MOSCOW, Idaho. – The first waste audit of trash cans at the Moscow Farmers Market on Saturday found that 67.9 percent of material was recyclable or compostable, 13.6 percent was liquid and 18.5 percent was garbage.
“One of the missions of the farmers market is to be more sustainable, and this audit is the first step,” said Ryan Lazo, Washington State University Center for Civic Engagement community partnerships coordinator. The WSU center was one of seven local organizations conducting the audit.
The audit provides information for the City of Moscow as it determines next steps toward making the market a zero waste or green event.
Twenty-five student volunteers from WSU and the University of Idaho assisted with the audit through their annual Week of Welcome Day of Service and Serving Your New Community events. Volunteers collected and sorted 280 pounds of materials from 25 trash containers.
“This experience was great for the volunteers because now they see how important recycling and composting is,” said Beth Conley, WSU CCE project leader. “The volumes add up quickly.”
The project was a partnership between Moscow Recycling, Latah Sanitation Inc., the City of Moscow Arts Department, AmeriCorps, WSU CCE, UI Center for Volunteerism and Social Action, and Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute.
Contact:
Erin McIlraith, WSU Center for Civic Engagement communications, 509-335-0578, emcilraith@wsu.edu
