Phoenix Sets 75 percent Waste Diversion Goal for College Playoff

PHOENIX - Jan. 10, 2016 - PRLog -- The city of Phoenix plays party host once again for the College Football Playoff (CFP) this weekend. And as a responsible party host, the city is putting emphasis on the importance of reducing, recycling and composting during the events and activities at the outdoor Phoenix Champion Campus in downtown Phoenix.

The Phoenix Public Works Department, in partnership with the Arizona Organizing Committee, has set a goal to reach a 75 percent waste diversion rate during the three-day event at Phoenix Champion Campus and indoor Playoff Fan Central. To achieve this, Public Works is providing three types of receptacles for attendees to use as they sort their waste--recycling, composting and trash receptacles—all properly labeled with simple icons indicating where different waste materials should be placed. Typically, at large sporting events, only recycling and trash bins are provided, resulting in large amounts of food waste sent to the landfill.

At last year's Super Bowl-related events, Phoenix Public Works achieved a 73 percent waste diversion goal, diverting more than 21,000 pounds of food waste and compostable materials collected at Verizon Super Bowl Central in downtown Phoenix. The compostable materials were sent directly to the city-owned pilot composting facility and were transformed into useable compost.

Also during the Super Bowl events, Public Works staff collected 7,200 pounds of aluminum cans, mostly from adult beverages. For this year's CFP events, Public Works staff expects to exceed that number mainly because this year's event sponsor is a soft drink, more suitable to a wider age range.

As Phoenix hosts more large-scale events, Phoenix Public Works continues to delve into providing solid waste collection to these special events in addition to the residential services it already provides. According to operations managers, attendees' cooperation in properly sorting their waste materials, as well as additional sorting by Public Works staff at the city's transfer station, are key to achieving and exceeding the 75 percent waste diversion goal.  Phoenix is one of few major cities in the nation that owns its transfer station, materials recovery facilities and landfill.

Phoenix's commitment to waste diversion is fueled by its Reimagine Phoenix initiative, which has an overall citywide goal of a 40 percent waste diversion rate by 2020. Since the initiative's launch in 2013, Phoenix has implemented two additional solid waste programs for residents to divert more waste from the landfill. Additionally, Phoenix is developing a Resource Innovation Campus, which invites waste-to-product companies to enter a partnership with the city to create a hub for sustainability solutions that would be beneficial for the company and the city's economy.

For more information about the Reimagine Phoenix initiative, please visit phoenix.gov/ReimaginePhoenix or follow @TalkingTrashPHX on Twitter and PHXPublicWorks on Facebook.