Ohio State Fair Goers Have Green Options for Waste
 

COLUMBUS, OH - The Ohio Exposition Commission, Ohio State Fair Board and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) are partnering with several companies to reduce landfill waste and educate fair goers about recycling and composting opportunities in Ohio.
 
The Ohio Exposition Commission received a grant to purchase 650 recycling containers, which will be used at the state fairgrounds for the 2009 Ohio State Fair and all other events at the venue throughout the year. Each container will be conveniently located next to a trash receptacle for fair participants. Rumpke of Ohio, Inc., a leader in the recycling industry, will service the containers during the 12-day fair.
 
Beyond the traditional forms of recycling, ODNR and the Ohio Exposition Commission have partnered with Concessions by Cox and Kurtz Brothers to compost all food waste, biodegradable containers and serviceware at designated facilities. These composting opportunities will be available in the Taste of Ohio Building, Rhodes Center Cafeteria and Ranahans Restaurant. The Ranahans Restaurant serves 600 to 800 meals each day of the fair; the Rhodes Center Cafeteria serves as many as 1,200 meals per day.
 
Along with the opportunity to recycle and compost, programs are in place to educate fair goers about the practices. The collected recyclables will alleviate what goes into landfills and can be reused to make consumer products. Composting food, the third heaviest item going into landfills, can reduce waste costs and be converted into energy. In addition to diverting food scraps from the event, ODNR will use the project to help determine the feasibility of expanding food waste collection to include various other events at the Ohio Exposition Center.
 
To learn more about recycling and composting, visit the ODNR Natural Resources Park in the southeast corner of the fairgrounds. Natural resource professionals are available at the park to talk more about the effort to reduce, reuse and recycle. The 8-acre facility also provides fair goers with hands-on exhibits and interactive performances that encourage outdoor activity and reveal the value of environmental stewardship.
 
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.
   

Tags: