This year WSER is dumping the cup. In other words, aid stations will no longer provide cups for drinking. Instead, runners and pacers will need to carry their own cups, or better yet simply rely on their water bottles or hydration packs in order to drink beverages at the aid stations. Collapsible cups will be available at the WSER store for runners who may wish to purchase one before the race.
Our new cupless initiative is just one small step in our continuing effort to adopt more sustainable event practices. It will keep an estimated 21,000 disposable cups out of the waste stream and save the race approximately $900 in operation expenses each year.
WSER is also continuing to partner with Placer County and members of the Placer High School Music Boosters to recycle as much as we can. Special containers will be placed at all aid stations and throughout the finish line area to collect aluminum and plastic beverage containers, which the Boosters redeem to support student participation in Placer High School’s various music programs.
The remainder of our race’s garbage is processed through Placer County’s One Big Bin recycling program. Placer is one of only six counties in California that operates a mixed waste Materials Recovery Facility also known as a dirty MRF which functions to separate recyclable materials from the waste stream. The MRF has enabled the county to achieve a 100% participation rate in its recycling program, and successfully diverts up to 50% of the overall materials it collects from our landfill.
