The RF Events Pterodactyl Tri, like its brothers (sisters?) the Stegosaurus, Triceratops and T-Rex, is a sprint triathlon (with duathlon option) at Island Lake State Recreation Area in Brighton. This series is special to me because ten years ago it kick-started my zero waste business. I found out that despite the park having a recycling dumpster, all the race waste would go to landfill because it hadn’t been sorted. Somebody has to do something about this, I decided, and the rest is history!
It was a warm evening, so I felt especially sorry for the duathletes who did two runs and no swim. Heck, it was hot enough just walking around picking up trash. But thanks to great help from staffer Iki and volunteer Tricia, things went smoothly and we got everything weighed and packed up before dark. And after a year sitting in my shed, Zero Waste Rex made his triumphant return.
Tricia and Iki working away while Zero Waste Rex says, “Recycle or else!”
Our main station was set up near the volunteer tent and registration, with an unattended station near the pizza truck. Six park trash cans were temporarily confiscated, which initially confused the park rangers. (See ahead for why.) All Waste boxes were placed in transition and at the finish line, and swapped out when needed.
Using our All Waste box with style!
Main waste captured was Little Caesars pizza boxes (composted), finish line water and Gatorade bottles, cups from the water stops, and some cardboard. Weight of the waste streams was up across the board from last month’s Triceratops Tri, with a 50 percent increase in recycling, due in part to lots more water cups (warm evening). Landfill, while still under four pounds, was up mainly due to several diapers. And as usual, those annoying little peel-off tabs from the ankle tags were everywhere, so I did a lot of roaming and picking them up while it was still light out.
As a fun bonus, a park ranger stopped by our station to say thanks for saving them work emptying out their trash cans. They’d gotten a report that some of their cans were full, but by the time they got there, I’d already confiscated them and cleaned out all the race waste plus any other recyclables I could see in them. I love it when the park’s cleanup crews find there’s nothing for them to do!
Banner photo credit to Iki Kok.
Happy Planet Running 