Downtown Springdale Alliance Partners with Food Loops
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2021
Contact: Jill Dabbs, Executive Director
Downtown Springdale
jill@downtownspringdale.org
(501) 425-0478
Downtown Springdale Alliance Partners with Food Loops to launch a Compostable Cup & Collection Program in the Downtown Outdoor Dining District
Springdale, AR – Downtown Springdale Alliance has partnered with Food Loops, a sustainability solutions company based in Rogers, AR to provide restaurants and bars in the Downtown Outdoor Dining District with cups that are 100% compostable. The program’s objective is to heighten the community’s awareness of food waste and close the food loop by composting all the cups.
Downtown Springdale is the 2nd district in Northwest Arkansas to use compostable products in their outdoor dining districts.
“Part of our long-term goal is to partner with businesses, municipalities and non-profits like Downtown Springdale Alliance to provide a total solution,” says Michael Kraus, Director of Operations. “Last year Food Loops collected more than 1.5 million pounds of food waste and compostable products in Northwest Arkansas that would have gone to the landfill.”
Patrons at restaurants and bars in the Outdoor Dining District can consume their beverages in compostable cups and will find receptacles to dispose of their cups inside those establishments and throughout the district. The receptacles were designed by Rick Barry, Senior Planner from the City of Springdale and Jeffro Brown, Downtown Springdale Alliance board member and owner of Odd Soul. The receptacles for the compostable cups are clearly designated for compostable cups. All the collected cups from the district will be composted and will go right back into the soil with area farmers and gardeners.
“Downtown Springdale is committed to activating our downtown spaces and creating outdoor experiences for the community. This partnership with Food Loops enables us to do this in a sustainable way and bring greater attention to the value and ease of composting within the district,” says Jill Dabbs, Executive Director of Downtown Springdale Alliance. “We’re grateful to have the support of Runway Group and AMR Architects, this year’s Outdoor Dining District Presenting Sponsors, who are making this innovative program possible.”
Downtown Springdale Alliance and Food Loops will begin collecting cups on March 1, 2021.
For more information about the program, visit downtownspringdale.org.
ABOUT DOWNTOWN SPRINGDALE ALLIANCE: Downtown Springdale Alliance is a nonprofit that was formed in 2011 with a mission to create vibrancy in our dynamic downtown. For more information, visit www.downtownspringdale.org.