IRVINE, Calif. (Oct. 20, 2017):  The City of Irvine has received the 2017 Sustainable Government of the Year Award for an initiative that promotes waste reduction and recycling at the Irvine Global Village Festival, the City’s signature event that draws about 20,000 people each year.

Irvine was honored for its Zero Waste Initiative on Thursday, Oct. 19 by Sustain OC, an organization that focuses on advancing sustainability and the cleantech industry in Orange County. The award was presented at its annual conference and expo.

The Irvine Global Village Festival strives to reduce, reuse and recycle as many resources as possible. Zero Waste Stations, made up of recycling and composting carts, have been placed throughout the large-scale Festival site. The Stations included information to educate the public about the importance of placing food waste in “composting” carts, and common recyclables, like plastic and glass bottles, in recycling carts. In addition, Orange County Conservation Corps members staffed each of the eight stations to inform guests about recycling options.

The Initiative is an important educational effort, but also assists the City in meeting State mandates to provide recycling and organics diversion programs. Additionally, this Initiative has led to a decrease in the amount of food waste from the event ending up in landfills. 

The Zero Waste Stations are just one way the Irvine Global Village Festival is moving toward becoming a zero waste event. Through the exploration of new technologies, environmentally responsible initiatives and encouraging new ways of thinking, the City is moving closer to this goal each year.