Wine Country race aimed for ‘Zero Waste’

Nearly 100 percent of the waste produced by crowds at the recent Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon was diverted from the local landfill, due to a partnership between event producer Destination Races, Petaluma-based World Centric and Santa Rosa-based Green Mary.

World Centric produces compostable products such as the cups used for the event, which are designed to break down within four months in a commercial compost facility.

Green Mary “focuses on everything the event producers doesn’t want to,” said owner Mary Munat, including managing the resource stream. During and after the event, as many materials as possible were diverted from the waste stream to be composted, reused or recycled.

Green Mary manages about 100 green events each year and provides water refilling stations, as well as clearly labeled “eco-stations” that promote waste sorting at the source.

“We encourage vendors to provide compatible wares, so everything can be sent to recycling or composting,” Murat said. “Participating wineries use real wine glasses.”

Green Mary also provides a “lending library” of durable products such as flatware, glasses and dishes that can be rented for events such as the Sonoma County Human Race.

The “heat sheets,” foil-covered blankets handed out to marathon runners, are nonrecyclable, but they are advertised on Craigslist as insulation for rabbit hutches or photographers’ reflectors.

Products that cannot be reused or recycled include cable ties, charcoal, garbage bags and Styrofoam.

Annie Davis, director of marketing at World Centric, says they encourage event organizers to work with diversion businesses like Green Mary to ensure that their products end up in a commercial composting facility, where bacteria, heat and moisture can convert the plant fibers into compost.

“Destination Races is making sure it all is happening smoothly and are invested in the greening of their race,” said Davis. Both companies have worked for several years with the race production company.

Contact Healdsburg Towns correspondent Ann Carranza at Healdsburg.Towns@gmail.com.