Program Overview 

Woody Guthrie (1912–1967) was an 

American singer-songwriter and folk 

musician whose legacy includes hundreds 

of political, traditional, and children’s 

songs, including the popular tune “This 

Land Is Your Land.” Guthrie traveled 

with migrant workers from Oklahoma to 

California during the 1930s and 1940s and 

learned traditional folk and blues songs. 

Many of his songs are about his experiences 

in the Dust Bowl era during the Great 

Depression, earning him the nickname 

Dust Bowl Troubadour. 

The Woody Guthrie Coalition, dedicated 

to preserving the singer’s legacy and music, 

launched the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in 

the singer’s hometown of Okemah in 1997. This unique 

festival is free to the public and is supported largely 

through volunteer efforts—even the musicians volunteer 

their time. Today, the festival draws nearly 40,000 visitors and music fans each July for 

several days of activities, concerts, and family fun. 

Located 70 miles east of Oklahoma City, Okemah sees its population more than double 

during the festival, which results in a tremendous increase in the amount of waste the city 

has to manage. Early on, performers and attendees asked festival organizers to provide 

facilities for recycling during the event. In 

2004, the organizers turned to the Oklahoma 

Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) 

for help. The department is responsible for 

managing waste and recycling for the state 

and has been a strong supporter of the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency’s Resource 

Conservation Challenge, a national effort 

to conserve natural resources and energy by 

managing materials more efficiently. 

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Recycle on the Go

This statue of Woody Guthrie 

welcomes visitors to Memorial 

Park in Okemah, OK, which 

hosts an annual festival 

honoring the folk singer. 

Recycle on the Go Success Story

Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Strikes 

a Chord with Recycling 

Since 1997, the nonprofit Woody Guthrie Coalition has sponsored an annual festival to celebrate the life and 

musical legacy of Woody Guthrie, one of America’s great folk music songwriters and troubadours. Held in the 

singer’s hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma, the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival features five days of live music, poetry, 

lectures, and films. And, since 2004, event goers have helped the festival recycle more than 31,600 pounds of waste. 

Facts at a Glance

• More than 40,000 visitors 

attend the festival annually.

• Volunteers are the backbone 

of the recycling operation.

• 35 people volunteered 

to collect and sort 

recyclables in 2009.

• The festival recycled a total 

4,556 pounds in 2009.

• From 2004 to 2009, 

the festival recycled 

more than 31,600 

pounds of materials.

A DEQ banner at the entrance to 

the campground reminds visitors to 

recycle during the festival. 

Photo: DEQ

Photo: DEQ
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Recycle on the Go U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

DEQ stepped in providing recycling bins, plastic bags, gloves, and 

department pickup trucks for transporting the recyclables. Plus, 

the department mobilized its staff, their families, and friends 

to volunteer onsite at the festival, providing manpower to 

collect, sort, and haul the materials to the appropriate recycling 

vendors. The Metropolitan Environmental Trust, the agency 

that coordinates recycling in the Tulsa region, lends a hand with 

additional recycling bins and a trailer that makes it easier to haul 

large loads of recyclables, reducing the number of trips needed. 

Nuts and Bolts

The recycling program—like the festival itself—relies on 

volunteers rolling up their sleeves and working together 

to collect recyclables generated during the event. Town 

residents and visitors join the DEQ staff to collect and sort 

aluminum cans, cardboard, and glass and plastic bottles. 

During the festival, about 50 recycling bins are placed in various locations throughout Okemah, including the 

campgrounds, the children’s playground, the Crystal Theatre, the Pastures of Plenty Amphitheater, and the 

Grape Ranch winery. Several times a day, the volunteers circulate throughout the area to empty each bin and 

load the materials onto the trucks. They truck each day’s collection to a staging area at the local wastewater 

treatment plant, where the volunteers separate out any trash and ensure that the recyclables are sorted by 

material for delivery to their final destinations when the festival is over. 

In between recycling runs, the volunteers drive the trucks through the alleys behind the venues 

collecting cardboard from the local businesses and even 

dig through dumpsters to find additional recyclables. 

“The volunteers are not afraid to get dirty, dive through 

dumpsters, pick through trash cans, and work in all types of 

extreme weather conditions,” says Melissa Adler-McKibben, 

an environmental programs specialist with the DEQ Land 

Protection Division. “July weather conditions in Oklahoma 

can range from sunny with 

temperatures reaching well 

over 100° Fahrenheit to rainy 

and ankle-deep mud. But veteran volunteers 

expect to have a fun time, listen to great 

music, meet new friends, and contribute to a 

cleaner Oklahoma.” As Guthrie says in “All Work Together,” one of his classic 

songs, “If we all work together, well, it shouldn’t take long.”

