The Detroit Riverfront has undergone a remarkable transformation. Since 2007, when the first potion of the Riverwalk opened to the public, replacing what had been industrial wasteland, millions of people have visited to walk, bike, and enjoy what USA Today readers voted as the best riverwalk in America.
Happy Planet Running has been proud to support Zero Waste events on the riverfront, starting with the RF Events Hightail to Ale since 2016, and this year, for the first time, the Riverfront Run put on by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. Over 1,300 runners showed up for the 5K and 10K races, followed by refreshments and a beautiful morning in Cullen Plaza.
The area is well populated with trash cans, so one important step was to cover them and replace them with our All Waste boxes, after explaining to the utility staff what we were doing. Next was choosing locations for our stations. The plaza had a fairly large footprint, so we ended up with three – one by the finish line, one near the water cans and food tables, and one at the exit to Atwater St. Fortunately, we had a good crew of volunteers in addition to me and HPR staff member Emma, and we were able to stay on top of the rush.
And yes, I meant cans for water. Liquid Death was the beverage handed out after runners finished, in aluminum cans that make it look like some kind of deadly malt liquor. But it’s just water. Not even flavored or carbonated. (Amazing marketing.) And more easily recycled than plastic bottles, so we’re not complaining.
The cans and other recyclables went into a 10-yard recycling dumpster provided by Hamtramck Recycling. We also collected a lot of cardboard and boxboard from cases of water and food, and food waste to compost. And, as usual, we had just the single bag o’ trash (SBot) which we conveniently tucked into one of the plaza’s trash cans.
That’s about all there is to talk about! Everything seemed to go smoothly, especially for a first-time event, and we accomplished a 99 percent landfill diversion rate. With such a beautiful venue, it would have been a shame to do less!
Happy Planet Running 