This year’s Super 5K at Novi High School was quite similar to last year. Same place, same time, same no Lions in the Super Bowl (sigh). There was plenty of Honolulu Blue to be seen, however!
The cold weather (single digits at the 8:30 race start) resulted in a large number of no-shows, but the over 400 hardy souls who braved it all had a good time. And with total waste down only slightly over 2025, they did their part by eating up the pizza, wings, and breadsticks served in the cafeteria afterward.
We had staffed Zero Waste stations at each entrance/exit, and put All Waste boxes on the water table, outside the rear exit, and on top of the outside trash cans at the main entrance.
Race waste was mainly compostable – food waste, plates, and water cups – with some cardboard, waxed cups from the (ice)water stop on the course and the coffee truck, and water bottles from the finish line, many of which needed to be thawed and emptied before recycling. We also collected a fair number of hand warmers, which go to TerraCycle along with small plastics, race bibs, snack bags, and Gu wrappers. And once again, just a few ounces of landfill.
Our “Free Stuff” box was quite popular, as it had gloves, hats, and even warm socks.
I had a good team, with repeat volunteers Sue, Jeff, and Danielle helping me, Cole, and Bridget keep everything under control, and a smooth takedown. And thanks once again to the RF Events staff who brought the water cups and plastic wrap from the finish line to our main station inside. Everything went smoothly, especially with no pint glasses meaning no crashes and sweeping up!
Cole, Sue, and Bridget at the main station during a quiet moment.
And then, as we did one final sweep before leaving, we came across someone pushing a trash can full of bags of race waste. Somehow several cans in the cafeteria were used, despite my best efforts to get them well out of sight. They were easily sorted as they were mostly compostables, but I’m still baffled. Along with the Lions, we’ll just have to do better next year.
Happy Planet Running 