We went from 150 trash bags at Vegtoberfest to less than 9 and most of that was recyclables.”

Robin Dionne

A large, bright green bucket sitting in the center of a crowded event room may not seem very exciting at first glance. People casually toss their “trash” into it without a second thought before moving on to the next vendor. Yet by the end of the day, that same bucket, now brimming with discarded items from the VegFest event, has transformed into something far more valuable than just a simple trash receptacle.

Robin Dionne, co-owner of Ampersand Creative Co., has been working with Bootstrap Compost since 2020 to reduce the waste generated at major events such as VegFest and Gluten-Free Festival. These events attract thousands of people, which leads to a significant amount of waste, much of it recyclable or compostable. Through her partnership with Bootstrap, Dionne has been striving to make such large gatherings more eco-friendly. 

“When we started, we didn’t fully realize how much waste these events were generating,” Dionne said. “At our first Vegtoberfest, we were shocked by how much trash we were left with at the end of the weekend. We had 150 bags of waste — about 1,500 pounds of trash — when a lot of it could have been composted. That’s when we decided we needed to do better,” she explained.

The first time using Bootstrap for Vegtoberfest revealed startling results. “We went from 150 trash bags at Vegtoberfest to less than 9 and most of that was recyclables,” recalled Dionne. Since then, other events by Ampersand Creative Co. have completely transitioned to compostable materials, and Bootstrap Compost has been key in helping the event’s vendors make the switch.

The process begins long before the event itself, with organizers guiding vendors through the steps to reduce their environmental impact. When vendors register for the event, they receive information about the materials they should use and how to properly dispose of waste. This happens months in advance, ensuring everyone is on board with the sustainable goals. 

Bootstrap Compost, which partners with events like VegFest, uses specialized machinery to break down compostable items like cups, trays, and discarded food samples. This equipment allows the company to handle large volumes of waste efficiently.

“Our machinery makes it possible to break down everything we collect — from cups to food containers to food waste,” said Sam Burgess, an associate from the partnership and events team at Bootstrap Compost. He went on to say, “We focus on education as much as we focus on composting. It’s not just about throwing things away; it’s about creating a cycle of waste reduction, where materials are composted and put back into the earth.” 

Worms teach a lesson on composting

The education process of Bootstrap Compost isn’t limited to vendors at large festivals; it extends to schools and other community efforts. One notable partnership is with the Gordon School in Barrington. In fall 2023, the Gordon School completed a major kitchen remodel and launched a new food program. Students now enjoy delicious, nutritious meals prepared in a state-of-the-art cafe, and as part of this new program, the school rolled out a composting system in collaboration with Bootstrap. 

“We started the composting program because students were asking why we weren’t already doing it,” said Cushman Gillen, the green dean at the Gordon School. “It was a natural extension of the new food program,” he went on to say. The school has embraced a comprehensive composting system that processes everything from food scraps to napkins. The students are encouraged to be mindful of their food choices by taking only what they can eat, and the large, bright green buckets take care of the rest.

The only issue Gillen has with the new system is that the buckets remove the students from the composting process. He said, “It still feels like you are throwing trash away — and then it gets taken away — out of sight. The students never get to see the composting process.” And so, with the team at Gordon he is in the process of implementing a hands-on approach to learning how “trash” can be turned into soil.

The first-grade students have been introduced to the concept of composting by caring for a worm bin in their science class, taught by Nick Terry. The students collect snack scraps, feed the worms, and watch as the food waste is turned into nutrient-rich soil. This soil will then be used in the school’s garden. The idea is to show students the full cycle of waste reduction — from food scraps to compost to soil — and teach them about sustainability in a tangible way. 

“The goal is for the students to see composting in action,” remarked Gillen. “The worm bin provides this experience,” he explained. The worm bin initiative began with the first-grade class and their bin will move with them as they move to second grade, and so on and so on. “Over time, the entire school will be participating in this hands-on approach to composting,” Gillen said.

For Dionne, the composting process she has implemented at events has had the same effect as the hands-on approach Gillen hopes will have on the students. Dionne remarked, “It’s completely changed the way I think about consumption and waste.”

According to Burgess, over the course of the 2-day VegFest event, a total of 1,575 pounds of compostables and food waste were diverted from the landfill and in just over two years, the Gordon School has successfully mitigated 31,000 pounds of compostable waste.