Phoenix’s Final Four Fan Fest achieves Zero Waste mark
Apr 18, 2024, 4:15 AM
Fans participate in the NCAA Men's Final Four Dribble at Fan Fest on April 7, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
(Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
PHOENIX — Final Four Fan Fest was a success at the Phoenix Convention Center, as it reached a Zero Waste mark determined by waste diversion.
To reach the Zero Waste mark, an event’s waste diversion needs to surpass 90%. Fan Fest’s mark reached 94.2% diversion.
The Public Works Department collected 54.48 tons of waste from Fan Fest events. Over 51 tons of that was made up of food waste and recyclable materials that could be composted or reused. Those materials were sent to the 27th Avenue Compost Facility.
Just 5.8% of waste from Final Four events in downtown Phoenix ended up in the landfill.
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“I am proud that major Zero Waste events are the standard for Phoenix. 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,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said. “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.”
Sixty Public Works employees made up the event staffing, and the crews covered over 320 miles throughout the shifts, according to a release.
“Achieving this Zero Waste event was a process that started long before the Final Four came to town. There’s so much planning that goes into bin placement, collection schedules and educating visitors about which items should go in which bin,” Public Works Deputy Director Lorizelda Stoeller said.
