The Stanislaus County Fair is committed to environmental stewardship and has implemented recycling, reducing and reusing throughout the Fairgrounds. Here are some highlights of the Fair’s contribution toward a greener planet:

  • In 2008, the Fairground’s events generated 460,222 tons of waste. All but one ton of waste was diverted, including: 4.11 tons of cardboard, 1.55 tons of glass, .6 tons of newspaper, 1.28 tons of office paper, .325 tons of  plastics, 4.12 tons of scrap metal, 16.3 tons of xeriscaping/grasscycling, 111.3 tons of self-haul green waste, 291 tons of commercial pickup of compostables, 1.4 tons of wood waste and 1.4 tons of rendering.

  • During the 10-day run of the Fair, 32.91 tons of waste are recycled.

  • 305 tons of straw, shavings and manure are delivered to local dairies, composted and reused on farms.

  • Fair-time food concessionaires are required to sign a contract to conserve energy by limiting operation of decoration lights on their booths during daylight hours.

  • Used kitchen oil from food booth concessionaires (such as corn dogs) is recycled. In 2008, the fair collected 1,200 pounds of oil, which was transported to Crown Byproducts in Stockton. There, the oil is processed and filtered and primarily converted to biodiesel fuel.

  • The Fair participates in the State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC), spending a total of $25,023 in 2008 on recycled products such as lubricating oils, paint, paper products, plastic products, printing and writing paper, metal products, tire-derived products and tires.

  • The Fair is continually converting lighting from incandescent to LED and other energy-efficient bulbs.

  • To prepare the Fair’s numerous flower beds for annual planting, the ground is fertilized with composting obtained free of charge from Turlock Scavenger.

  • The fair’s green waste is transported by Turlock Scavenger to Grover Landscaping where it is ground and used in their composting operation. The material ultimately ends up at the City of Turlock for their Nutrilock operation.

  • 70 percent of the Fair’s exhibit buildings exteriors are painted with recycled paints.