The Northampton Chamber of Commerce recently organized a Centennial Gala event, which was hosted at the Academy of Music. The event provided entertainment and catered meals, drawing in more than 350 attendees. The Chamber connected with RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts (RecyclingWorks) for assistance with diverting the event waste from the landfill.

The Chamber worked closely with RecyclingWorks, Smith College catering services, and USA Hauling to strategize and implement waste diversion measures for the event. Smith College provided all of the food vendors with compostable serviceware, and confirmed with their hauler that this material was acceptable for composting. USA Hauling, the “Sustainability Sponsor” for the event, provided the Chamber with four 96-gallon bins for single stream recycling, four 64-gallon bins for compost items, and one 96-gallon bin for trash. A pre-event meeting was held with Smith College, the Chamber’s event staff, and RecyclingWorks staff to train volunteers and staff on the event’s waste plan.

During the event, volunteers assisted guests with sorting waste into collection bins for organic materials and recycling. Through the collaboration, the Chamber diverted 800 pounds of organic material for composting, collected 100 pounds of single stream materials to be recycled, and produced less than one bag of trash.

RecyclingWorks provides free recycling and food waste diversion technical assistance to Massachusetts businesses and institutions. RecyclingWorks has developed guidance for organizations contracting for trash, recycling, and food waste hauling service and the RecyclingWorks Find-A-Recycler tool allows users to search for local haulers and recycling businesses across Massachusetts. To speak to a recycling and food waste diversion expert, call our hotline: (888) 254-5525 or email us at info@recyclingworksma.com.