Traverse City Record-Eagle

Opinion

August 17, 2008

Editorial: Fest hits recycling record

The National Cherry Festival has shaken off another bit of old baggage.

Waste Management, the company that hauled away the mounds of garbage the festival produced this year, said about 9 tons of material was recycled instead of being dumped in a landfill.

That's a 7 percent increase from last year and is believed to be a record amount.

Back in 2004 the Festival, pleading poverty, dropped its recycling program, which had cost about $9,000. When the public raised a ruckus, the Festival, DTE and Waste Management teamed up to bring it back.

This year the program was expanded to include drinking cups, biodegradable bags at the so-called "green centers" and reusable pie plates at off-site events.

In all, about 33 percent of the roughly 27 tons of waste was recycled, compared to 26 percent last year. An additional 1,500 pounds of material was composted.

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