Nestled on the corner of Old Woburn and Lakeway are new champions in waste reduction: the residents of Gardenview Village.
A project of Road2Home, Gardenview Village provides emergency shelter for folks experiencing homelessness in Bellingham, WA. This cluster of tiny homes houses between 30-50 residents on-site where they have access to secure shelters, a community kitchen, hygiene trailer, laundry room, and more.
Before the opening of Gardenview, project organizers contacted the Toward Zero Waste Program with a goal of providing as many waste reduction resources to their residents as possible. With the help of a Toward Zero Waste waste assessment, a waste reduction system was put in place before residents moved in.
On site, the village established compost services for food waste and an expansive recycling system for solid waste. Folks can recycle a variety of different materials including:
- Styrofoam
- Plastic
- Tin
- Aluminum
- Glass
- Electronic waste
And after Gardenview opened, residents and staff were informed of best waste disposal practices including proper disposal of household hazardous waste. The Toward Zero Waste program will continue to work with Gardenview to provide needed support and resources.
Along with the effort to reduce waste, Gardenview is also a recipient agency of the Food Recovery Program. The Food Recovery Program aims to reduce food insecurity and address climate change by redistributing surplus, nutritious food, to neighbors experiencing hunger.
With one call to the Toward Zero Waste Program, Gardenview reduced waste, provided resources to the village, and got connected to a network of hunger relief agencies. Waste reduction resources should be accessible to everyone in a collective effort to reduce waste and create a positive impact in the community.
Learn more about the Gardenview Village and items on their donation list by clicking here.
Get connected with Toward Zero Waste:
At no cost, we come to your business, learn the ins and outs of your unique needs, and share suggestions for actionable waste-reduction and money-saving change. We provide each participating business with quality information, a full waste assessment of customer facing and operational waste, a customized waste assessment action plan, and continued support for implementation. Sign up today to get scheduled or get in touch to learn more.
Learn how you can reduce wasted food:
Work in the food industry? The Food Recovery Program reduces food insecurity and addresses climate change by recovering and redistributing nutritious surplus food to neighbors in need.
Want to reduce your carbon foot print? The Squatch Food Waste program addresses climate change by encouraging people to reduce food waste at home.
Interested in starting a food recovery program in your own town? We’ve got the framework to get you started.
Thank you to our program sponsors:
