Recycle on the Go Success St
Delaware State Fair Recycling Initiative
At the annual Delaware State Fair, visitors not only enjoy agricultural events and amusement park rides, but they
also can eat and drink their fill of the concessionaires' treats. In 2006, fair organizers launched a recycling initiativ
during the 10-day event in Harrington, Delaware, inviting fairgoers to dispose of their beverage containers in
recycling bins and encouraging concessionaires to collect their cardboard packaging for recycling. The successful
initiative raked in 6,958 pounds of recyclables. In 2007, fair organizers upped the ante by about 7 percent,
Facts at a Glance
The fairgrounds cover
330 acres.
More than 300,000
visitors come to the
annual 10-day fair.
The fair puts out 400,
96-gallon containers for
trash collection.
The fair used 50 recycling
bins during the 2007 fair.
Four AmeriCorps
volunteers collected
recyclables either nightly
or each morning before
the fair opened.
In 2007, the fair collected
an estimated 7,470 pounds
of recycled materials.
The contamination
rate was about 12 percent,
a number DNREC
deems "good."
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The recycling bins (left),
like the garbage cans
(right), have wheels to
facilitate moving them
into location.
Program Overview
The Delaware State Fair began as a small county event, created in 1920, to provide a
place for promoting and encouraging agriculture. Today, the fair is one of the state's
largest events, held on 330 acres of fairgrounds. The state fair draws more than
300,000 people to the annual 10-day event, known for its livestock shows, live music
and entertainment, and the nightly Delaware State Fair parade. In addition, the fair
hosts arts and crafts exhibits, family activities, and a wide variety of contests, along
with assorted food vendors.
In 2006, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control
(DNREC) and the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) partnered with the fair's
organizers to collect corrugated cardboard, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans. DNREC
chose cardboard because it is available in high volumes in vendor areas as a packaging
waste from food, beverages, and prizes. Offering recycling for plastic bottles and
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Recycle on the Go
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aluminum cans was a way to capture materials that fairgoers could easily recycle. The
recycling initiative builds upon the fair's legacy of preserving agriculture, reducing waste,
and protecting the environment.
DNREC and DSWA officials collaborated with the fair's marketing department and facility
manager to establish a partnership and work out the logistics for operating the recycling
initiative. Volunteer labor to collect the materials on the fairgrounds was provided through
an innovative arrangement between the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation and
AmeriCorps, a network of local, state, and national service programs that coordinates
volunteers to serve critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment.
Nuts and Bolts
Bin Selection. The fair's recycling efforts stemmed from DNREC's desire to put
recycling in the public eye. Appearance was a key consideration in selecting the recycling
bins to purchase, and much thought went into the bins' aesthetic design. The department
sought bins that would stand out from the nearby garbage receptacles. "This was the
primary driver," says Bill Miller, an environmental scientist with DNREC's Solid and
Hazardous Waste Management Branch, who helped coordinate the recycling program at
the fair. "Recycling bins have to be discernable from trash cans." DNREC officials wanted
the bins to have wheels for ease of moving, a lockable lid to minimize contamination
(mixing trash in with recyclables), and a capacity large enough so workers would not
have to empty them every few hours.
After reviewing numerous product catalogs and Web sites, viewing options at local
hardware stores, and speaking with product manufacturers, DNREC's recycling
coordinator finally settled on green, 68-gallon, wheeled bins with bright yellow lids
featuring openings just large enough to accept aluminum cans and plastic bottles.
The yellow lids cost more but ensured that the recycling bins would stand out. The
department ordered specialized stickers as well to further brand the recycling bins. The
green bases feature stickers that read "Recycle Here" on both sides. The yellow lids have
stickers that read "Warning: No Garbage" and
"Empty Plastic and Aluminum Only." The bins
for cardboard were labeled "Cardboard Only—
No Trash, No Food Residue, Please Break Down
Your Boxes."
EMPTY PLASTIC &
ALUMINUM ONLY
DNREC ultimately purchased 100 bins at a cost
of $7,600. Factoring in the cost of the stickers,
the bins worked out to be about $84 each.
Collection Logistics. DNREC officials
strategically placed the commingled bins
(all recyclables can be collected in one bin)
throughout the fairgrounds to encourage visitors
to recycle their plastic and aluminum beverage
containers. Bins were placed along walkways
where fairgoers could easily access them and
adjacent to garbage cans to reduce contamination. The bins for cardboard were
placed behind vendor stalls, again for ease of access. During the 2007 fair, DNREC
WARNING
NO
GARBAGE
The recycling bins
feature bright yellow tops
and clear labels to help
fairgoers differentiate them
from the garbage cans.
Recycle on the Go U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
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put out 50 containers: 30 for collecting aluminum and plastic containers and 20 for
cardboard. (DNREC did not put out all of its available recycling bins due to the limited
number of volunteers available to empty them.) DSWA placed four 8-cubic-yard
recycling dumpsters, for cardboard only, behind strategic vendor areas.
