Annually, hundreds of thousands flock to Fountain Square Memorial Day weekend for the Taste of Cincinnati. As visitors enjoy local delicacies, tons of garbage will be discarded, much of which could be recycled.

This year, event organizers are trying to cut down on the waste by establishing a festival-wide recycling program. Rumpke worked with the Taste of Cincinnati team and several local green organizations to develop a comprehensive plan for recovering recycling (particularly bottles, cans, paper and cardboard). The strategy to collect these materials evolved from Rumpke’s involvement with other large events. However, the secret to this year’s strategy is YOU!

The Taste of Cincinnati is looking for volunteers to work at recycling stations throughout the six-block festival. Each station will have two volunteers to educate festival-goers about what can be recycled. The volunteers will also transport 65-gallon wheeled recycling carts to Rumpke’s recycling truck.

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and will be trained prior to reporting the appropriate recycling station. Volunteers are still needed for the following shifts:

Time Slots (10 volunteers needed per shift)

Saturday, May 25 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. 9:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. (Volunteers for this time slot will also assist with collecting cardboard and glass bottles from vendors).

Sunday, May 26 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. 9:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. (Volunteers for this time slot will also assist with collecting cardboard and glass bottles from vendors).

Monday, May 27 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

To sign-up, email Cher Mohring (Hamilton County Solid Waste District) at cher.mohring@hamilton-co.org, or call 513-946-7737.

About the author: Molly Yeager is a senior corporate communications coordinator for Rumpke.