Another year, another Shamrocks & Shenanigans 5K on a blustery day. But people showed up to run, so the Zero Waste team was there to pick up after them.
One Zero Waste station was set up in the parking lot near the finish line. No canopy this year, and we used our stationary sign with supports rather than the tall sign on wheels (which we used at another race, where it promptly fell on my head). This year the race started and ended on Ashley Street, removing the necessity to walk to Main Street and patrol the starting line.
Total waste was up from 2022, not surprising due to increased attendance and slightly better weather, but still lower than previous years, thanks to many swag items that used to be standard moving to optional add-ons.
From a Zero Waste perspective, there’s not much to report, other than it was another terrific result, with over 99 percent diversion. We even saved the lids to the ice cream cups this year, putting them into our TerraCycle All Waste box. Just a little baggie full of tape went to the landfill.
Thanks to Grace, who captained her first Zero Waste event, and to the volunteer who assisted her!
Happy Planet Running 