Garlic Town, USA Festival Continues Sustainability Efforts with 80% of Waste Diverted or Recycled from 2024 Event
The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce is proud to report that their latest Garlic Town USA Festival, which was held on Saturday August 31, was successful in diverting over 80% of the total waste produced during the event through various composting, recycling, and reduced waste efforts made during the 2024 year.
Garlic Town takes place annually on Labor Day Weekend and was designated a Vermont Signature Event for 2024-2025 by The Vermont Chamber of Commerce and the Vermont Department of Tourism. Garlic Town has been a beloved gathering that pays homage to garlic and agriculture, attracting visitors from near and far to downtown Bennington. The 2024 festival drew over 6,500 ticket holders to the single day event.
Event producers have been working with Casella Waste Systems for several years to track statistics and report how many pounds of event garbage is able to be diverted away from landfill dumping or incineration, after the extensive sorting of all food and waste materials is done by hand thanks to volunteers who run multiple waste station tents inside the festival grounds.
“I’m beyond proud of our team of stinkin’ volunteers and supporters who worked tirelessly to produce such impressive recycling and compost numbers from this year, all in effort to keep our beautiful area clean and green” stated Mikaela Lewis, event manager with the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce and chairwoman of Garlic Town.”
“Our garlic events have always featured a unique compost and recycling system that impresses many of our vendors and attendees, but we’re always looking to inform, educate and improve each year. We appreciate the opportunity to be a leading example in the region for other organizations and festivals to focus on ways they can reduce their overall carbon footprint and think about the impact it has on everyone’s future.”
Additional figures from the event include an estimated 3,000 pounds of compostable materials successfully extracted, in comparison to 1,800 pounds respectively from the previous year. There was also a 58% increase in returnable aluminum cans collected. Overall, efforts made during the 2024 event produced a 33% reduction in landfill garbage compared to the prior year.
“We’re fortunate to have had the volunteer power that it took to make this possible, but it’s certainly not easy and takes a strong team of folks who aren’t afraid to work hard!” comments Kathy Sollien, newly appointed waste team captain for Garlic Town. “We’re always looking for new, friendly faces to join our stinkin’ green team, so please consider signing up to help out next year - and bring a friend!”
Event organizers would also like to extend a special thank you to Marsh Hudson-Knapp, a longtime local volunteer for the festival, for his dedicated efforts and wealth of sustainability knowledge provided throughout the planning process.
The Southwestern Vermont Chamber team plans to further Garlic Town’s sustainability efforts and continue working towards the goal of becoming completely zero-waste within the next three years. This will include collaborating with local organizations like the Bennington County Solid Waste Alliance (BCSWA) on forward-thinking event practices, increasing the availability of resources for other producers in the area, and building a larger network of available volunteers willing to donate their time to assist with regional events.
For more information about Garlic Town, USA, visit www.garlictownusa.com.