Shopping Bags – We want to reduce the number of all types of bags used at our event. We ask that attendees at Vegfest bring their own bags for carrying out food samples, literature and purchases. Reusable tote bags are available at an affordable price for those who need them. Joining or renewing your membership of Vegetarians of Washington includes a sturdy, elegant, reusable bag packed with goodies.

Serving products – At an event like Vegfest a lot of garbage is produced. We ask all vendors to use compostable serving products, and we purchase only environmentally-friendly products as far as possible, to reduce the quantity of plastics in the environment.

Rectangular compost bins are provided wherever there are garbage bins.  Please place compostable serviceware, along with any food, in the compost bins provided. Place any non-recyclable product packaging in the garbage bins.

Sample Cups – We purchase compostable sample cups, either made from corn starch (cold drinks) or natural fiber (hot foods). Please note that these may look like plastic, but they are not!

Baking Cups – We are using paper baking cups for solid food items wherever possible, as they use minimal resources.

Toothpicks and napkins – these are naturally compostable.

Taster Spoons – We purchase Taterware taster spoons, which are biodegradable.

Cans, bottles and cardboard boxes – We don’t have control over the packaging that food items come in, but we ask our volunteers to collect cans, bottles and clean cardboard for recycling. Since very few of the products served to attendees at Vegfest are recyclable, we have not provided recycling bins to the public, to minimize confusion.

Please be assured that we are doing the best we can to save resources and minimize harm to the environment.