The Phoenix Open's famously booze-soaked 16th hole is one of the unique spectacles in golf, where the normally gentile sport lets loose with stadium-style seating, deafening music and an enthusiastic announcer introducing players in a scene that's more WWE than PGA Tour.
It's safe to say that being environmentally conscience isn't the first thing on fans' minds. After all, there's usually a lot of waste when thousands of people are getting a little wasted. But the tournament β which has been sponsored by Waste Management for the past 16 years β is an unlikely incubator for ideas on how to make major sporting events easier on Mother Nature. It's been certified as a zero-waste event by UL Solutions for the past 12 years. Then we'll scale it up here and take it to other customers.
WM's success at making the Phoenix Open a zero-waste event has turned the company into a hot commodity in the sports world. Spivak said WM now has a partnership with the PGA Tour, Major League Baseball and roughly 15 ballparks, giving practical advice on how to reduce trash, even if certain locations aren't completely ready to go zero-waste.
The idea is if environmentally friendly ideas can work during this week's rowdy atmosphere of TPC Scottsdale, they can work just about anywhere. This is a tournament that draws , fans to the course on a good day, far more than even an NFL stadium. The zero-waste setup is massive: There are 4, recycling and compost bins, 29 large compactors and 30 tanks to collect melting ice for reuse in portable toilets at this week's tournament, and the process is managed by 85 WM full-time employees and temporary workers.
WM says that more than tons of recycled materials were collected at last year's event. Even the temporary building materials β things like turf and scaffolding β are reused with tons being donated to local organizations. At the Phoenix Open's 16th hole, concessions are served in paper cups and eaten with bamboo forks while the liquor and wine bottles are recycled and turned into reusable glassware through a local vendor.
