Another great weekend for Run Woodstock! With races ranging from 5K to 100 miles, plus camping, live music, yoga, tie-dye, good food, and good vibes, there’s a way for everyone to get in touch with their inner hippie. And how could you hold such an event without making it sustainable?
Attendance was up from 2023, and total waste was down slightly, with another new low in landfill – under 60 lbs. out of a total of 1,389 lbs. All good trends!
The Green Team started off shorthanded – just me (Jeff) on Friday, and two helpers Saturday morning. Fortunately we had a good-sized team Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, when it mattered most. Everyone pitched right in and worked hard their entire shifts.
Stephen and Morgan show their Zero Waste spirit.
Debbie, Scott, and Stephen take on the challenge of a busy Saturday.
Returning volunteer Ed was a sorting machine on Sunday!
This year we made a few adjustments to improve our collection and sorting. The first was at the main station. We set up a larger working space and set out a large orange tarp for unsorted bags, which cut down on clutter from when aid station bags were dropped off. A few other improvements:
- At the Hog Farm aid station, we went with larger All Waste collection boxes and a separate pail for collecting Gu wrappers, which cut down on sorting and the number of times box swaps were needed.
- Switched from cold to hot water for rinsing greasy and sticky stuff. This meant some fairly long walks to the showers and returns with full pails, but I’m an ultrarunner so I counted it as training.
- Switched to rechargeable lanterns to light the station overnight, eliminating our use of disposable batteries.
In addition, the RF Events crew made a number of improvements much appreciated by everyone on the Green Team:
- The trash cans by the porta-potties always accumulate cans, bottles, and other waste in addition to the paper towels. This year “NO CAMP WASTE” signs were put by them – and they worked!
- The aid stations went to 100 percent compostable cups. No having to sort out and rinse waxed cups full of noodles or other food waste!
- The pavilion and finish line/awards area brought their waste to Ground Zero and swapped out boxes as needed, reducing the need for us to patrol those areas. This was great because we were sorting pretty much nonstop all day Saturday, and Sunday morning.
The Hog Farm crew was also a great help, as they did some sorting of their own as part of food prep. This plus frequent trips there to stay on top of the sorting meant we had all their waste processed by Saturday night, cutting down on the Sunday morning effort.
Some of the waste we collected at Hog Farm. (We put smaller All Waste boxes on the table when the large ones got full.)
Food trucks this year were Simply Spanish, Little Caesars, Ms. Coffee, and new this year, Craveables, a vegan offering. They all used compostable items except the Ms. Coffee cups, which were standard poly-lined. Chris Cakes served breakfast and lunch on Saturday, using compostable plates and sporks provided by RF Events. I asked them to pack out their mixed trash but did accept a number of foil pans crusted with leftover mac & cheese, which had to be soaked and washed after the event.
So what can we improve?
- For some reason, a large number of beer cans were put on the ground near the stage on Friday night. We collected them all and kept an eye on that area after that. But we could put a table there with All Waste boxes next year.
- I’m not sure the beer cans and cups used at the evening “natural” 5K went to the station for recycling. Someone assured me they would be (not that I was there or anything) but I couldn’t tell from the Sunday morning bags.
- The food trucks left behind some bags of trash Sunday morning. I reluctantly left them alone. Next year we could see if they’re willing to sort some of it, and then ask them to take the rest to the trash dumpster.
- We can do a better job encouraging the campers to bring us sorted items for recycling when they leave. Some did, but we had to turn away some bags because they were too mixed.
Okay, I had to sneak in one of my niece Robin running the 100K. (She finished second!)
Overall, a pretty smooth Zero Waste effort. I’m up for doing it again next year. Peace out!
Happy Planet Running 