Volunteers from AmeriCorps assisted in collecting the recyclable materials. Each day,
four volunteers spent about 2 hours collecting the recyclables, removing any commingled
trash, and delivering the materials (using two full-size pickup trucks) to the DSWA
cardboard dumpsters onsite or a DSWA recycling drop-off center about a mile away from
the fairgrounds.
The AmeriCorps volunteers weighed the aluminum cans and plastic bottles before
trucking the materials to the drop-off center. DNREC provided the volunteers with
a bathroom-style scale to weigh the bags of recyclables. The AmeriCorps volunteers
estimated the volume of cardboard (based on the space they took up in the truck bed),
and then converted the volumes to weights using the ratio of 150 pounds per cubic yard,
as prescribed in the EPA publication Measuring Recycling: A Guide for State and Local
Governments (EPA530-R-97-011).
During the 2006 pilot program, 252 pounds of plastic, 135 pounds of aluminum, and
7,080 pounds of cardboard were collected. By 2007, the plastic and aluminum numbers
more than doubled, jumping to 535 pounds and 423 pounds, respectively. The cardboard
number dropped slightly to 6,512 pounds. With landfill tipping fees of $61.50 per ton,
diverting 7,470 pounds (about 3.7 tons) saved approximately $230 in disposal costs.
After the fair, DNREC officials collected the recycling bins, washed them, and stacked
them four or five high (after taking the wheels off) in a storage shed about 20 minutes
away from fairgrounds. The department uses a few of the bins to facilitate recycling at
small DNREC events during the year and is investigating other opportunities to use the
bins for additional events.
Results From the 2006 and 2007 Fairs
Bins
For collecting plastic and aluminum containers
For collecting cardboard
Plastic bottles
Aluminum cans
Cardboard
Total
2006
(in Pounds)
135
2007
(in Pounds)
535
423
6,512
470*
*DNREC attributes the overall increase in recycling between the 2006 and 2007 fairs to the use of more bins and
greater participation among fairgoers.
Recycle on the Go U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
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DNREC developed
this map to illustrate
the location of its
68-gallon recycling
bins for commingled
aluminum cans
and plastic bottles,
68-gallon bins for
cardboard, and
8-yard dumpsters
for cardboard.
2007 Map
Delaware Slata Fair ReeycJog Project
DNREC - DS W • DSF. fre
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA530-F-07-025
September 2007
www.epa.gov/recycleonthego
Challenges and Solutions
Challenge: DNREC did not have enough staff to provide the labor to collect the
recyclables.
Solution: The solution involved a team approach and partnerships. DNREC staff
spent about 20 labor hours in planning for recycling at the 2007 Delaware
State Fair, with about 36 labor hours onsite for physical setup and oversight.
Four AmeriCorps volunteers spent about 2 hours each day collecting and
delivering the recyclables to a drop-off location. DSWA spent about 10
hours of planning and oversight and 45 hours in collection (including driver
travel). The Delaware State Fair staff (facilities manager and marketing
director) spent a minimal amount of time in planning, probably fewer than
8 hours combined.
Challenge: Education is the biggest hurdle next to organizing the logistics for collecting
the recyclables.
Solution: Delaware State Fair's marketing department paid for a brochure insert about
the recycling program in local newspapers. Vendors received flyers and maps
showing the location of recycling containers throughout the fairgrounds. Next
year, DNREC plans to attend the vendors' meeting to promote the recycling
program. Further, DNREC plans to better educate vendors and fairgoers on
the what, why, where, and how of recycling.
Reasons for Success
The partnerships and cooperation among DNREC, DSWA, and the
Delaware State Fair is critical to the success of the fair's recycling efforts.
The labor provided by the AmeriCorps volunteers also was integral to
the program's success. With no dedicated funds to pay for collection and
removal, the volunteers are essential to the Delaware State Fair's recycling
program.
Future Forecast
The goal during the first 2 years of the program was to offer recycling
as an option and demonstrate the simplicity of recycling to fairgoers and
vendors alike. The pilot program served as a template for future recycling
efforts at the Delaware State Fair and other community-wide events. In the
future, DNREC officials plan to meet with vendors in person to encourage
expanded participation. Further, DNREC would like to expand the list of
materials it collects at the fair, possibly to include polystyrene cups. A longer-term goal
is to purchase more bins and ultimately provide as many recycling bins as garbage cans.
The ongoing challenge is finding enough labor to collect and deliver the materials to the
recycling center and helping visitors understand the importance of recycling.
All photos courtesy of Bill Miller, DNREC.
.ecycled/Recyclable - Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer,
Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper
Disclaimer: The mention of any company, product, or process in this publication does
not constitute or imply endorsement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
on
EPA is partnering with
federal agencies, states,
municipalities, and
organizations to promote
recycling in public places.
www.epa.gov/recycleonthego
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