Two brothers from Surrey are hoping businesses and families who serve up free food at this year’s Vaisakhi parade find alternatives to Styrofoam to cut down on the waste headed to the landfill.

With two weeks to go before the celebration, Bal and Sarj Sabharwal have begun putting posters up along the parade route to draw attention to their campaign, which has the goal of eliminating Styrofoam waste from the event within five years

Nearly half a million people gather to celebrate Vaisakhi, and with them comes a lot of waste. But two Surrey brothers are trying to change that. As John Hua reports they are trying to make the event Styrofoam-free.

IN 2013, I joined the City of Surrey’s Environmental and Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC) and the very first presentation I listened to was one regarding waste management. It was, to say the least, an eye-opening first committee meeting.  I was impressed with the strides our city was making in handling waste.  I took what I learned that day and when Vaisakhi came around a few months later, our family began a conversation about foam products.

Two Surrey siblings have a simple, but powerful vision for what they’ve dubbed a “Foam-Free Vaisakhi.”

It’s a move they estimate could divert as many as two to three million foam items from ending up in the landfill this year alone.

We want all the vendors to think about using different kind of materials for the food serving,” explained Baljit Singh Sabharwal, noting 200 vendors are expected at this year’s celebration. “We’re looking at getting away from foam. No foam, no plastic – let’s go to sugarcane.”

Gulzar Nanda’s father began serving food at Vancouver’s Vaisakhi parade 10 years ago, ladling chickpea curry onto disposable plates on the sidewalk outside his Main Street jewelry shop as the procession rolled past.

The tradition has grown with the crowds at the annual Punjabi harvest celebration. On Saturday, Nanda was preparing to serve more than 3,000 plates of curry, as well as pickled onions and puri.

Bal and Sarj Sabharwal are hoping people serving free food at the celebration avoid Styrofoam.

Two brothers from Surrey are hoping businesses and families who serve up free food at this year’s Vaisakhi parade find alternatives to Styrofoam to cut down on the waste headed to the landfill.

With two weeks to go before the celebration, Bal and Sarj Sabharwal have begun putting posters up along the parade route to draw attention to their campaign, which has the goal of eliminating Styrofoam waste from the event within five years.