You’ll notice more of something on the Iowa State Fairgrounds, and organizers hope it will help set a record.
With less than a day to go, crews brought in rides, cleaned buildings and rolled out the recycling bins. Waste Management Spokesperson Stephanie Regagnon says, “We are increasing our recycling efforts for 3rd straight year.”
Regagnon says you’ll find 300 recycling containers around the fairgrounds. That’s 100 more than last year. She says, “There will be one just about everywhere, and just to look for those. When you’ve got waste be sure, and if it’s a recyclable material, that you put it in the right bin.”
You can put cans and bottles in the bags hooked to a blue or green holder. Crews will pick up cardboard from the vendors two times a day.
Regagnon says the Iowa State Fair increased recycling 350% from 2010 to 2011. She says they want to recycle even more this year and set a state fair record. Regagnon says, “We’ve just been so impressed with the increased recycling we’ve had for the past couple years that we looked at the numbers and said, hey let’s challenge ourselves with our partners like Keep Iowa Beautiful and the Iowa State Fair and make this thing happen.”
Organizers say they’ve placed the bins in high traffic areas, some right next to each other. They say they hope it not only increases recycling, but also awareness. Regagnon says, “What we really hope happens is see how to recycle and see how easy it is at the state fair, and they take those practices home with them and actually incorporate them into their daily lives.”
Waste Management recycled 19 tons of material at the Iowa State Fair last year. The spokesperson says they don’t have a specific goal for this year but hope the additional bins increase the amount.