Boneyard Backcountry Bar Waste Diversion
Tanner here, Mt. Bachelor’s Sustainability Lead. I spent the weekend of March 16th at the Boneyard Backcountry Bar event at the base of Outback Express. My goal was to experience and address some of the challenges that our teams face, especially regarding waste processes on the slopes. Because we were primarily serving beer, I hoped to ensure that all recyclable material made it to the right place.
With some updated signage for our event bins, the presence of a “bin monitor,” and a bit of sorting on the backend, we were able to recycle every can, bottle, and aluminum cup that was disposed of in our Boneyard Backcountry Bar event footprint. All said, our metrics were as follows:
- 80.4% of waste diverted (recycled)
- Corrugated cardboard and paperboard comprised 21.6% of all waste
- Cans, bottles, and aluminum cups comprised 58.8% of all waste
- Only 19.6% of waste had to be landfilled
We are taking lessons learned from this event and will update our workflows accordingly for our next Boneyard Backcountry Bar at the base of Skyliner Express. Stop by, grab a beer, and recycle the can.
A little bit more -
Why do we care about keeping waste out of the landfill? A few reasons:
- It reduces emissions. Landfills comprised 14% of all US methane emissions (a greenhouse gas multiple times more potent than CO2) in 2021. This is due to the anaerobic decomposition that takes place when material is buried in a landfill. EPA
- Recycling an aluminum can uses 90-95% less energy than making a new one. U.S. Energy Information Administration
- Keeping plastic out of the ground prevents microplastics from making their way into the watershed.
- Our local landfill is expected to be full by 2029 (previously 2025), and finding a location for a new landfill has a distinct effect on both our community and the environment.
Sorting waste should be easy, right? Not as easy as you might think. What you can and can’t recycle changes broadly depending on where you live, and composting services may or may not be offered. Can I recycle that coffee cup? (Nope.) Can my compostable fork actually be composted? (Not in Deschutes County.) Do I have to empty my bottle before placing it in the recycling? (Please do.)
It can be confusing, and for folks traveling to enjoy a ski day at the mountain, it is not always top-of-mind. As such, we must take a specific and hands-on approach to waste diversion in order to provide clear guidelines, prevent contamination, and ensure that our recycling and composting reach the right facility.
We are early in our journey, but Mt. Bachelor is committed to continuously improving our waste diversion efforts so that we can enjoy outdoor sports for generations to come.
