ZeroWasteNEO Working Group

ZeroWasteNEO is a working group created at the 2009 Sustainable Cleveland Summit that provides education and resources to assist with achieving zero and reduced waste goals. ZeroWasteNEO’s mission is to maximize resource recovery and landfill diversion in Northeast Ohio. Our event planning subcommittee provides advice and assistance to anyone who wants to plan and host a zero waste event.

A zero waste event is an event or operation that diverts 90% or more of its non-hazardous waste from the landfill by recycling and composting, but any reduction in the amount of waste landfilled is a step in the right direction!

Any event can be a zero or reduced waste event! With help from ZeroWasteNEO’s Zero Waste Event Planning Guide and the resources below, you can host a successful zero or reduced waste event, whether you’re planning a backyard cookout or an outdoor event for 500+ people.

Why does it matter? The average person generates about 4.3 pounds of waste per day. In 2014, approximately 258 million tons of municipal solid waste was generated in the United States and of that amount, 136 million tons were landfilled. Municipal solid waste landfills are a top source of human-related methane emissions in the United States. With such alarming numbers, our waste can no longer be “out of sight, out of mind” once it hits the trash can.