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Copyright © 2003 Express Publishing Inc.
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Wednesday, July 21, 2004

News

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.


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The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.





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