Recycling bins available for community events
Spectators at the Montana Dragon Boat Festival this weekend will notice new recycling bins throughout the grounds at the Flathead Lake Lodge, courtesy of the WasteNot Project and several community partners.
The WasteNot Project is debuting the new bins with bright blue tops and clear plastic bags at the festival, which is expected to draw a crowd of about 5,000. A total of 50 bins soon will be available for free use to other groups organizing community events.
The bins are designed to encourage proper sorting of materials.
They’re constructed of PVC pipe to allow for easy transport and set up. Every trash can at the event will be co-located with two recycling bins — one for the collection of No. 1 and No. 2 plastics and aluminum cans and one for the collection of mixed paper (non-food-contaminated paper). Several larger containers for corrugated cardboard will be located in the food vendor booth area.
“The goal is to make recycling easy and to promote a culture of recycling at community events,” WasteNot Program Director Mayre Flowers said. “These events can often generate a large volume of waste that is locally recyclable.”
When groups reserve the bins they will be provided a planning guide for encouraging recycling at their event as well as guidelines for vendors. Vendors are encouraged to serve their customers with products that can be locally recycled.
At the Dragon Boat Festival, a team of Kalispell Chamber of Commerce volunteers will ensure the recycling containers are emptied regularly. Valley Recycling of Kalispell will donate its services to haul and process all recyclable materials collected at this event, Flowers said.
The Flathead County Solid Waste District, Western Building Center of Kalispell and Coon Hollow Canvas of Kila contributed to the bin program. Citizens for a Better Flathead developed and spearheaded the project and the assembly of the bins.
Bins will be available for loan for other events starting in mid-September. Call the WasteNot project at 756-8993 for information or to reserve use of bins.
The WasteNot Project is a countywide education program that seeks to heighten awareness about solid waste issues while promoting ways to reduce the volume and toxicity of the county waste stream.
It is a collaborative project of the Flathead Valley Community College’s Service Learning Program, the Flathead County Solid Waste District and Citizens For A Better Flathead.