Eco Fun Festival returns on Feb. 25th

The Pinellas County Water Atlas will have an exhibit at the Eco Fun Fest. Come by and play our Water Jeopardy! game to test your aquatic knowledge!

Pinellas County Solid Waste’s Eco Fun Festival is returning this year with equal parts of fun and learning about sustainable and environmentally-friendly living. The event will be held on Sunday, Feb. 25, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., at Bridgeway Acres Commons on the grounds of the solid waste facility in Clearwater. The event is free and open to the public. Free parking and shuttles to the event will be available at 11418 34th St. N.

The family-friendly event will have fun for all ages, including tours of Pinellas County’s Solid Waste Facility, environmentally-themed exhibitors and demonstrations, giveaways, food vendors and the always-popular Touch-a-Truck exhibit in the park-like atmosphere of Bridgeway Acres Commons—a dedicated green space within the facility.

The goal of the Eco Fun Festival is to showcase the many options residents have to make positive environmental changes in their lifestyle, homes and community. These positive changes can add up and have a big impact on creating sustainability in our local environment.

Other learning opportunities will include: an electric vehicle display, food recovery program in Lealman, the Girl Scouts’ new science, technology, engineering and math badge program, a demonstration of how biodegradable containers break down in compost, microplastics awareness, the importance of bees, sustainable improvements for businesses, environmentally-friendly landscaping techniques, understanding our wastewater and stormwater systems, protecting our waterways and marine animals and much more.

The Touch-a-Truck display will include WaterVentures with their mobile freshwater spring exhibit and the walking excavator, a multi-legged, backhoe-type machine that is used to excavate and clear vegetation and. Other equipment will include Pinellas County Mosquito Control’s helicopter, airboat and fogger truck, Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s marine rescue vehicle, an aircraft firefighting vehicle, sewer inspection camera truck, bucket trucks, dump trucks and many more.

The event will model low waste generation techniques, including qualifying food vendors for their use of recyclable containers and providing staffed waste stations to educate visitors about recycling. In addition, festival maps will be posted at the event entrance and visitors will be encouraged to use their cell phones to snap a picture of the map in lieu of receiving a paper version.

The event is also reducing waste by asking visitors to bring a reusable water bottle. Fresh tap water will be available at multiple filling stations. A reusable water bottle made from recycled materials will be provided if guests do not bring one.

For more information about Eco Fun Festival and low waste events, please visit www.pinellascounty.org/ecofunfest. For more information about Pinellas County Solid Waste, visit www.pinellascounty.org/solidwaste.