The final numbers are in and Phoenix once again reached its goal of making Final Four Fan Fest a Zero Waste Event. During the four days of downtown events, 94.2% of all waste collected by the Public Works Department was diverted away from the landfill. A Zero Waste event is defined as one with at least 90% waste diversion.
Public Works collected, sorted, and weighed a total of 54.48 tons of waste from Fan Fest events. Of that, 51.32 tons was comprised of food waste (and other compostable items) and recyclable materials (such as paper, cardboard, and plastic water bottles). Food waste and compostable items were sent to the 27th Avenue Compost Facility. Recyclable items were sent to the North Gateway Transfer Station’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where they will be further sorted, baled, and shipped off to remanufacturers.
Only 5.8% of the waste from downtown Final Four events ended up in the landfill.
“Achieving this Zero Waste event was a process that started long before the Final Four came to town,” said Lorizelda Stoeller, Deputy Public Works Director. “There’s so much planning that goes into bin placement, collection schedules, and educating visitors about which items should go in which bin.”
About 60 Public Works employees were working shifts throughout the Final Four events. Even after the National Championship was over, crews continued sorting through waste at the Transfer Station, gathering recyclable items that were placed in garbage bins. Together, those crews walked more than 640,000 steps – more than 320 miles!
During the events, residential collection and bulk trash pick-ups throughout Phoenix also continued as regularly scheduled without interruption.
“I am proud that major Zero Waste events are the standard for Phoenix,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “In 2023, we hosted the greenest Super Bowl Experience on record, so it was only natural for us to follow-up with a Zero Waste Final Four Fan Fest this year. We appreciate visitors’ efforts to recycle right and congratulate our Public Works staff on both this amazing accomplishment and continued dedication to putting on sustainable events in Phoenix!”
During downtown events surrounding Super Bowl LVII, Public Works collected 101 tons of material, 92.6% of which was diverted from the landfill.
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