MISSOULA — Thousands of people from across the country gathered in Missoula this weekend for the Zootown Festival and Missoula Pride.
In the midst of all the action is lots of trash. But Home ReSource offered a sustainable solution through its Zero Waste Event services.
(WATCH: Green Team volunteers roam Zootown Festival to help divert waste from landfill)
The organization's Green Teams have played key roles at public gatherings for years by helping attendees sort compost, recycling, and landfill waste.
Mike Lessard, the program's director, said this year's Zootown Festival was no exception.
“Not overwhelmed, kind of what we expected," he said. "Working with [Zootown] is pretty great. They have big sustainability goals as a festival too, and so all of the food vendors are 100% compostable.”
With over 18,000 attendees each day of the festival, Lessard said the Green Team's efforts help keep thousands of pounds of material out of the landfill.
“There's lots of different things that a lot of folks don't realize are compostable," he said.
Anything from meat to cardboard, paper plates and cups can be composted at a commercial facility in Missoula, according to Lessard.
While crowds gathered for the music, the team volunteered its time to sort waste at 60 stations across the Missoula Fairgrounds.
“It is almost exclusively volunteers for [Zootown]," Lessard told MTN. "We had about 50 volunteer shifts available for people to come in for about three-hour sessions."
While the Zootown Festival is over, the Green Team is already gearing up for the Western Montana Fair where they need about 300 volunteers.
The goal is to divert about 100,000 pounds of material during the fair, which is scheduled for two weekends of events this year.
Volunteer sign-ups for both the fair and River City Roots Festival are coming soon. Fair shifts will be available for registration starting on July 1.
You can visit the Green Team's website to learn more about their efforts or volunteering.
