Interest mounts for Zero Waste events.
In the wake of large zero-waste events this year, such as the Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival celebration in April, a Flagstaff Festival of Science event in September and Mountain Sports’ 50th Anniversary – A Zero Waste Celebration in November, Westwater says awareness is growing and interest is mounting among conscious consumers who want to reduce their reliance on single-use products, recycle and reuse whenever possible.
With all three of these events serving hundreds of people, Westwater says The Azulita Project supplied plastic cups, tableware and flatware. Afterward, the dinnerware was retrieved and washed in an industrial dishwasher at Pine Forest School, which partners with the non-profit organization.
“Recycling of plastics continues to be a challenge in Flagstaff with the limits of end use available,” said Mountain Sports co-founder Mark Lamberson. “We like and support Azulita’s zero-waste events because the plastic glasses they supply are returned to them over and over again for cleaning and re-use. There is no plastic trash. The well-made plastic glasses keep recycling from event to event in our community.”
New business Restoration Soils is a game-changer in the local recycling efforts as well. “Now that we have an industrial composting facility here, we’re giving business, community events and private events the opportunity to do something different with the totality of their waste,” said Art Babbott, one of the founders and owners of Restoration Soils.
During the Mountain Sports event, Babbott says three large compostable trash bags were filled with all compostable materials and all the food waste. “It was a great example of how to interact and interface with food waste.”
By “cooking” the waste in compost piles, Babbott says good bacteria digests the material. “Bagfuls of compostable bamboo product just disappear and get put back into the soil to regenerate our soils in Northern Arizona.”
Karen Malis-Clark, a member of the Westerners Flagstaff Corral, was familiar with The Azulita Project from their participation at the Flagstaff Community Farmers Market. However, she says, seeing their involvement at the Mountain Sports event last month made her think about how her group might consider their use of single-use plastic at monthly meetings.
“We had been using disposable cups for convenience, but for our last meeting we made arrangements with Azulita,” she said. “They loaned us 50 cups and now we are pursuing a long-term loan of their products or investing in our own.”
“The Azulita Project was started in 2008 by a group of Mexican and American volunteers, including Mike and Lainie Giovale, who were concerned about the burning of waste plastic and ocean plastic pollution in Guerrero, Mexico,” said The Azulita Project Administrator Mary McCarthy.
In 2016, The Azuita Project non-profit organization was formed to support Mexico operations and establish waste-reduction programs in Flagstaff.
“We’re concerned with each stage of the plastic lifecycle: from the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing process, use and ultimately disposal. Plastic pollutes at each point on its lifecycle journey,” said McCarthy. “We hope that, as a city, Flagstaff will support policy solutions that encourage creative and holistic approaches to waste management focused on multi-prong waste diversion (e.g. composting) and reduction.” FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Courtesy Photo: Through efforts of The Azulita Project, Restoration Soils and businesses that support conservation efforts, zero-waste events are making recycling and reusing easier.
