Thanks for a great County Fair!

September 2, 2014

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Did you know that the County Fair is the most important outreach event for the Department of Environmental Protection each year? It is the time where DEP staff get to talk to County residents, share our latest programs and events and get the pulse on what is important to County residents.

This year was a huge success for DEP at the fair! We had 2 booths – one for our Division of Solid Waste Services with information on trash, recycling and composting and one booth for our Division of Watershed Management and the Office of Sustainability.

What Happened at the Fair?

The Division of Solid Waste Services (SWS) spoke to 8,464 people.
The Watershed Management Division (WMD) and the Office of Sustainability talked to 5,823 people including a Division record 1,186 people on Sunday alone!
Visitors got to spin the wheel on our watershed and recycling trivia games as well as try their luck at the new sustainability trivia board.
SWS distributed 309 compost bins. That’s a lot of yard trim diverted from our trash!
WMD and the Office of Sustainability hosted stream critters for kids including 4 species of frogs and toads, a crayfish, a snake and numerous fish. After three days at the fair, they were released back into the wild.
Both tables had numerous volunteers including students, families, individuals and current DEP staff.
We were visited by a princess, and the County Executive.

The Watershed Management and Office of Sustainability Tent

We’re Award Winners!

The Division of Solid Waste Services was awarded the 2014 Montgomery County Agricultural Fair Grand Champion Educational Award. The award is based on a number of criteria, including overall appearance and interaction with patrons. A panel of judges evaluates all of the vendors/exhibitors and awards nine ribbons in the commercial exhibitor category. This year, SWS promoted the county’s goal to reduce waste and recycle 70% by 2020. SWS staff and recycling volunteers provided the public with information about waste reduction, recycling, reuse opportunities, buying recycled-content products, grasscycling, backyard and on-site composting, and more. Congratulations to the entire SWS team!