Event Recycling Solutions
We support our partners with every step of their sustainability journey from program design to execution and legacy planning. We can provide full transparency within our waste reduction streams and for those materials handled directly by us, we guarantee a 98.7% recyclability rate.
Our Impact
Number of events we’ve supported in their programs
Amount of material we’ve diverted from the landfill for clients
The amount of people impacted by our programs
trusted partner
Sustainability in events recycling
Since 2008, we have partnered with events and cities across Michigan and the Midwest to provide event and public space recycling solutions. With our partners, we’ve diverted more than 3.1 million pounds of material from landfills.
Designing and executing waste reduction programs including recycling, food waste, donation, handling of hard to recycle items and zero waste programs with onsite sort teams.
All the equipment you need to keep your grounds and hospitality suites clean before, during and after your event.
Know the economic impact of your event to communicate to stakeholders and leverage sponsorships.
Validate your program by becoming certified through one of the event industry’s sustainability standards. Our team will guide you through the process to start to finish. Certifications include Zero Waste, Council for Responsible Sport and GEO.
Measure your Scope 1, 2 or 3 emissions to offset and mitigate.
Need a speaker or trainer for your next webinar, conference or professional development day? We can partner with you to share our knowledge.
Determine your Sustainability Needs
You and your team decide to implement a sustainability program at your upcoming event. But where do you start? The road to being environmentally friendly can be cumbersome and confusing. There are many places to start, elements to consider, and specific mandates to follow. Aside from those specific parameters from certifications, we break down events into five basic categories: With five key environmental evaluations: Although it may not be possible to accurately evaluate all of those environmental elements, we recommend starting with those five areas to start your evaluation to determine your needs. Start by asking yourself questions. Your answers to these types of questions will help guide you in your next steps as you develop your program. Depending on your event type, location, and venue, some sustainability features may be harder to adopt than others. If you’re interested in transitioning your event to incorporate sustainability features, you may want to consider a more formal, phased-in approach. Drafting a Sustainability Policy Creating a written sustainability policy can be beneficial to creating or growing your program. Written plans provide policies for event staff and vendors to follow while demonstrating your commitment. These documents are helpful when working with vendors in their procurement process, to enforce new recycling mandates during the event, and provide support from top down leadership. Creating a Sustainability Roadmap After your self-assessment, you know where your event stands. Now where do you want to go? Do you want to achieve zero-waste? Do you want to become carbon neutral? If you are eligible for an event certification, do you want to obtain one? Write down on your piece of paper where you are starting and where you would like to end up. From the five environmental evaluations we listed above, start examining your event and putting together an action plan to achieve your goals and objectives. If you have questions about assessing your sustainability needs or creating your own sustainability documents, feel free to give us a call at 269-382-2200 for a free consultation.
Introduction to Compost
Compostable materials, on average, will make up around 25% – 45% of your waste stream. Diverting these materials from the landfill will have the largest impact on your waste diversion rate. In the last five years, the compost industry has seen tremendous growth, creating more opportunities to divert compostable material from the landfill. So where do you start? A compost program, whether for an event or venue, can be broken down into two main areas: Front of House Compost collection front of house is everything that your attendees, guests, fans and visitors produce. Front of house compost collection can be difficult because it requires the individual to separate their products into the proper bin (compost, recycling and trash) or it requires ALL front of house products to be compostable. Front of house compost programs tend to be more expensive to execute and the risks are higher for a high contamination rate, which could cause the compost to be landfilled. Back of House Compost collection back of house is everything produced in the kitchens and prep areas of your event. Back of house programs can be easily controlled and contamination easily monitored. It requires the cooperation of your food vendors, caterer or venue kitchen staff. A back of house collection program is the easiest place to start and the primary starting point we recommend. There are 6 standard considerations when evaluating your program design. These considerations are critical in determining the feasibility of a program and ultimately its success. Compostable vs. Biodegradable One of the biggest misconceptions is that compostable and biodegradable are the same. They are not! Compostable.To compost, you need three things: heat, water, and oxygen. A product or material that is compostable will, with the right amount of the three latter elements, break down (from microbial activity) into a nutrient-rich soil amendment called compost. With material like veggies, fruits, and grains, this process takes about 90-180 days. With more complex items such as meat, dairy, bones, and compostable serveware, an industrialized compost facility is needed to create a high enough heat level to break down the material. Check out this video from the Kiss the Ground on The Compost Story. Biodegradable.Biodegradable means that products will disintegrate into tiny pieces, producing high levels of methane gas, among other emissions, in the process. This is the process that takes place in landfills. Many landfills have systems in place to capture the methane gas and convert it to energy. Did you know it takes plastic over 4,000 years to biodegrade? That means every piece of plastic ever made is still in existence!!! Compost (the nutrient rich soil amendment) cannot be created from biodegradable products. What is Compostable? People are familiar with the composting of yard trimmings with leaves, old plants, and leftover wood. You may know someone who composts food at home or on their farm. Your community may even have a small food compost company that collects it from your curb. So what exactly is compostable? Food scrapsEasy to Compost Food Scraps may compost in your backyard, garden, or farm. This material