Food Scrap Management

Composting at Special Events

Collecting food scraps for compost at special events such as fairs, conferences, sporting events, and trade shows, can pose unique challenges. Coordination between event staff, food preparation staff, consumers, haulers, and composters is important to successful food scrap diversion, collection, and composting efforts.

• What You Should Know About Your Event
• State Fairs, Festivals, Sporting Events
• Catered and Buffet-Style Events
• More Information on Food Scraps Diversion at Large Venues and Special Events

What You Should Know About Your Event

Have dedicated staff oversee the food scrap diversion project
Staff will need to locate, monitor, empty, and clean scrap collection bins throughout the event. You should provide educational signs for patrons, and teach vendors how to separate food scraps. Your staff should also check for bin contamination, overflow problems, and relocate bins when necessary.

How many meals will be served? How many attendees are expected?
This will help estimate the number of collection bins you will need. The volume of scraps to be handled will increase significantly if compostable plates and cups are collected instead of reusable kitchenware.

What type of food scraps and collection bags will a compost facility accept?
Check with the compost facility to determine if certain scraps generated at your event are acceptable, such as cheeses, sauces, meat scraps, waxed cardboard, or paper products. Collection bin liners can help improve bin cleanliness and reduce odors. If bin liners are made of nonbiodegradable plastic, ask the compost operator if they will accept these materials.

Postconsumer food scraps
If postconsumer food scraps are collected there may be an increased potential for contamination and some limitations on who can accept these scraps. Noncontaminated kitchen prep scraps, like corn husks, lettuce, and onion culls, may be suitable for those composters that can accept this type of residual matter. Large quantities of postconsumer scraps should be taken to a permitted compost facility. For catered events, ask the caterer what types of scraps will be generated.

Reusable flatware and utensils
Using washable kitchenware may reduce the volume of food scraps. If the event is catered, ask the caterer to provide reusable dishware and utensils. If reusable items cannot be obtained, use biodegradable utensils and plates. Although this will increase the volume, it will reduce potential problems of plastic contamination during source separation. If the collected food scraps are a small quantity and are free from plastic contamination and meats, you will likely have more options in finding a composter.

Meat, fats, oils and grease can be rendered
Since some amounts of meat can be problematic for some composters, consider having meat, bone, fats, grease, and oils collected by a renderer. Coordinate with a local or regional renderer to provide drums and collection service for these materials from your event.

Food donations
If you anticipate that vendors will have leftover food that is still edible, contact a local food bank or food rescue program ahead of time to arrange for delivery.

Transporting food scraps
Unless you are composting on-site, you will need a hauler. Hauling can be as simple as using a small pickup truck to haul scraps to someone's ambitious backyard compost pile. But for large events, you may need a front end loader to pick up 2- or 4-yard bins, or a box van for edible foods. The end processor, whether it is a food bank or composter, may provide or arrange this service.

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Fairs, Festivals and Sporting Events

Source separation of recyclable glass, plastic, cans, food, and paper products from garbage can be difficult unless organizers provide clear signs and place collection bins to minimize cross-contamination. Always provide a garbage bin beside every food scrap and recycle bin.

Food preparation scraps from vendors should also be collected. Inform food vendors about your plans to collect food scraps. You may want to require their cooperation through contractual language to separate food scraps for food rescue and composting collection. A local rendering company may be able to provide drums and collection service to vendors that produce meat scraps and grease.

Catered or Buffet-style Events

Catered and buffet-style events offer greater opportunity to control the flow of food scraps since only one food service provider is involved. Your choice of caterer is important to the success of your food scrap diversion efforts. Ask potential caterers if they can provide reusable dishware or biodegradable products, and inquire about their willingness to separate pre- and post-consumer food scraps (if tables are bussed). Reusable dishware will reduce the number of scrap bins needed and provide the composter with a much higher proportion of food scraps.

If there is perishable but edible food left over, consider taking this food to a food rescue program.

If diners are responsible for their own plate scrapings, ensure that bin signs are clear and visible. Collection of compostable materials may have more success and less contamination if patrons can throw biodegradable products into bins instead of separating food from nonbiodegradable products, such as foam or plastic plates, cups, and utensils. Contamination problems can occur even if separate garbage and food bins with good signage are placed next to each other.

More Information on Food Scraps Diversion at Large Venues and Special Events

To learn more about how to reduce and recycle other waste materials, visit the Board’s related venue facilities and special events website. This site includes downloadable model policies, fact sheets, case studies and resource links.

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