Niwot seeks to have zero waste events

Niwot's summer concert series Rock & Rails is a special event. But it doesn't just provide the setting for people to chat and hang out while listening to live music. Rock & Rails was also the catalyst for Niwot to push toward a standard of zero waste.

Zero waste means limiting trash as much as possible, usually by swapping out single-use packaging, utensils, etc. for either recyclable or compostable options. "There's no such thing as total zero waste," said Jill Whitener, one of the people involved in Niwot's effort. "It's really hard, but it's just really working on trying to make people aware of how we can educate people on what's recyclable and compostable."

She emphasized the need for education of what's compostable and what's recyclable. Essentially, compostable materials do not leave anything behind and will decompose with time; recyclable materials are generally glass, paper, or certain plastics that can be repurposed and/or made into new objects.

This is where Rock & Rails and Whitener come into play. While the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and Niwot Business Association event is known for its variety of food trucks and alcohol bar as well as its music, what's unique about it is that all food and drink containers and utensils are either compostable or recyclable. What's also unique about the event are the youth volunteers, dubbed "gargoyles" who sit on top of recycle/compost bins to help concert-goers dispose of their "trash" the right way.

"The kids came up with the name 'gargoyles,'" said Whitener. "They thought it was pretty creative. That's where it first started, where we were just trying to get something set up. Other events have now started to kind of request different ways that they could help [minimize waste at Niwot events]."

Although the summer concert series has been around since 2006, it wasn't until 2012 that the zero-waste aspect was implemented at the suggestion of then-NBA president Tony Santelli working with concert managers Mike Anfinson and Liz Darling. Since then the gargoyles have become a fixture at the event. Gargoyles also pick up cones and parking signs after each concert, holding competitions to determine which ones get to ride in the back of a pickup as they retrieve signs around Niwot.

The gargoyles took on the recent Niwot Jazz Festival, also an NCAA sponsored event, and are looking into ways to expand to other events. Whitener said that it might be slightly more difficult to manage events that spread across town, such as the Honey Bee Festival. With events like those, it will be important for participants, businesses and others to be aware of recycling and composting themselves.

"We need to be open and educate people along the way," Whitener said. "It's an awareness, it's important for us to be composting and recycling. If we're going to have it, then we need a buy-in where people will look at it and respect that and hopefully go along that path."

The idea of education is another reason why the gargoyles are crucial to have at events. Many of the gargoyles are middle and high school students, some of whom are looking for service hours. Given that the older volunteers are usually veterans of the program, they are able to teach and guide younger volunteers.

"They work pretty hard and it's pretty amazing how hard they work and how they have really taken responsibility. It helps to start with younger kids--they do train a lot of adults," said Whitener.