Every May since 1998, the CARTM Recycling Center in Manzanita has hosted the Trash Bash, a very popular community party featuring live music, dancing, trash art, the “Trashionista” fashion show, lots of decidedly untrashy food and refreshments … and near-zero waste generated by the 1,000 or so revelers who attend each year.
How close to zero? Very, very close. By the time the 2009 gala wrapped up, the grand total of unrecyclable, uncompostable and/or unreusable garbage generated by hungry, thirsty Trash Bashers was (drum roll, please) one empty snack bag, smuggled in from the outside world.
In 2010, CARTM staffers had to haul off a comparatively whopping three (3) corn chip bags.