By Carolyn R. Bolton
Are you planning a family or company event in Salem? A community festival or neighborhood potluck? A large-scale tradeshow, business open house, job fair – or any other activity where a number of people will gather to converse, collaborate, share common interests, eat and drink?
Garten Services has begun a new project that will help all your gatherings and events be more sustainable. It’s called Garten’s Zero Waste Events. Formally launched on June 15th with seed grant funding from the Oregon DEQ, Garten’s Zero Waste Events can now help you put sustainability into action by assisting in the reduction of your event’s solid waste impacts to the greatest extent possible.
From Waste to Resource
“Zero waste” is a new way of looking at our waste stream. Instead of seeing used materials as garbage in need of disposal, discarded items are instead viewed as valuable “resources”. They represent jobs for people with disabilities, financial opportunity, personal independence – as well as raw material for
new products or other purposes. Garten Zero Waste Events is good for the community, good for the environment and good for people with disabilities.
We offer a four-tiered continuum of services at minimal cost to our customers.
- Tier 1: Quick & Clean: You pick up and borrow the recycling/composting units, paying only for the actual bags that you use during your event.
- Tier 2: Quiet as a Mouse: Garten Zero Waste Events delivers and sets up our ZW recycling units at your event site, then returns at the conclusion of your event to pick up the units and remove the filled bags. A small fee covers transport, staff time and bags for disposal.
- Tier 3: Quite a Deal: We deliver, set up and staff the Zero Waste Stations during your event. This level of service more effectively helps your attendees choose the correct container, while educating them about how zero waste efforts successfully work. After your event concludes, our Zero Waste team disassembles and removes the ZW units and removes the filled bags. There is a moderate flat fee for this level of service.
- Tier 4: Quintessential: This is the “Cadillac” of zero waste services. A Garten Zero Waste team supports your event in its entirety, from planning to implementation, set up, on-site staffing – even clearing tables, if you wish – in order to provide you with quality recycling of recycled materials and compost to the greatest possible degree. Fees are negotiated on an event by event basis.
Garten Services has always been a leader in recycling services. Now we offer a comprehensive resource recovery service that moves well beyond basic recycling and will dramatically reduce waste – while creating new jobs.
Visit our web site at www.garten.org for more information, or contact either Judi Richards, Garten Zero Waste Events Coordinator, at 503.581.4472, ext. 3902 or jrichards@garten.org or John Matthews, Garten Sustainability Coordinator, at 503.581.4472, ext. 3303 or jmatthew@garten.org for more information.
Carolyn R. Bolton is on the staff of Garten Services. You can reach her at 503.581.4472 x3117.