Recycling On the Go: Food Vendors

St. Louis Earth Day’s Recycling On the Go is the region’s first large-scale event recycling program. Our goal is to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills by recycling and composting a portion of the waste an event generates.

This event has made a commitment to reducing waste through recycling and composting. We appreciate your cooperation in achieving the highest rate of diversion of materials from the landfill as possible by following these guidelines.

BEFORE THE EVENT: How to prepare

  • Anything with food served on it should be a certified COMPOSTABLE product.
  • Anything used for a beverage should be a RECYCLABLEproduct.(Choose #1 PETE, #2HDPE, #5PP)AVOID #6 plastic containers and all foam products.[1]
  • Advertise how you are helping the event’s eco-friendly effort! Post a sign at your booth.

WHAT TO BUY: Food Service Product Guide

For beverages, request #1 or #2 plastic. Avoid Styrofoam & #6 plastic and paper cups. Paper mills are not able to recycle paper cups; they are trash.

Plastic Beverage Cups: When determining whether or not a cup is recyclable, look on the bottom for one of these symbols (right), which indicates the type of plastic. AVOID #6 plastic. #7 PLA cups are compostable but not recyclable.

For forks/knives/spoons, avoid the extra waste and serve finger food, or buy compostable versions. The vast majority of plastic utensils are not recyclable and impossible to recover in a recycling facility (too small). Compostable utensils are readily available (see resources below).

For serving food, avoid plastic plates. Paper boat trays are a better option as most can be composted. Certified compostable paper options are the best. Also, #7PLA compostable plastic portion cups and clamshells are available.

WHERE TO BUY LOCALLY: *Tell them you’re working with St. Louis Earth Day.*

Garrett Paper, Inc. 314.241.3060

Joe Garrett, Jr.

Industrial Soap Co.314-322-4075
Amanda ,

Office Essentials314.373.5537

Kate

Royal Paper Company314.664.3900

Mark

Cartons and Containers are accepted in recycling.There is a difference in what can be accepted without harming the recycling system and what can actually be recycled (example: paper cups). These are the best practices for event recycling.

Recycle at Events / Compost at Events / Landfill at Events
Tin and Aluminum Cans & Clean Foil / All Foods - except greases and oils and large quantities of meat / Dirty/food-soiled Aluminum Foil & Pans
Plastic containers #1 - #5,
#7 (Other)(beverage cups & containers) / ASTM D6400 Compostable Plastic Containers - #7 PLA, #0 PLA / Plastic packaging, # 6 Plastic (colored cups, hard clear plastic cups, coffee cup lids, utensils) Flat/thin plastics.
Keep all caps/ lids on containers / Food-soiled Certified Compostable Paper plates/cups/bowls / Styrofoam (hot/cold foam cups, clamshells)
Cartons (Juice, Milk, Broth) / Wooden Stirrers & Chopsticks
Toothpicks (no tinsel) / Zip ties and Disposable gloves
Cardboard & Paperboard collapsed (Pizza boxes – OK) / ASTM D6400Compostable Forks, Knives, Spoons - #7 PLA, #0 PLA / Foil-, Wax-, or Foam- lined products
Paper (clean, not waxy)
No Paper Cups / Paper Napkins, Towels (white & brown)- no tissues or toilet paper / Paper Cups
Glass bottles (wine bottles to be in original boxes to transport) / Paper Cups, Bowls, Plates must meet ASTM D6400, D6868 / Gum, Snack, Condiment Packets and Candy Wrappers
Wine Corks (bag separately) / Certified ASTM-D6400 (Compostable Plastics) / Diapers, Cigarettes & Packs, Straws, Plastic Utensils, Bathroom waste (tissue)
Plastic Bags (bag separately) / USCC BPI World Seal and Certified ASTM D6868 (Biodegradable plastics used as coatings on paper) / Food soiled Plastic Wrap/Bags, Film

AT THE EVENT: What to expect.

How recycling & compost collection might look at the event.
Below: Recycling/compost binsplaced throughout event grounds, paired with trash barrels. A staff or volunteer may be assigned to each group of containers to help event-attendees.

Above: Waste Station tables with volunteers or staff to help event-attendees sort their waste as recycling, compost or landfill. These tables may be under tents or not.

AT THE EVENT: How to do your part.

RECYCLE the items listed above in blue bins like this that you will see throughout the grounds.

Collapse and stack cardboard behind your booth for our staff & volunteers to pick up. Please separate plastic from cardboard.

Clean plastic bags, like ice bags, can be recycled if kept separate from other waste. Stuff them in an empty box for easy collection.

COMPOST will be collected in bins like this, and at our Waste Stations.

Food waste & organics can also go in yellow totes like this.

THROW AWAY all items that cannot be recycled or composted (see chart) – this includes cigarettes, diapers, gum, and granola bar wrappers, food service disposable gloves.

Every black bag is assumed to be trash and will not be recycled.

COOKING OILmay be collected at certain events in well-marked containers. PLEASE keep a look out for these and know the difference from trash containers. They are typically found behind vendors and SLED staff will alert food vendors on site.

Page 1 of 34125 Humphrey Street, St. Louis MO 63116 © St. Louis Earth Day 2011, 2015

[1]These materials are very harmful to humans, animals and the environment.