Oak Ridge, Tenn. – (May 14, 2010) – The Oak Ridge Secret City Festival has invited the Keep Anderson County Beautiful (KACB) organization to join them as waste/recycling coordinators during the festival, which will take place June 18 – 19 at AK Bissell Park. KACB volunteers will monitor recycle centers set up throughout the festival grounds to help festival attendees and vendors properly sort their recyclables and waste into the correct containers. It is the hope of the festival organizers to minimize the amount of waste generated and to eventually get the festival listed as “waste free.”
Festival attendees will sort their waste into recyclable materials and materials destined for the landfill. Festival waste will be weighed to allow for an accounting of the two waste streams, with the intent of minimizing the amount of material that must be sent to the landfill.
The new Oak Ridge recycling contract with Recycle Bank allows for many more materials to be collected for recycling, especially cardboard and all types of plastic, with the exception of Styrofoam. Food vendors have been selected who will comply with the city’s regulations to use eco-friendly materials/containers in serving their products. They have also been given guidelines on how to recycle their own generated waste.
According to KACB acting executive director, Linda Kimmel, “The majority of the waste generated at festivals actually comes from behind the food vendors’ counters.
“Festival attendees consume most of what they purchase,” Kimmel explained. “It’s the cardboard boxes and plastic bags and jars that vendors use to bring in their food products that generate most of the waste. This year, most of that material will be recycled.”
Another major change for this year’s festival will be the reduction in the number of plastic water bottles. While water will be sold by food vendors, non-profit organizations will not provide free water bottles. Instead the city will have seven cold water stations set up next to the recycling stations throughout the festival grounds. Secret City Festival water bottles will be available for the purchase of $1, and attendees are also welcome to fill up their own water bottles.
According to KACB President Ruby Miller, consumer plastic beverage bottles are the number one item of waste at street festivals. “While plastic water bottles are recyclable, it is better not to generate them in the first place.”
Miller said, “Waste reduction/elimination is a higher priority than recycling. Plastic bottles are made from petroleum, and by people bringing reusable water containers to the festival, we can take one more step in reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
Recycle centers will be set up across the festival site. Volunteers will help educate and assist the public with waste separation. KACB volunteers along with contracted services will help make the festival litter-free.
The Secret City Festival won a Gold Kaleidoscope Award for “Best Green Gig” for their recycling efforts during the 2009 event.
The 8th Annual Secret City Festival is presented by the City of Oak Ridge, the Oak Ridge Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the Arts Council of Oak Ridge. This year’s festival sponsors are B&W Y-12 and the City of Oak Ridge, and the media sponsors are The Oak Ridger, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, WBIR-TV, Comcast, and BBB Communications. For more information, visit SecretCityFestival.com or call the information line at 425-3610.
Immediate Release: May 14, 2010