Greening the Cincinnati Coffee Festival

The Ohio River Foundation has been advocating for, protecting, and educating about the importance of a clean environment and clean waterways for over 25 years. We have educated more than 70,000 students since 2005, restored miles of rivers and hundreds of acres of habitat, and continue to protect water quality for millions of people in the Ohio River Watershed. Please join us in continuing this narrative and help us grow the Cincinnati Coffee Festival to be the most environmentally responsible festival in the country!

Greening the Cincinnati Coffee Festival is an initiative to reach zero waste and ultimately become the most environmentally conscious festival in America!

Our 2025 Composting Results Are In!

We’re excited to share how well the Cincinnati Coffee Festival did this year with our composting and waste-reduction efforts. Thanks to everyone who showed up, sipped coffee, and took that extra moment to sort their waste correctly, we were able to divert 1,608 pounds of food waste from the landfill.

All of that material didn’t go to waste—it was turned into 531 pounds of compost, which helped grow about 425 pounds of fresh produce in local gardens. That produce ends up on tables here in our community, adding up to roughly 680 meals. It’s a great reminder of how small choices at an event can make a real difference once the weekend is over.

We want to give a huge thank-you to our vendors for being mindful about their materials, to our attendees for using the compost stations, and to our incredible volunteers—especially the GREEN TEAM—who kept everything running smoothly. Their hard work is the reason these numbers look so good.

Thanks again for helping make the Festival a little greener every year. We can’t wait to keep building on this momentum for 2026!

Compost

What we compost at Cincinnati Coffee Festival:

- ALL food waste
- Coffee grounds
- Wooden skewers and utensils
- Non-coated paper plates, napkins, and cups
- All sampling products

All festival generated compostables are sent to GoZERO, a Food Waste Compost Courier, for industrial compost processing.

Recycle

What we recycle at the Cincinnati Coffee Festival:

- Plastic and glass bottles and jugs
- Aluminum cans
- Paperboard and cardboard
- Cartons
- Paper and paper inserts

All recyclables are handled by Rumpke Recycling. Click here for a Recycling Quick Reference Guide.

How can you do your part during the event?

- Place all compostable materials only into bins labeled “Compost.”
- Place recyclables only into bins labeled “Recycling.”
- Ask a CCF Green Team Volunteer for assistance if you’re unsure which bin to use!
- Bring your own mug! Vendors will happily pour samples into personal cups.
- Bring your own water bottle! There will be water fountains available for refills.
- Carpool, rideshare, scooter, or bike to the event to save money and reduce emissions.
- Avoid purchasing items with unnecessary packaging that is neither recyclable nor compostable.
- Recycle all acquired handouts and fliers after they are no longer needed.
- Sign up to volunteer on the Green Team!