The Detroit Riverfront Run takes place each year at Cullen Plaza in downtown Detroit. Over 1,500 people ran the 5K or 10K along a riverfront voted best in America by USA Today for three years in a row. And also for the third year in a row, the Riverfront Conservancy asked Happy Planet Running to make the race as sustainable as possible. We were only too happy to oblige!
We set up the main Zero Waste station across from the food tables on the way to the starting line, which was also the main exit after the race. The recycling dumpster was directly behind us, making it easy to drop in the collected recyclables. We staffed a second station close to the exit. We covered trash cans in the race area and placed All Waste boxes on top of them.
HPR intern Cole helps a runner at the main station.
An All Waste box on top of a covered trash can. We have to cover them, or people ignore our box and put their trash in the cans.
In the finish area we collected plastic wrap and cardboard from the unwrapped medals, and left boxes for the volunteers handing out cans of Liquid Death (water) to stack the cardboard and boxboard from the cases. Food was bananas and bagels.
A team from buildOn, a high school community service organization, did a great job cleaning up the area around the starting line and staffing our second station. Unfortunately they’d left by the time the water stop bags arrived, but our crew sorted them out.
Just a couple of small hiccups. The park had a recycling bin, but it closely resembles a trash can and the sign is too small, so as I expected, people put trash in it. I emptied i and sorted it, and suggested they get a bigger sign for it. There was also quite a bit of litter left by the runners in the garden beds, which we cleaned up.
Thanks to HPR interns Cole and Iki, and regular Conservancy volunteer Spencer for staying on top of everything and helping us finish and get outta there before noon.
We achieved a 99.9 percent landfill diversion rate, with just a few ounces going to landfill. Can’t do much better than that!
Happy Planet Running 