ARLINGTON, Va. — Arlington County Fair dreams of ridding fairgrounds of overflowing garbage cans. So now, the fair is going green.
Arlington’s Fair has been going on since the summer of 1977, but this year, they’re aiming for zero waste. The fair is usually full of vendors selling food packed in plastic and Styrofoam, but that will no longer be allowed.
The fair is also incentivizing people to find an environmentally friendly mode of transportation to the grounds rather than drive. They’re offering free valet for bikes.
Even food and animal waste is getting recycled at the fair this year. Composting will be available throughout the fair, vendor grease will be processed to create biofuel, and livestock manure will be collected and distributed to use as fertilizer in neighborhood gardens.
Here is the full list of things they’re doing:
Banning all single-use plastic straws and replacing them with compostable options or straw-less cups.
Banning Styrofoam food service items such as cups and clamshell containers distributed at the fair.
Banning small condiment packets for mustard, ketchup and soy sauce, as well as small plastic Solo cups for sauces. Vendors must use bulk distribution in paper cups for these items.
Recycling all recyclable materials in a single-stream recycling system, including paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum and plastic materials.
Expanding our composting efforts to be available throughout the fair. This removes food waste, paper products and other biodegradable items out of the event waste stream, reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from waste generated at the fair.
Collecting food vendor grease that is taken to a plant for rendering. 40% of the processed grease is used to create biofuel.
Collecting and distributing manure generated by livestock at the fair for use in neighborhood gardens.
Working with Arlington’s Car-Free Diet to promote transportation options to the fair, including biking and walking routes, nearby bike-share locations, bus and Metro options.
Providing valet parking for bicycles free of charge for guests who bike to the event.
Using reusable signage throughout the fair to minimize printed signage waste.
Providing a water fill up station to encourage guests to use reusable water bottles.
The fair began Wednesday, Aug. 14 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 18 at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center at 3501 Second Street South.