Trash-Free Festival

2007 marks the 28th year of the Festival for the Eno in Durham, North Carolina. Each year, for 3 days anchored by the 4th of July, approximately 40,000 people from around the State come to the West Point on the Eno to dance, eat, hear live music, browse great crafts and learn about regional environmental topics.  

Organized by the Eno River Association, the Festival for the Eno offers an array of activities with an underlying theme of community action and environmental awareness. Festival exhibits, activities and programs highlight the relationship between the river, the surrounding land (its watershed), and the community. The premise of these educational programs and activities is that participation will foster ecological awareness. It is believed that increased awareness and understanding of one's environment leads to informed choices and ecologically responsible behavior.  

In 1992, the Association made a commitment to reduce its landfill-bound waste, striving to offer a "Trash-Free" Festival for the Eno. A collaborative effort of organizers, sponsors,vendors, volunteers and participants is undertaken to minimize the amount of waste generated during the Festival, and to recycle or compost as many materials as possible.

How the "Trash-Free" Festival Works

Educating and working with vendors - Most of the waste from the Festival is generated as a result of food and beverage vending. Festival organizers and vendors work together before and during the Festival to reduce excess packaging and other waste, and to ensure that food service items such as plates and cups are recyclable or compostable wherever possible. Other exhibitors are also encouraged to recycle. Making recycling easy and educational for participants  
Instead of traditional garbage cans, the Festival provides a number of recycling stations throughout the grounds. The recycling stations have separate receptacles for each of the material types generated at the Festival. The majority of... [continues]

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