PORTSMOUTH—
This week marks the official launch of the Downtown Portsmouth Zero Waste Project, a community-wide effort to establish the city’s first public recycling program.
On Tuesday, September 27, the first four colorful recycling stations were placed throughout the downtown area, along with a fifth in Prescott Park. The recycling program hopes to boast 15 stations throughout Portsmouth when it is in full swing.
The initiative’s official rollout was followed by a brief gathering and ribbon cutting in Market Square. Afterwards, attendees, supporters and participants of the program joined the Zero Waste Portsmouth team for a celebration at the nearby Portsmouth Brewery.
A strategic partnership of the Islington Creek Neighborhood Association, Tim Gaudreau Studios, and EcoMovement Consulting and Hauling, Zero Waste Portsmouth has over the last two years spearheaded efforts in and around Portsmouth to reduce the amount of waste being dumped into Rochester’s Turnkey landfill through creative recycling and composting alternatives.
Karina Quintans, Zero Waste’s Director says the project began with a simple brainstorming session amongst neighbors, all of whom harbored a keen interest in helping speed up Portsmouth’s push towards sustainability. By the end, it had become clear that “zero waste” sat atop the list of priorities.
Specifically, the group envisioned recycling stations – placed throughout the town – as eye-catching as they were practical. A few months later, during a green homes tour, Quintans met Tim Gaudreau, a self-proclaimed “eco-artist” and one of the Green Alliance’s first ever Business Partners. Needless to say, Quintans had found the ideal partner for the job.
“It was the perfect alignment,” recalls Quintans. “It was obvious that Tim’s passion for art and the environment would help transform the project into something unique.”
Gaudreau, with the help of students at Portsmouth’s Middle and High Schools, as well as the Robert Lister Academy, designed the resulting colorful bins with region-specific themes intended to draw the attention of passersby, including Portsmouth architecture, sea creatures, trees, and Piscataqua River scenes.
No less than seven Green Alliance Business Partners (Little Green Homes, Simply Green, Minute Men Painters, Cornerstone Tree Care, ReVision Energy, Middleton Building Supply, and EcoMovement Consulting and Hauling) provided funds, building materials or logistical support for the project, with many having their logos or contact information emblazoned on the bins themselves.
For Middleton Building Supply Manager Andy Carberry, the partnership – and sponsorship – was in sync with the company’s continued trending towards green.
“We first were introduced to this project through our partnership with the Green Alliance – they brought the Zero-Waste folks to a Green Alliance Business Partner meeting and encouraged some of the businesses to get involved and we could see right away the synergy between our company and this worthy effort,” says Carberry. “We are really working to offer more green options in our stores and collaborating with such a group on a very visible project such as this one was a perfect fit, and we knew we had a lot to contribute in terms of materials and equipment.”
Tuesday’s roll-out festivities were a welcome vindication for Quintans and the rest of the Zero Waste Portsmouth team, who have been hard at work on the initiative for just over two years. Still, the work is far from complete.
“We look at this as one of many steps forward in achieving zero waste here in Portsmouth,” she says. “The city has had a fairly low recycling rate of 22%, so it’s going to be a process. But hopefully with the rise of single-stream recycling and these new public recycling stations, we can make more of a difference, and strengthen our profile as an Ecomunicipality.”
This article was submitted by Jim Cavan.
Photo caption: Andy Carberry of Middleton Building Supply delivers new recycling stations to downtown Portsmouth. (Photo by Karina Quintans, Director, Zero Waste Portsmouth)
This week marks the official launch of the Downtown Portsmouth Zero Waste Project, a community-wide effort to establish the city’s first public recycling program.
On Tuesday, September 27, the first four colorful recycling stations were placed throughout the downtown area, along with a fifth in Prescott Park. The recycling program hopes to boast 15 stations throughout Portsmouth when it is in full swing.
The initiative’s official rollout was followed by a brief gathering and ribbon cutting in Market Square. Afterwards, attendees, supporters and participants of the program joined the Zero Waste Portsmouth team for a celebration at the nearby Portsmouth Brewery.
A strategic partnership of the Islington Creek Neighborhood Association, Tim Gaudreau Studios, and EcoMovement Consulting and Hauling, Zero Waste Portsmouth has over the last two years spearheaded efforts in and around Portsmouth to reduce the amount of waste being dumped into Rochester’s Turnkey landfill through creative recycling and composting alternatives.
Karina Quintans, Zero Waste’s Director says the project began with a simple brainstorming session amongst neighbors, all of whom harbored a keen interest in helping speed up Portsmouth’s push towards sustainability. By the end, it had become clear that “zero waste” sat atop the list of priorities.
Specifically, the group envisioned recycling stations – placed throughout the town – as eye-catching as they were practical. A few months later, during a green homes tour, Quintans met Tim Gaudreau, a self-proclaimed “eco-artist” and one of the Green Alliance’s first ever Business Partners. Needless to say, Quintans had found the ideal partner for the job.
“It was the perfect alignment,” recalls Quintans. “It was obvious that Tim’s passion for art and the environment would help transform the project into something unique.”
Gaudreau, with the help of students at Portsmouth’s Middle and High Schools, as well as the Robert Lister Academy, designed the resulting colorful bins with region-specific themes intended to draw the attention of passersby, including Portsmouth architecture, sea creatures, trees, and Piscataqua River scenes.
No less than seven Green Alliance Business Partners (Little Green Homes, Simply Green, Minute Men Painters, Cornerstone Tree Care, ReVision Energy, Middleton Building Supply, and EcoMovement Consulting and Hauling) provided funds, building materials or logistical support for the project, with many having their logos or contact information emblazoned on the bins themselves.
For Middleton Building Supply Manager Andy Carberry, the partnership – and sponsorship – was in sync with the company’s continued trending towards green.
“We first were introduced to this project through our partnership with the Green Alliance – they brought the Zero-Waste folks to a Green Alliance Business Partner meeting and encouraged some of the businesses to get involved and we could see right away the synergy between our company and this worthy effort,” says Carberry. “We are really working to offer more green options in our stores and collaborating with such a group on a very visible project such as this one was a perfect fit, and we knew we had a lot to contribute in terms of materials and equipment.”
Tuesday’s roll-out festivities were a welcome vindication for Quintans and the rest of the Zero Waste Portsmouth team, who have been hard at work on the initiative for just over two years. Still, the work is far from complete.
“We look at this as one of many steps forward in achieving zero waste here in Portsmouth,” she says. “The city has had a fairly low recycling rate of 22%, so it’s going to be a process. But hopefully with the rise of single-stream recycling and these new public recycling stations, we can make more of a difference, and strengthen our profile as an Ecomunicipality.”
This article was submitted by Jim Cavan.
Photo caption: Andy Carberry of Middleton Building Supply delivers new recycling stations to downtown Portsmouth. (Photo by Karina Quintans, Director, Zero Waste Portsmouth)
