Monterey Peninsula Special Event Recycling & Litter Abatement Program a Success
Monterey Peninsula Special Event Recycling & Litter Abatement Program a Success
Working in partnership with Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD), California Conservation Corps (CCC), and in collaboration with Monterey County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (MCEHD), the City of Monterey, Pebble Beach Community Service District (PBCSD), Cal-Trans Adopt-A-Road, target events, target facilities, and the Department of Conservation (DOC) Grant Manager, Ecology Action (EA) has successfully completed the implementation of the Monterey Peninsula Special Event Recycling & Litter Abatement Project Grant #5006-203, consistent with our program goals and objectives.
Over the course of the sixteen month grant term, EA and grant partners have implemented beverage container recycling programs at eight of the eight special events targeted by our grant. Our recycling team has received an enthusiastic response from all participating entities, many of whom have requested our expertise for continued improvements in future years and/or at additional facility events. The following events were targeted under this grant: Sea Otter Classic (SOC), Pacific Grove Good Old Days (GOD), Big Sur International Marathon (BSIM), Monterey Bay Blues Festival (MBBF), Pebble Beach Concours d’ elegance (CDE), Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF), Big Sur Half Marathon & 5K Run (BSHM) and the Pebble Beach AT&T National Pro-Am (ATT).
Throughout this project, innovative measures were taken to assist targeted events and associated venues in implementing comprehensive recycling programs to maximize beverage container recycling diversion, increase litter abatement and associated diversion, promote an overall conservation ethic among events, promoters, event attendees, as well as incorporate such procedures as standard facility best management practices for contamination prevention and long-term program sustainability. These procedures included installing easily recognizable blue recycling bins, posting clear, consistent and thematic bilingual labels and event signage on bins and at prominent locations throughout target events, as well as providing vendor and visitor outreach. Program efforts were complimented by the creation of a Special Event Recycling Resource Kit and a Special Event Recycling Incentive and Policy Assessment, in addition to regular partner coordination, program monitoring and evaluation.
Our special event recycling program has effectively increased the convenience and volume of bottle and can diversion by implementing beverage container recycling programs at special events and large venues on the Monterey Peninsula and supporting litter abatement and diversion of recyclable materials collected from nearby roadways impacted by such special events.
- Diversion of an estimated 114 tons of recyclables, including approximately 591,726 CRV beverage containers. Further environmental benefits were achieved through regional and targeted litter abatement services during the months coinciding with targeted events, yielding an additional 109 tons of litter including an estimated 19,000 pounds of recyclables and 57,000 CRV beverage containers to appropriate recycling and waste management systems. In addition to CRV bottles and can diversion, the program recycled over 200,000 pounds of other recyclable material, thousands of used bike tires and dozens of bags of film plastic. In addition, the program has facilitated the diversion of 45,000 feet of used rope, hundreds of wooden pallets, tens of thousands of yards of mesh fencing material, hundreds of pounds of data/phone cable, nearly 100 bags of clothing and other materials have been to reuse.
- Creation of a Special Event Recycling Plan, replicable throughout the Monterey Bay Area and other regions that identifies the most effective approach to special event recycling in our community.
- Creation of a Special Event Resource Kit for special event promoters and venue managers that lists companies and services available to support their event recycling needs, recommended approaches to special event recycling, and availability of local resources to support the effort.
- Creation of a team of expert staff at Monterey Regional Waste Management District and/or California Conservation Corp, event organizers, event facilities, and other agencies to be able to provide services to special event managers as needed during the project term and into the future.
- Collaboration with existing litter abatement efforts to collect additional recyclables from special event impacted roadways and implement permanent solutions. Additional litter abatement was attained by CCC service staff before, during and after target events collecting debris within facility grounds and/or on surrounding roadways, with specific attention to diversion of recyclable materials. Such tonnage is including in overall event tonnage data.
- Analysis of the various permitting processes for special events in the Peninsula Cities of the Cities of Monterey, Pacific Grove, Seaside, Carmel, Marina, Del Rey Oaks, Sand City, the Pebble Beach Area, and northern Big Sur to determine opportunities to amend the permits to require recycling and/or litter abatement by special event managers.
- The program delivered valuable away-from-home recycling opportunities to over 280,000 visitors from around the state, helping to maximize concurrent statewide recycling efforts.
Furthermore, the program has established strong long-term partnerships with the venues, promoters and organizers of these target events creating a sustainable legacy of conservation, which will continue to enable beverage container recycling as a standard best management practice at facilities and events for years to come. Through our effort, enabled by DOC funding, we have provided the necessary resources, service and education for successful recycling programs. This project has therefore not only served to capture and divert a significant number of beverage containers for recycling, but it has further served to change behavior resulting in increased public participation and a catalyzed bottle and can recycling ethic in the events and venues we have served.
It is hoped that our Monterey Peninsula Special Event Recycling & Litter Abatement Project will serve as a model program for similar special events and venues throughout California.
Program Contact
Anna Hirst
Ecology Action
Phone: 831.426.5925 ext. 120
Fax: 831.425.1404
Email
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