In our inaugural Zero Waste Station Pop-Up Program national expansion of 2025, we had a number of worthy organizations apply. Five of them were chosen to put the Pop-Ups into practice at their local events. The 2025 cohort members are located across the US and include: Palm Beach Clean Air (FL), Northern Arizona University (AZ), Sunrise Movement Chattanooga (TN), Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (NV), Save our Sodus (NY), and Broward Clean Air (FL).
The Numbers:
Data from Save Our Sodus and Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful is in! The other organizations received an extension for using the Pop-Up and submitting data, while we had one drop out. Here is what was achieved in 2025:
- Pop-Ups were used a total of 8 times
- More than 3,300 people were educated
- 94% diversion rate achieved by weight
- Total weight collected:
Compost: 1,035 lbs
Recycling: 346 lbs
Landfill/incineration: 86 lbs
Fourth Bin Highlights:
We provided a Fourth Bin for reuse as an option for organizations to get creative with what they collect. Race to Zero Waste started using the Fourth Bin for reusables and donations of gently used items in 2021. In the past, we have used this tub to collect donations and Dispatch Goods’ reusable to-go containers. Our participants used this tub and other buckets to collect:
- 81 silverware to be washed and sanitized for reuse.
- 7,027 $0.05 redeemable recyclables as part of a fundraiser.
Moving Forward:
The 2025 Zero Waste Station Pop-Up Program participants are trained, have shared their takeaways with each other, and are eager to continue using the Pop-Up at community events in the coming year.
If you’re interested in learning how to run a Zero Waste Station Pop-Up, we are open to providing supplies, training, and consulting as part of a package for a fee. We continue to seek grant funding to be able to conduct this program on an ongoing basis.
