Epic Races held their “Pi Day 5K” race in person this year, as March 14 fell on a weekend. So over 150 kids and adults braved the morning chill to run a mile or the full Pi (3.14 miles) and get some Achatz pie at the end.
This event was held at Rolling Hills Park in Ypsilanti. Registration and awards were inside the pavilion building, so we put a few All Waste bins in there. Outside we set up a Zero Waste station near the building, which we moved to near the pie tent after the race started, and a second one in the parking lot for people on their way home. The finish line got a box for the water bottle cases. (Epic Races normally does not use disposable water bottles, but they had a few left to get rid of.) Other recyclables included cardboard and the cups from the water stop.
Food waste came mainly from the residue in the pie tins, and we were able to compost the wooden sticks used as spoons for the pie cups. Unfortunately, I could not confirm that the small cups the pie was served in were compostable, so they had to go to landfill, along with the waxy paper linings under the tins. Still, it amounted to only 4 percent of the waste.
As usual, runners had the option to get a “pie in the face” when they crossed the finish line. (Not actual pie, just whipped cream and a couple of cherries.) Cleanup was with paper towels, which we then composted. This contributed to the 50 or so pie tins I soaked and rinsed after the event so they could be recycled. But I ended up with a full leftover pie, so not complaining!
The Green Team did a great job keeping everything sorted. Thanks to staffers Bridget and Debbie, and volunteers Jules and Angela.
Suggestions for next time: Provide compostable cups for the pie samples, and only open the whipped cream cans as needed, as we ended up with four full cans with caps removed, so we can’t donate them. (We’ll figure something out.)
Happy Planet Running 