At this year’s Original Ann Arbor Turkey Trot, put on by Epic Races, the sun finally came out after rain and snow the previous two years. That made working Zero Waste a lot easier and enjoyable, for sure. The runners enjoyed it, too, given all the smiles I saw at the starting line and afterward getting their well-deserved breakfast, especially those brave enough to do the “Iron Turkey” of both the 5K and 10K distances.
The kids got in some running fun, too, chasing a giant turkey for a few hundred yards.
We set up our Zero Waste station near the food tent, and gave All Waste boxes to the finish line and kitchen, along with a box for used disposable gloves. The park has several trash and recycling cans at the building entrances and inside. We covered those with contractor bags and placed All Waste boxes on top. There were a couple we overlooked, but fortunately we got to them before they got too full.
Bridget, Linda, and Abby at the station.
It got a bit windy, so I broke out the braces for the sign. Would you believe it still blew down? (I knew you would.)
Food was pumpkin spice pancakes, cranberry and peanut butter wraps, bananas, popcorn, and cookies, with hot chicken broth also available. With the use of compostable plates, utensils, and cups, handling them was easy. Just a few things from the kitchen, like peanut butter jugs, needed rinsing.
Total waste at 105 lbs. was up slightly from last year, but in the standard range. Compost and recycling percentages were roughly the same, with a small increase in landfill, mainly due to the greasy bags holding the raw popcorn kernels. The bags holding the popped corn were compostable.
One suggestion for next time: put a station by the playground trash and recycle cans. The trash can filled up with race waste, and there was contamination in the recycle bin. I fixed both, but it would be easier to cover them and put some All Waste boxes there.
The Green team was me (Jeff), with Abby, Bridget, and Linda, the same staff as the Bonfyre Trail Fest the day before. With the sunny morning we had good energy, and we got everything sorted, weighed, and loaded by 12:30. And with a recycling center literally around the corner from the park, I could drop off that part of the waste on the way home.
That’s a wrap for our Epic Races support this year. Back at it with them at the start of their 2027 season in May!
