Food Trucks, Waste, and Economic Opportunity

Landfill or Reuse? <p>How do you turn a small urban park into a massive culinary festival? Invite 45 food trucks to show up for the afternoon. Planning a sunny 50 degree day after a week of rain helps as well. “Food truck rodeos” have become a popular way of bringing people into urban areas to support small businesses and food creations that often rely on local products.  The crowds that come for these events pump excitement and financial resources into urban areas, but they also lead to some less exciting by-products such as trash. At one time, the main objective for festival organizers in dealing with waste was to do it as quickly and sublimely as possible — spreading waste bins throughout. Many event organizers have started to rethink this approach and there has been a rapid increase in no and zero waste events. Environmental festivals like the Eno River Festival have long sought to minimize their environmental impact, but this trend has not been limited to environmental events. Mainstream events such as the NC State Fair and Sports Events have realized that with a little extra effort on their part, the waste system can be redesigned to reduce the event’s environmental impact. </p> <p>The Food Truck Aficionados that attended last week’s Rodeo in Durham had two important choices — the first was what tasty meal to have and the second was what to do with what their waste  when they were through.  A soda can, paper plate and scraps put into a trash bin [...]</p>