Waste Management Achieves Zero Waste to Landfill at Phoenix Open

Waste Management Inc. said it has diverted 100 percent of the waste from the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament for the second consecutive year.

The Houston-based Waste Management said in a news release that its tournament, which attracted a record 563,008 fans, achieved 100-percent a landfill diversion rate with 10-percent incineration with energy recovery as part of its Zero Waste Challenge.

The combined recycling, composting and waste-to-energy efforts conserved 969 cubic yards of landfill airspace, 632 mature trees and 346 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the firm said.

The Phoenix Open earned from UL Environment, a business unit of Underwriters Laboratories, its Zero Waste to Landfill status.

The Zero Waste Challenge emphasizes reuse and aims for all waste generated at the event is recycled, composted or used in waste-to-energy facilities. It also calls for vendors only to use products and materials that can be composted or recycled at their end-of-life.

“To achieve our goals, the Waste Management Sustainability Services consultants, together with our operations team, worked with vendors and sponsors to put together a comprehensive and very effective plan,” said David Aardsma, chief sales and marketing officer for Waste Management.