and staff, will help Fair visitors learn to sort their waste correctly.

The Fairgrounds already does a good job diverting landfill waste – right now, only 15 percent of the total waste generated at Fairgrounds events goes to the landfill each year, according to Lisa Dulude, Snohomish County’s Energy and Sustainability Manager. But that 15 percent still adds up to about 240 tons a year – equivalent to the weight of 19 empty school buses.