Waste planning and management is a critical aspect of Art Daze Festivals and is made efficient and successful with the support of our dedicated staff, vendors and festival-goers. The projects described are ongoing and aim to mitigate waste generated at these Cary festivals.

LOW WASTE INITIATIVE

Previously, Art Daze food vendor applications requested that all service ware be compostable, reusable or recyclable. Cary has been providing 2-3 staffed waste stations with trash, recycling and compost collection in addition to twinned (recycling and trash) bins throughout the festival. 

SPRING DAZE 2024 - Enhanced Low Waste Initiative

At Spring Daze 2024, staff required food vendors to adhere to the Low Waste Initiative.

The NEW efforts included:

• Cary provided all compostable cutlery (forks, spoons, knives) and beer cups to food vendors.
• 20 more compost receptacles with signage, adding to the existing 3 bins at waste stations.
• Increased volunteerism and event training for low waste operations, including partnering with Toward Zero Waste.

The 2024 Spring Daze outcomes were:

• Favorable acceptance and compliance by food vendors in the use of reusable, recyclable, and compostable service ware.
• Over 180lbs of compost material collected, a substantial increase from before the requirement.
• Highly satisfied festival goers making a difference in Cary's environment.

FUTURE FESTIVALS:

• Cary will continue to purchase compostable utensils/beer cups for the Festivals. 
• Cary will increase compost receptacles by adding them to every festival trash and recycling location.
• Low Waste Requirements are defined in the food vendor application. 
• Prior to accepting festival invites, selected food vendors must re-acknowledge their understanding of the Low Waste Requirements. 
• Outcomes of the Low Waste Requirements will be evaluated after every future festival to determine the level of success.

BANNER BAGS PROJECT

At Spring Daze 2024, Art Daze Staff upcycled banners from previous Spring Daze and Lazy Daze Festivals into unique tote bags. This project practices landfill diversion, one of the most important tactics to maintain a sustainable & resilient Cary and a simple way to Cary it Green.

Read more about this project and how these one-of-a-kind bags came to be!