zero waste

The Kona Brewers Festival strives toward zero waste with the help of dozens of volunteers. Since 2008, thousands of pounds of festival discards have been separated and transported to school gardens, local farms, and ʻāina-based nonprofits. These beneficiaries specialize in composting methods that turn festival paper plates and food scrap into healthy garden soil.

But that’s not all! Another example of sustainable practices is providing bulk water and reusable mugs to keep our festival-goers hydrated. Our Sustainability Team makes every effort to eliminate plastic waste from entering festival grounds.

Volunteers also collect, haul, and transport all cardboard, paper, recyclable cans and glass discards. Paper is transformed into compost, cardboard is recycled, and container deposit revenues support festival beneficiaries.

And of course, there’s the star of the festival; the iconic Trash Fashion Show. Our signature dumpster couture show brings together creative volunteer designers, fun music and enthusiastic runway performances while demonstrating innovative uses for everyday dump stuff.  Our emcee shares interesting and entertaining facts about items that end up in our landfill along with suggestions of how everyone can make a positive impact on our environment. One person’s garbage becomes a Recycled Runway red-carpet masterpiece!

New technologies and concepts inspire our Sustainability Team to keep striving. We may not be completely Zero Waste yet, but we are working toward that goal.

The Kona Brewers Festival is proud to have been awarded the Hawai’i Green Event Certification multiple years. Our organizing team includes a Sustainability Specialist to guide participating restaurants, breweries and other businesses in the best environmental practices for the event and our island home.