Zero Waste Pilot program 2008 for the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair - The Original

1. 2008 Zero Waste Pilot
Shary Brown, Executive Director,
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original
Valerie Jenner, Sustainability Auditor,
Every Day Change Communications L.L.C.

2. What is Zero Waste?
Zero Waste is the principles and practices that work
towards shifting our economy and culture away from
one that sends everything off to the landfill to one that
sends almost nothing there.
This means redesigning products that can be recycled
or composted more easily, which reduces needless
waste.
This fresh approach also creates new jobs and
economies based around the repurposing of materials
and resources that would have otherwise been wasted.

3. Ann Arbor Art Fairs
•The Street Art Fair is the Original of the four award-winning Ann
Arbor Art Fairs
•Collectively, the fairs draw more than 500,000 visitors during four
days each July
•The four fairs occupy nearly 30 blocks of the downtown area
The Street Art Fair, the Original
•Small non-profit community arts organization whose purpose is to
connect artists and their art with an appreciative audience.
•170 juried artists from all over the United States and abroad
•Offers music and dance performances, ArtZone workshops and
community art projects, as well as booth-side artist demonstrations
to create a comfortable, engaging and participatory art experience.

4. 2008 Art Fairs Map

5. Pictures from other three A2 Art Fairs
Waste Management 2008

6. Ann Arbor Street Art Fair - The Original
Special Operations Crew

7. Recycling
Map 2007
20 Clear Stream bottle recycling bins were located throughout the grounds

8. Zero Waste
Map 2008

9. Zero Waste Stations
Front of House

10. Street Art Fair
Back of House

11. Statistics
• 26,816 pounds or 13 tons of recycling collected by
entire A2 Art Fairs.
• 17,325 lbs. or 8.67 tons were collected by the The
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair – The Original.
• 68% of the total recyclables were collected by only
1/6 of the total event area in a first year pilot Zero
Waste format.
• 41% dumpster content reduction

12. Table 3: 2008 Complete A2 Art Fair Recycling Fill Rates & Weights
Front of Back of
July
House House
Cart Fill Rates
bin bin
# of size/ # of size/ % % % % % %
bins gallon bins gallon 15 17 18 19 20 Avg ~ Lbs. ~Tons
Liberty/ Paper 1 96 0 0 30 30 30 50 35 259 0.130
Ashley Container 1 96 0 0 100 50 80 50 70 518 0.260
Liberty/ Paper 1 96 0 0 30 50 30 80 48 352 0.175
Main Container 1 96 0 0 100 100 80 80 90 666 0.333
William Paper 1 96 0 0 30 50 50 50 45 333 0.167
/Main Container 1 96 0 0 80 100 80 100 90 666 0.333
Liberty Paper 1 96 0 0 80 80 50 80 73 537 0.268
/Fifth Container 1 96 0 0 100 100 80 100 95 703 0.352
State/ Paper 1 96 0 0 30 50 50 80 53 389 0.194
Liberty Container 1 96 0 0 50 50 80 100 70 518 0.259
State/ Paper 1 96 0 0 30 50 30 100 53 389 0.194
William Container 1 96 0 0 100 100 30 100 83 611 0.305
Wash./ Paper 1 96 0 0 80 30 50 50 53 389 0.194
Thayer Container 1 96 0 0 50 30 80 50 53 389 0.194
Fletcher Paper 30 30 9 96 100 100 100 100 100 100 8325 4.163
/NorthU Container 30 30 9 96 100 100 100 100 100 100 9000 4.500
State/ Paper 1 96 0 0 100 30 30 100 65 481 0.241
SouthU Container 1 96 0 0 30 50 100 80 65 481 0.241
SouthU Paper 1 96 0 0 50 50 50 80 58 426 0.213
/EastU Container 1 96 0 0 30 50 80 80 60 444 0.222
SouthU/ Paper 1 96 0 0 30 30 30 50 35 259 0.130
Forest Container 1 96 0 0 30 30 50 30 35 259 0.130
Total Art Fair Recycling Weights Collected For All Art Fairs July 2008 26,816 13.41
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair Total Pilot Program Weights 17,325 8.67
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair Total Recycling Collected Including Washington/Thayer 18,134 9.07
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair Percentage Of Total Art Fair Recycling Recovery 68% 68%

13. • 2.5 trash dumpsters out of 5 were filled on four days and filled to
capacity for only one. All recycling bins were full to maximum
daily.
• 10 X 6 cubic yard dumpster loads were diverted.
• 7 tons minimum were diverted from the landfill.
• The 10 dumpster loads diverted from a maximum of 25 over the
five day event equals a 41% landfill diversion rate in the first
year pilot program.

14. Components of Success
! Appealing: Physical Stations
Practical: Front of House - Well labeled, high visibility banners, easily
accessible by patrons and crews.
Functional: Back of house - need more than dumpsters, receptacles
dedicated to each recyclable including separate cardboard.
! Commitment: Dedicated committed staff - Paid or volunteer.
! Communication: Engaging participants; staff, artists, volunteers, vendors, crew
Include Zero Waste goals/requirements in all marketing and contractual
documents.
! Partnerships: Establish partnerships with community organizations with expertise
and local government service providers.
! Planning: Pre-event planning to control materials entering site and restrict
potential waste (particularly important in Phase 2).
! Professional: Need trained set-up crew - need organizational meeting and
detailed station map, crew leader with authority to make minor logistical changes.
! Quantification: Measure, document and evaluate.

15. What Next in 2009?
• Zero Waste Coordinator recommended
• Recycle Ann Arbor to help set up stations
• Introduce compostable disposables
• Reduce / eliminate plastics and Styrofoam
• Assess waste to be reduced in 2010
• Establish a community volunteer organization
based on Boulder CO, Eco-cycle model
• Create bulk water system
• Create compost system

16. Composting in 2009
• Food vendors to sign contract committing to
using bio-compostable tableware and collecting
food waste for compost
• Compost bins to be added to recycling stations
and provided to food vendors
• Cooperation with Recycle Ann Arbor to
determine best mix of food waste and brown
materials to provide quality compost in the
shortest amount of time
• Street Art Fair compost could be sold at local
farmers market to help fund Zero Waste
programs and connect with community

17. Bulk Water in 2009
• Partnership with City of Ann Arbor Water
Treatment (A2H20)
• Inexpensive aluminum and high-end stainless steel
refillable souvenir water bottles sold instead of
plastic bottled water
• Bulk water stations at fire hydrants as well as 5 gal
jugs with cooler dispensers throughout Fair site for
bottle refills

18. Zero Waste Partners
Special thanks to the partners that make these efforts possible: