Arlington County Fair Puts on Zero-Waste Event Banning Plastics, Styrofoam

The Arlington County Fair in Virginia has been happening since 1977, but this year’s event was different as organizers put together plans for a zero-waste event.

In the past, vendors would sell food in plastic packaging or Styrofoam but that wasn’t allowed at the fair this year. All single-use plastic straws were banned and replaced with compostable or straw-less cups while Styrofoam food packaging was banned altogether.

The fair recycled all materials in a single-stream recycling system, including paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and plastic.

Composting was also a big part of the sustainability initiative for the event this year, as composting areas were available throughout the fair. Additionally, vendor grease was collected and taken to a plant for rendering where 40% of it will be used to create biofuel.

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