Rockfall Volunteers Reduce Chili Fest Waste

The 29th Annual Greater Old Saybrook Chili Fest, held on Saturday March 21st, was a wonderful example of sustainability in action for the Rockfall Foundation.

This marked our sixth year supporting compost collection at this annual event. With 17 chili entries available for attendees to taste and vote on, the festival generated a high volume of compostable material—including food waste, cups, and napkins—all of which required careful sorting.

Our efforts were made possible by a dedicated team of volunteers from Valley Regional High School: Julian Mardjekaj, Charles Edwards, Ethan Dean, John Blalock, Kai Carlin, Will Ung, Mark Condon, and Rob Hansen from Harbor Hands Cleaning. These students spent their Saturday monitoring waste stations, helping attendees separate compostables from trash, and ensuring materials were sorted correctly throughout the event.

Thanks to their work, 980 pounds of compostable material were successfully diverted from the landfill!

We also extend our thanks to Blue Earth Compost for facilitating compost collection and helping ensure that these materials were properly processed.

This event demonstrates how consistent, on-the-ground sustainability efforts can make a measurable impact.