The following is a release from Waste Management:

For the second consecutive year, the Lake Washington Schools Foundation (LWSF) and Waste Management turned waste into a resource for a brighter, more sustainable future for the Kirkland community. Waste Management, a foundation supporter and strategic partner, collaborated with the LWSF board, students and volunteers to transform the annual fundraising event into a zero waste event.

The luncheon was held April 29 at Juanita High School and this year, similar to last year, there were 239 pounds of materials and food waste from the luncheon diverted from the landfill. With more than 600 supporters in attendance, Waste Management composted and recycled 94 percent of the waste from the event, creating only 59 pounds of garbage, which was mostly tape that secured the carpet.

Organizers and volunteers plan for months about innovative ways to create recyclable centerpieces, order appropriate recyclable and compostable dishes and silverware and set up good processes for sorting recyclables and food waste after the event.

With Waste Management public education and outreach staff on hand, they worked with LWSF staff and volunteers to build a list of every item that would be used during the event – from the invitations, registration, food preparation and presentation, table décor and the event program booklet. Moreover, they thought of ways to swap single-use items with reusable, recyclable or compostable alternatives and only use décor that could be reused or donated. Last year, they used lab beakers to hold salad dressing and then donated the beakers to the science lab.

A few months before the event, Waste Management engaged everyone involved in the event — from volunteers, to onsite staff to vendors – those individuals who needed to know about the zero waste goal and understand what to do with the materials that the event generated. Waste Management scheduled “Recycling 101” trainings for venue staff and for the volunteers and event staff who participated at the event. Waste Management clearly labeled front-of-house and back-of-house signs for all collection containers placed in the event rooms.