- Submitted by JB Leep, Waste Less Windsor
The Waste Less Windsor Task Force, consisting of community members from several organizations within the city, resurfaced this year as a driving force to improve recycling at the annual Windsor Summer Nights on the Green Concerts.
Quiet in 2020 because of a canceled 2020 concert season, the task force reappeared to help with recycling at Thursday concerts from Aug. 26 through Oct. 7. An extra Sunday concert was announced for Oct. 3.
“We did not know for sure that we were going to have a concert season at all until the schedule was announced on July 15,” said Task Force Chairperson JB Leep. “It was a challenge to get ready to go with volunteers and new educational signage by the first concert.”
“Between July 15 and Aug. 26 we were able to redesign and acquire new signage for the waste cans,” said Leep. “Clare Becker, education and outreach coordinator from Sonoma County Resource Recovery, was instrumental in making sure we got the signage right.”
“Windsor High school reopened and we were able to get a number of volunteers from the WHS Committee for Change Club and a couple sports teams. Some Rotarians also chipped in to help set up when it was too early in afternoon for the students,” Leep said.
The task force was founded in 2018 by Cathy and Terry Taylor from the Sonoma Political Education and Action Salon (PEAS), and Sonoma County Resource Recovery (SCRR), Windsor’s solid waste disposal company, represented by business development and community outreach manager Justin Wilcock. The group’s mission is to optimize the disposal of trash and recycled waste by helping concertgoers pick which cans the waste goes in.
In prior years, recycling was effectively zero. Then, in 2018, it was estimated by PEAS that 62% of the landfill waste was diverted to recycling and composting. “In 2019 and 2021,” Leep said, “we reached an average around 70%. This is a big step.”
The Town of Windsor joined with members of Windsor Chamber of Commerce, Windsor Town Green Merchants Association, Windsor Lions, Windsor Rotary, the Windsor Certified Farmers Market and Zero Waste Sonoma to get the effort fully implemented by 2019.
The task force provides guidance to the beverage vendors at the concerts and markets as to what plastic cups and food service products should be used to aid in recycling. A special effort is being made to encourage the use of compostable products, and then get them in the green compost cans instead of the gray landfill cans.
“Originally, all the beverage vendors agreed to use only #1 plastic cups if they have to use single-use cups,” said Leep. “Then, in 2019, the task force expanded the program by coordinating the use of reusable steel cups for the concertgoers. The vendors all agreed to give discounts if their customers brought back their cups to use again and implemented serving procedures to make clean beverage pours.”
“In 2021, with COVID, we all agreed we couldn’t distribute reusable cups, for health reasons,” said Leep. “But we’re hoping next year to be able to get that program rolling again. Eventually we want to reduce single-use plastic as much as we can and move to reusable cups.”
“The concertgoers now know who we are, and that we are there to help them. They actually study the new signs and try to make sure they put recyclable stuff in the right can,” said Leep. “The volunteers help educate folks. People really do want to recycle correctly. Hopefully in 2022 we will have a full concert season and can hit the ground running in the spring.”
“If people are bringing their own picnics and items, we encourage them to take it home with them,” Leep said. “Bring reusable items instead of single use.”
A major target for the future is to guide food vendors in using service products like serving plates and bowls that are truly compostable. Then food waste ends up in the compost can instead of the trash. Another goal is to reduce the number of single-use plastic cups by encouraging attendees to bring their own reusable cups or by again supplying reusable steel cups to vendors and customers.