Wine Auction to be waste free
ERC helps SV Center with recycling and
composting efforts
By MEGAN THOMAS
Express Staff Writer
This weekend the Wine Auction Picnic
presented by Sun Valley Center for the Arts will pioneer the first large-scale
waste-free event in Idaho and the first waste-free wine auction in the country
with the help of the Environmental Resource Center.
Vanessa Fry, development director of
the ERC stands beside the compostable table settings that will be used at
the Sun Valley Center for the Arts Wine Auction Picnic—Idaho’s first waste free
event of its kind. The biodegradable plastic cups and utensils pictured in the
compost will be processed in Seattle. Express photos by Willy Cook
The organizations are collaborating at the
Wine Auction Picnic, Saturday, July 24, to introduce a waste-free event thanks
to cutting edge recycling and composting efforts.
"The goal of the event is essentially to
do a zero permanent waste event," explained Kristine Bretall, marketing director
for the Sun Valley Center for the Arts.
The picnic will pair novel biodegradable
plastic cups, utensils and garbage bags with composting and recycling efforts in
order to eliminate waste generated by the fundraiser.
"We hope to recycle and compost 100
percent of the waste, through recycling and composting," explained Ben Mackay,
ERC program director.
The idea began as the brainchild of the
ERC.
"We recycle at all events during the
summer," Vanessa Fry ERC development director said. At all of the events
"plastic cups continuously generated an excessive amount of waste."
Fry went on to explain that the ERC
explored the idea of introducing recyclable plastic cups to summer events in the
valley. During their research, the ERC stumbled upon the idea of a large-scale,
waste free production. The wine auction picnic sparked the environmental
organization’s interest.
The picnic is "a unique event that is well
controlled, which makes it a lot easier," said Craig Barry, executive director
of the ERC.
The ERC approached the Center with the
proposal.
The Center responded with enthusiasm.
"It’s a responsible step we felt we needed to take," Jason Fry, production
specialist for the Center said.
The effort is no small task considering
the Center estimates 1500 people will attend the picnic and the waste will be
hauled to Seattle for composting.
The task began with finding appropriate
materials. The ERC discovered a biodegradable plastic that will eliminate waste
traditionally generated by the well-attended picnic.
The biodegradable plastic is called
NatureWorksä PLA, patented by Cargill Dow. The company’s Web site hails the
material as "the world’s only performance plastic made from annually renewable
resources."
The 100 percent biodegradable material is
made exclusively from corn products, which will fully degrade in composting
facilities. The plastic cups have been used at other venues like the 2002 Salt
Lake City Olympics.
During the wine auction picnic, all of the
plastic cups, utensils and even garbage bags will be made of the compostable
material. The clear glasses appear like any other plastic cups, and the knives
and forks are easily mistaken for ordinary disposable utensils. Paper plates and
napkins will also be used.
Picnic goers will enjoy the night’s
delights and then dispose of their cups, plates, napkins, utensils and food
scrapes in plastic garbage bags also engineered with biodegradable materials.
Cedar Grove Composting of Seattle, Wash.,
will then collect the trash and drive the bags to their composting facility in
Seattle, where the refuse will be made into 100 percent organic compost. The
company is donating their services to the event.
"I have always been intrigued to see if we
could further help recycling efforts in Blaine County," remarked Steve Banchero,
President and CEO of Cedar Grove and part time valley resident.
The company collects compostable food and
yard waste in the Seattle area, processes the refuse into high quality compost
and resells the product. The compost is currently sold at a Ketchum nursery.
Banchero said the picnic is an opportunity to explore the feasibility of similar
composting efforts in the valley.
The ERC and the Center will also recycle
the glass, corks, water bottles and cardboard waste generated during the picnic.
Clear Creek Disposal will haul the glass, plastic and cardboard, and the Center
will reuse the corks for future art projects.
Last year the ERC recycled 505 gallons of
glass and 29 gallons of plastic from the picnic. Without the ERC’s recycling
efforts the waste would go the county landfill.
The ERC hopes the waste-free picnic will
launch greater awareness and recycling efforts in the valley.
"It would be great to expand to all
events," Mackay concluded.