Zero Waste

Each year, Clemson University’s recycling services team recycles thousands of tons of paper, plastic, glass, metal and cardboard, yet despite these efforts, approximately 3,000 tons of trash are sent to the landfill. The Zero Waste Event Planning for the Sonoco FRESH Summit Creative Inquiry project, led by Dave VanDeventer, Clemson University’s Solid Waste and Recycling Manager, and Dr. Deborah Falta from the Department of Public Health Sciences, is planning and implementing strategies to make the FRESH 2022 Food, Packaging & Sustainability Summit a zero waste event. The team is collaborating with Kristy Pickurel, Marketing and Events Manager for Sonoco FRESH, and Ted Langlois, a sustainability and environmental solutions specialist from WM (previously known as Waste Management) and will execute their plans this fall.

To prepare for the event, the Creative Inquiry team brought together experts from global corporations, Clemson Facilities and Sonoco FRESH to discuss the waste stream and ways to divert waste from landfills. During these discussions, Sonoco FRESH introduced two goals: 1) the goal of achieving a zero waste event, defined as at least 85% diversion from landfill, and 2) to engage Summit attendees in achieving this goal while also modeling best practices.

Through these conversations and the team’s research, they decided to use Eco Stations at the upcoming FRESH Summit to educate attendees and help them sort their waste. “The Eco Stations will have bins for three waste streams: recycling, compost and landfill. We think it’s very important to also have an educational aspect to encourage people to be mindful of the waste they’re creating and how to best dispose of it,” Mary Werner, a junior packaging sciences major with a sustainability minor, said.

Meeting for the first time in person, the FRESH 2022 Food, Packaging & Sustainability Summit will be held on September 19-21, 2022 at Clemson University. The goal of the conference and the Creative Inquiry team is to pave the way for a safe, secure and sustainable future across the food value chain, with special attention paid to packaging.