Sioux Falls, SD—The Sioux Falls Green Project, in partnership with Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc., Novak Sanitary Service and the City of Sioux Falls Office of Sustainability, launched the Sioux Falls Trash Talkers at Automania on June 17, 2009. A team of nearly thirty volunteers, including Boy Scout Troop 582 of Brandon, kept downtown clean and green by interacting with event-goers to encourage recycling, while collecting and sorting through the trash created by a record crowd at the downtown car show and festival.
“DTSF set a lofty goal of recycling 35% of the trash at Automania this year, and together we went past that by saving 43% from being hauled to the landfill,” said Joe Bartmann with the Green Project. “That’s a great start, and we have a lot of work to still do to spread this effort.” The group had set a goal of saving half the trash from the landfill by Automania 2010, and will most likely up that goal by next year’s event based on this year’s results. Of the 2 tons of trash collected at Automania last week, .86 tons were recycled instead of going to the landfill (or 43%). In 2008, .25 of 1.26 tons (20%) were recycled at the same event.
“Through the very visual and active presence of the Trash Talkers,” said Jennifer Schmidtbauer with DTSF, “we hope people in our community become more conscious of recycling not only at our events, but make it a regular practice they carry through in their own homes.”
The Trash Talkers team will hit the streets next at Hot Summer Nites on July 15, then at JazzFest on July 17 and 18. Trash Talkers help our community, our environment and get cool stuff. To join the Trash Talkers team, visit siouxfallsgreenproject.org/
For more information, contact the Sioux Falls Green Project at 605.610.4240 or contact@
