afpc events & conferences, food waste
Pack it in, Pack it out: Prep to minimize the solid waste footprint of the 2025 Alaska Food Festival & Conference
By Stephanie Mason, Kodiak Harvest Food Co-op Vice Chair, and Jennifer Nu, AFPC Food Waste Working Group Co-Chair
As Alaskans, we should be very familiar with the saying “pack it in, pack it out.” It’s the rule of thumb for backcountry activities whether that’s hiking, biking, backpacking, fish camp, etc. But have you ever considered this when you’re packing for a work trip? Conference? Vacation? What might your footprint be on a small or remote community? It’s something everyone should consider traveling to other remote locations in the world that may not have established waste collection or diversion programs.
As you pull out your luggage and wonder, What should I wear? What should I bring? Also, consider questions like…Where is their landfill? What are their waste management practices? Do they burn or bury trash? Can I recycle? What is recyclable? Can I compost? Where? Where is there potable water to fill reusable vessels?
For some, garbage is often a concept that is out of sight and out of mind. We put anything “not useful” in a receptacle, and it just magically disappears. In reality, all material in the trash ends up being buried or incinerated. This creates toxic, unusable land or pollutes the air we breathe. Some Alaskan municipalities even pay for garbage to be barged to the Lower 48. By not dealing with our waste today, we pass on the burden of dealing with it to future generations.
In just over a month (March 28-29, 2025), the 2025 Alaska Food Festival & Conference will be convening in Kodiak. Large events have an even bigger impact on rural, off-road communities. The Alaska Food Festival and Conference has been enthusiastically welcomed by our Kodiak planning partners (KALI, KANA, KHFC).
How can we be respectful guests while visiting Kodiak? According to the EPA, in 2021, the average American produced about 4.9 pounds of waste. If we do the math, two hundred attendees at a two-day conference such as the Alaska Food Festival and Conference would generate over 2000 pounds of waste! Good news- we are not going to generate a ton of waste because AFPC is committed to minimizing the amount of waste that goes into the landfill.
We started by learning more about solid waste in our host region: the Kodiak Archipelago. Did you know that Kodiak has only one Class I landfill, and six Class III landfills? The Class I landfill located just outside of town is one of the largest in the state and utilized by residents located on the road system, and the remaining six landfills reside in the six Alaska Native Villages. Kodiak’s Class I landfill compacts, bales, and then buries. The six Class III landfills incinerate and bury waste.
Also, Kodiak’s road system landfill has about 30 years of life remaining unless we improve our waste diversion programs. These items can be recycled: cardboard, paperboard (cereal boxes, construction paper, etc.), office pack (clean white paper), newspaper, #1 PETE drinking bottles and jugs and #2 HDPE bottles and jugs, aluminum cans, electronics, appliances, scrap metal, cars, lead acid batteries, and fluorescent bulbs. Please be aware that plastic clamshells, plastic egg cartons, and single-use iced coffee cups are not recyclable even though they might have a recycling #1 symbol on them. See the full list from the Kodiak Island Borough.
These are ways that our conference will minimize waste:
- Post recycling bins and signage at the event
- Work with caterers to minimize plastic waste (beverages in beverage dispensers and cans, etc.)
- Use real dishes at Kodiak Marketplace and pay for dishwashers instead of purchasing disposables (Thank you, KANA!)
- Donate leftover food to community Elder groups
- Provide reusable cups in the swag bags (Thank you, EcoTrust!)
Here’s what we are asking conference attendees to do:
- Bring your own water bottle and personal cup/mug for hot beverages
- Bring your own reusable bag for shopping around town
- Say no to single-use items
- Bring your own “mess kit” which is a set of cooking and eating utensils, as used by soldiers, scouts, or campers. And conference-goers! This kit usually includes a reusable bowl, plate, and/or food container and reusable utensils.
- Chat with other conference attendees on the “Low Waste Event” discussion board of the Whova App!
- Participate in the “mug swap”!
If you’d like an AFPC mug, plan ahead and order one from our Bonfire site.
What’s the mug swap?
We invite you to bring your own coffee mug to the conference and be prepared to trade! It can be a funny thrift store find or one from a local organization. If you see someone using a mug that you particularly like, ask them to swap! Members of AFPC’s Food Waste Working Group will be available at the Friday social to run mugs through the dishwasher, set up a swap table, and keep the conversations (and coffee) flowing.
We hope that this AFPC conference will provide inspiration and practice for all of us to get into the habit of incorporating low-waste strategies when we travel while also demonstrating how doable and rewarding it is to incorporate low-waste into event planning. Together, we can take action to lower the event’s footprint on Kodiak and inspire conversation on how to reduce waste at events in communities around the state.
