Maple Syrup Festival

Several years ago Indian Creek Nature Center began its journey to zero-waste. The Maple Syrup Festival was our flagship event where we implemented a diverse number of strategies to eliminate, off-set, or provide an alternative for the trash typically produced at this event. Beginning in 2018 we: added compostable plates, cups and cutlery from Ecocare; we replaced our butane long-stem lighters with 12” long wooden matches; partnered with Terracycle to recycle all of our disposable gloves; partnered with Compost Ninja to take the compost generated onsite to the composting facility in Iowa City (the composting facility in downtown Cedar Rapids cannot handle compostable plates, clamshells, and cutlery — Cedar Rapids residents who have curbside compost pick up should not place these items in their Yardy.); organized volunteers to help guests learn about what is recyclable, compostable, and actually trash.

Our quest to zero waste uncovered both challenges and cool things.

• Plastic bags are 100 percent recyclable. When returned to the grocery store, they are shipped to Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls where they are turned into plastic lumber.
• Many other recycling streams are not doing so well. Co-mingled recyclables were traditionally sent to China, and are currently caught in the trade war.
• Compostable plates and other single use items have come a long way in stability and usability. Some use virgin materials in their creation, and others use recycled materials (which is the better choice).
• What makes single use compostables tough enough to handle hot pancakes and coffee makes them tough for both backyard and some industrial compost facilities to break them down. This means it may be a challenge for households and communities to actually compost the compostable single use items.
• Compostables are still single use, and they are all imported from overseas. That means they have a large carbon footprint.
• Ecocare is researching developing locally-sourced compostables. Where items are sourced, made, and shipped from is an important factor in deciding which single-use item is the most responsible choice.
• The Linn County Solid Waste Agency has a state of the art methane collection and energy generating system. What does that mean? Organic material in the landfill breaks down and creates methane gas as part of the decomposition process. That gas is captured and used to generate power for the surrounding area. However, there is more methane being generated than can currently be used and this is not reason to be negligent of personal or household waste generation.