will breakdown at lower heat levels, be absent of smell and turn to compost in 90-180 days. Harder to Compost Food Scraps are not recommended to be put into your backyard compost bin. We would only recommend composting these materials when taking the material to an industrialized compost facility. The higher heat levels will be able to breakdown the fats and oils more efficiently. This faster process cuts down on smell, pests, and harmful bacteria that can interfere with the composting process. Paper ProductsThe vast majority of paper products can be recycled rather than composted. Products such as paper and cardboard, although compostable, have their own recycling end markets and vendors. We recommend recycling the products first before looking for compostable options. Serveware made from paper. However, it’s important to note, that not all paper products are created the same! Paper, when it gets wet (for the lack of a better term), melts. Remember those paper mache art projects from elementary school? When food is placed onto a paper plate and liquids into a paper cup, the cup and plate will hold up very well. This is because manufacturers put a plastic film or wax like coating inside the cup or encased around the plate or bowl to protect the paper. This coating makes the paper plate and cups unrecyclable and uncompostable because the plastic film/wax cannot be separated from the paper itself. Compostable Products You may have seen at your local grocery store, caterer or restaurant, serveware that is advertised as compostable. A key to any compost program is the use of compostable serveware. Compostable serveware is serveware – such as cups, bags, utensils, plates, bowls, straws – that are made from material that can be 100% composted. Products can be made out of corn, sugarcane, or PLA among others. It is not advisable to try and compost these products at your home or farm compost yard. A high and consistent heat level is required to begin the process of breaking down these materials into compost, which is why industrialized facilities are almost exclusively used to compost serveware. Compostable serveware is a world all its own, which is why we’ll dedicate later blog posts solely to helping you navigate the procurement process to purchase the right products.
Rethinking Autumn Decor (Without Sacrificing Style)
Hay bales, corn stalks, and pumpkins feel inherently sustainable — they’re natural, seasonal, and look nothing like the plastic decor they’re often replacing. But what happens to them once the season ends is where that impression either holds up or falls apart. A pile of decorative pumpkins and corn stalks headed to a landfill isn’t meaningfully different from any other waste. The good news is that fall decor is actually one of the easier categories to handle well, both going in and coming out — if you plan for the “after” as deliberately as you plan for the “before.” Start With Procurement: Buying Fall Decor With Its End in Mind The most sustainable fall decoration is one you don’t have to throw away at all. Before sourcing anything new, it’s worth asking a few questions that shape how easy disposal will be later: – Can it be reused next season? Wooden crates, metal buckets, fabric bunting, and reusable signage can be stored and brought back year after year, unlike organic material that has a single-use lifespan by nature. – Is it being rented rather than purchased? For larger quantities, some suppliers offer hay bales, corn stalks, and even larger decorative elements on a rental basis, with pickup and reuse built into the arrangement — worth asking about directly rather than assuming purchase is the only option. – Is it locally sourced? A local farm supplying hay bales and pumpkins reduces transportation emissions and supports the local community. For events, this has the potential to make post-event coordination easier — many farms are willing to take material back for composting or animal feed if you ask before the event, not after. Thinking about the end of the material’s life during procurement is what actually determines whether disposal is easy or improvised. What to Do With Organic Material: Hay, Corn Stalks, and Pumpkins These three materials are compostable, but “compostable” doesn’t automatically mean your local waste system will handle them the way you’d expect. A few options worth considering, roughly in order of preference: Donate or return to a local farm. Many farms — including the one you may have sourced the decorations from — are glad to take hay bales, corn stalks, and pumpkins back for composting or as animal feed. This is often the simplest option if you’ve built the relationship during procurement. Community composting programs. Many municipalities and community gardens run composting programs that accept exactly this kind of material. Utilizing curbside pickup for yard waste or check whether your area has a public drop-off composting site. Direct donation for animal feed. Some local farms, sanctuaries, or petting zoos will happily take pumpkins and corn stalks as animal feed, particularly right after Halloween when supply tends to spike. A quick call to a local farm or sanctuary before your event can line this up in advance. A note on carved or painted pumpkins. Pumpkins that have been carved, painted, or coated in glitter or sealant are more complicated. Paint and sealants can interfere with composting, and carved pumpkins decompose faster and messier than whole ones. What to Do With Everything Else Fall decor often includes items beyond the organic staples — fabric, wood signage, string lights, artificial leaves, or seasonal props. A few starting points: – Sort before you store. Take the extra few minutes to separate reusable items (crates, signage, lighting) from single-use or damaged items, rather than boxing everything together and sorting it out “later,” which rarely actually happens. – Build a reuse inventory. Keeping a simple inventory of what decor exists, where it’s stored, and its condition prevents unnecessary repurchasing next season. – Donate what you won’t reuse. Local schools, community theaters, and other event organizers are often glad to take usable decor items you don’t plan to store or reuse yourself. – Purchase intentionally. Only purchase items that you will use, choose items that can be used for multiple holidays, and opt for the slightly more expensive reusable option compared to the single-use option. – Secondhand before buying new. Thrift stores typically have an abundance of holiday decorations. Giving these pieces a second life is more sustainable and more economical. Fall decor has a real advantage over a lot of other materials: much of it is naturally compostable, and the infrastructure to handle it properly — local farms, community composting, animal feed donation — often already exists nearby. The only real barrier is timing: these arrangements need to be made in advance rather than as an afterthought.