Starting in 2009, DEQ began collecting each material in a separate 

bin, placing groupings of three bins together, each labeled with text 

and graphics indicating which materials it collected. Trash cans were 

placed near each grouping, giving festival attendees a clear choice for 

disposing of wastes properly. “The source separating worked very well,” Adler-McKibben says. 

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Glass bottles are separated and loaded into a 

trailer to be taken to a nearby town for recycling. 

DEQ pickups are loaded daily 

with recyclables to take to their 

intended destinations. 

A volunteer is “dumpster diving” 

to cull a few additional recyclables 

from the trash. 

Photo: DEQ

Photo: DEQ

Photo: DEQ
Costs and Benefits

“Special events offer significant recycling 

opportunities,” says Fenton Rood, DEQ’s director 

of Waste Systems Planning. “At the Woody Guthrie 

Folk Festival, I believe we recycle about half the 

waste generated.” 

With volunteer labor and DEQ staff members 

delivering the materials to the recycling vendors, 

the costs for the program are minimal, but include 

gas and plastic bags. Any revenue generated from 

the recyclables—about $90 in 2009—is reinvested 

in the next year’s event. 

In 2009, the festival recycled a total of 4,556 

pounds of materials, including 2,700 pounds of 

glass, 1,500 pounds of cardboard, 236 pounds of 

aluminum, and 120 pounds of plastic. Because 

Okemah hauls trash to a distant landfill, recycling 

can result in cost savings for the community. 

The town saved about $100 to $150 in 2009 from avoided landfill costs, not to mention 

environmental fees and fuel costs. Recycling at the festival also preserves an average of two 

tons of landfill space per year. Plus, rather than dumping these materials in a landfill, recycling 

conserves natural resources and energy, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Between 2004 and 2009, DEQ and festival goers recycled a combined total of 31,657 pounds 

of materials. “The benefits definitely outweigh the costs when you look at the tonnage,” 

Adler-McKibben says.

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: In previous years, DEQ found that, especially toward the 

end of the day and end of the festival, festival patrons were 

throwing trash in with the recyclables. 

Solution: In 2008, DEQ purchased new bins with lids that have holes 

sized for cans and bottles, which provided another level of 

encouragement to help attendees choose the right bin and 

minimize contamination (mixing of trash with recyclables). 

Challenge: Volunteers typically line the recycling bins with plastic bags to 

make it easier to empty the bins. However, when it rains, 

the bags fill up with water, making them heavy and messy to work 

with. Also, on windy days, before any recyclables have been placed 

in the bins, gusts of wind can sometimes blow the bags out of the bins.

Solution: On sunny days, the volunteers use the plastic bags and place rocks, 

borrowed from the wastewater treatment plant, in the bins to hold the bags 

in place. For rainy days, the volunteers skip using the plastic bags altogether, 

avoiding the water-collecting issue. 

Photo: DEQ

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Recycle on the Go U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Volunteers carry a full recycling bin to 

be emptied for cleanup. Note the bin’s 

clear plastic lid with a hole sized for 

inserting beverage containers. 

Source: DEQ
Office of Resource Conservation 

and Recovery (5306P) 

EPA 530-F-09-027 

November 2009 

www.epa.gov/recycleonthego 

Recycled/Recyclable – Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Postconsumer, 

Process Chlorine Free Recycled Paper

EPA is partnering with 

other Federal agencies, 

states, municipalities, and 

organizations to promote 

recycling away from home.

www.epa.gov/recycleonthego

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In the Future

According to Adler-McKibben, 2009 proved a record year for volunteer 

participation, with 35 people lending a hand, many turning up for multiple 

shifts throughout the duration of the festival. Many are repeat volunteers from 

year to year. In addition to soliciting help through the department’s intranet 

site, DEQ plans to advertise in the local paper next year to drum up even 

more volunteers. 

Her advice to other would-be event coordinators: “Think about the waste that 

will be generated, identify your markets, recruit partners, and always remember to 

tap into your local and state governments for recycling assistance and information,” 

Adler-McKibben says. “We learn from past recycling events and continue to 

improve upon our strategies each consecutive year. You just have to jump in 

and do it!”

Building on the successes with the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, DEQ is working 

with other event organizers to promote and expand recycling at events statewide, 

including the annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon (voted one of the top 

races in the country), ScienceFest Oklahoma, and the REDMAN Triathlon. DEQ 

is demonstrating that event recycling is 

good for attendees and the community. 

As Guthrie sang, “This Train Is Bound 

for Glory.”

More Information

For more information, visit www.

woodyguthrie.com or contact 

Melissa Adler-McKibben at (405) 

702-5218 or madler@deq.ok.gov. Volunteers take a break from collecting 

recyclables at the campground. Photo: DEQ