Zero Waste – What’s Going ON!?

WHAT IS A ZERO WASTE Event?

A Zero Waste Event is one in which event organizers plan ahead to reduce waste from the event, reuse various elements and set up zero-waste stations for recyclable and compostable materials. Does it mean that absolutely no waste is sent to the landfill? Not usually. The Zero Waste International Alliance defines Zero Waste as 90% diversion from landfills and incinerators. We are always working to pursue the goal of zero at our events but we have recently had some new challenges that we are working through.

Recycle:
230.5 lbs

Compost:
61.5 lbs

Landfill:
148.5 lbs

Total = 440.5 lbs
66% Diversion Rate

~0.6 lbs of waste per runner with zero waste ~0.2 lbs of waste per runner went to the landfill.

** WHY IS THE DIVERSION RATE LOWER?**

You may have noticed that our diversion rate has decreased from previous years when we averaged a 95% diversion rate away from the landfill through recycling and composting. Why is this you ask? What happened or changed? Did we loose our passion and dedication to the environment? The answer is no, we are still super committed to our responsibility as event organizers to reduce the environmental impact of our events. However, the local and global economies are changing and have presented us with new challenges. We are always learning and working to improve. Here are some recent developments that we are navigating.

Recently in Colorado, we have seen several composting programs and their disposal sites close or discontinue operations due to severe economic influences and poor material quality. As of last fall we no longer have a place that will accept compost materials from an event, which means we have lost the ability to compost all the food waste and food contaminated paper products (napkins, paper plates, paper cups, etc.) and compostable products that we once did. You may have noticed that at our last two events the only products you could put in the compost bins were the produce peels and these all went to our personal gardens and backyard compost bins. The rest of the food waste, coffee cups and products that we were previously able to accept because it was going to a commercial compost facility can no longer be put in the compost bins. We are still looking for a solution for our upcoming events.

We continue to work on the front end to reduce and reuse materials and supplies in order to reduce the amount of waste we were sending to be recycled. In January 2018, the largest buyer of the entire world’s recycling, China, stopped accepting materials. Did you know, only 9% of plastic is actually recycled? There is a reason recycle is LAST in the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” saying.

You might notice that we have never given out single use plastic water bottles at our events and we ask sponsors and vendors not to bring them to the event as well. Yes, they are convenient but that’s A LOT of plastic that can be avoided. Instead, we have plenty of water available with paper cups and even better if you bring your own water bottle or cup to refill. You might have also noticed that the beer garden sponsor, Horse and Dragon Brewing, served their amazing beer to you in reusable cups that they collected at the event and took back to their brewery to wash and reuse. This eliminated over 500 plastic cups that would have gone in the recycle bin and may or may not actually be recycled.

Hundreds of shirts come in cardboard boxes for each event and it is a very recyclable material and can contribute quite a bit of weight to help the statistics. However, we use these boxes multiple times before they are taken to the recycle center to avoid getting new boxes when we don’t have to. They are also great for moving, so let us know if you ever need boxes, as we would love to loan them out.

How Can you Help?

 You can help us reduce waste at events by planning ahead and brining two items with you – your reusable coffee mug and water bottle. We can eliminate a lot of single use cups at our events when you bring your own and we will happily pour hot coffee and cold water in them!

We could also use your help at the zero waste stations by just taking your time and disposing of your waste in the correct bins. The less contamination there is the more likely it will be accepted by the different facilities and won’t have to be sent to the landfill. We have volunteers there to help and we also do a lot of sorting by hand but your attention to disposing of waste properly is very helpful!

Avoid single use plastics, Styrofoam, and unrecyclable items as much as possible and please avoid bringing them to the events. We have a fair amount of outside waste brought into the events, usually in the form of plastic bottles and coffee cups. The more we can work together to reduce and eliminate the use of these items the less waste we will be sending to the landfill.

Lastly, we can always use volunteers to help at our Zero Waste stations. Please let us know if this is your passion!