Some of Pittsburgh’s largest and most well-known events this spring, summer and fall will share a common theme: zero waste. The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) – a statewide environmental organization dedicated to reducing waste – aims to lessen event waste holistically through its zero-waste program. Kicking off in spring, PRC will partner with large-scale events including the Pittsburgh Marathon, Walk MS Pittsburgh, Pittonkatonk and Millvale Music Festival to achieve waste minimization and diversion via a system that coordinates planning, logistics, vendor selection, and on-site management.
“Having some of the largest events in Pittsburgh embrace the zero-waste approach speaks volumes about their commitment to sustainability,” said Darren Spielman, Executive Director of PRC. “These events are also important opportunities to remind people they can strive to be zero waste in their everyday lives.”
Throughout the course of 2022, PRC’s Zero Waste Pennsylvania (ZWPA) “Green Team” will assist organizers of dozens of festivals, races and fundraisers with the goal of diverting 90% or more material from landfill through a system of reuse, recovery, recycling and composting. “For more than a decade, P3R has partnered with the Pennsylvania Resource Council to make our events greener and achieve our sustainability goals during the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon weekend of events,” said Troy Schooley, P3R CEO. “Together our efforts have paid off, and since 2015, the Pittsburgh Marathon has been considered a ‘zero waste’ event with 90 percent or more of waste diverted from the landfill. We are excited to once again work with PRC to ensure we have another ‘zero waste’ event in 2022.”
“The MS Society is committed to improving sustainability and reducing the size of its footprint. The continued partnership between Walk MS and PRC helps ensure that our event is as sustainable as possible by seamlessly providing the services we need,” said Kelly Tapper, Development Specialist for the National MS Society.
During 2019 – the last full year of ZWPA events held pre-pandemic – PRC’s Zero Waste efforts diverted 57 tons of waste at 31 events. This action helped to limit the toxicity from discarded products to Pennsylvania’s land, water and atmosphere, and to further improve the environmental health of our communities.
“Since launching the Zero Waste program in 2009, PRC has helped to divert more than 512 tons of material from landfill,” according to ZWPA Program Manager Emily Potoczny. “Our program has grown from serving a couple events per year to now diverting waste on more than 50 event days per year. During the past decade we have helped more than 40 events achieve Zero Waste status as defined by the Zero Waste International Alliance.”
Upcoming Zero Waste Events Include:
- Walk MS Pittsburgh: April 10
- Millvale Earth Day: April 23
- Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend: April 30 – May 1
- Pittonkatonk: May 14
- Millvale Music Festival: May 20 – 21
“Reusing, composting and recycling not only preserves the economic and environmental value of the original resource used to create the item but it also creates jobs in recovery and re-manufacturing,” said Spielman. “The success and growth of PRC’s Zero Waste program is the result of a team effort, and we thank our many partners, funders, volunteers, supporters and individuals who have participated in our events over the years. We invite those just learning of these vital programs to join us in 2022.”
For more information, visit www.prc.org/programs/zwpa.