The final numbers are in! 2022 was another great year at HPR, providing Zero Waste services to 33 events. The summary chart and trend charts are below.
As you can see, waste per 100 runners and total waste per event were under the seven-year average, and the landfill diversion rate rose to its highest level ever at nearly 98 percent. Total waste generated remains much lower than pre-pandemic, partly due to lower attendance (although that is recovering), and partly due to changed practices by event organizers, such as making T-shirts, and even medals, optional extras.
HPR also received formal recognition of a 2020 Leadership in Outreach Award from the Washtenaw County Water Commissioner’s Office, for providing Zero Waste services. Hey, better late than never! And our MICROS grant was approved by the State of Michigan, which will allow us to expand our footprint with better marketing and more affordable services to very small events.
Special thanks to my clients in 2022: RF Events (21 events served), Epic Races (8 events), Tris4Health (Waterloo G&G and Ugly Dog Tri), the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run, and NEMI (Bay to Beacon Half Marathon).
Also a big thanks to my team members Grace, Rachael, and Debbie, and all the wonderful volunteers who helped with setup and takedown, sorting and weighing.
Our team is currently enjoying a winter break, but the first event of 2023 is coming up soon – the Bigfoot Snowshoe Race in Traverse City at the end of January. Looking forward to another year of helping events be sustainable!
Happy Planet Running 