POST-RACE CLEANUP
DAVE MCGILLIVRAY
When planning for an event, most of us focus on the front end—all the setup and race management details. Rarely do we focus on the back end—the breakdown and the cleanup. It’s somewhat comical (if you don’t laugh, you will cry) that you have all this help planning and setting up the race, managing the race itself, and then when it’s over you look around and say, “Hey, where did everyone disappear to?” No one is that excited about breaking down, loading trucks, and cleaning up trash! However, that is also all part of the commitment, so you have to add that to your overall plan. In other words, it is not over until it is over!
Here are a few tips I have found useful when planning for the back end of your event:
Make a Cleanup Plan. Have a plan in place as to how it will all be broken down. Organize this by venue with trucks and other vehicles and people assigned to specific areas so that people are not waiting endlessly and impatiently for vehicles to arrive to load equipment and supplies on.
More Hands Make Light Work. In other words, assign consultants and volunteers just to this task. Those working all weekend and all day are tired, so it makes sense to have some fresh hands at the end of the day helping out. The more you have the better (most of the time). Also, note that it is helpful to have young, strong folks helping with all the heavy lifting.
Help. If there are local correctional facilities in the area, perhaps you could apply for their assistance with much of the cleanup and heavy lifting. Many times there is no fee or just a fee for the corrections officer who would be present on event day.
Sustainability Program. Every organization needs to decide for themselves what level of sustainability and recycling they want to undertake for their event. If they want to obtain a high-level status, it may be worthwhile to hire an industry expert to help with the process (check www.councilforresponsiblesport.org for details).
Area Captains in Charge of Cleanup, Too. If someone is in charge of a tent or specific area (e.g., the food tent, medical tent, operations tent, etc.) they should be responsible for the total cleanup of that tent or area after the race.
Final Sweep. Even when you think you left the venue pristine, it is common that once tents, stages, port-a-johns, and other equipment are broken down and loaded on trucks, you find more trash where these tents and stages were. As a result, another sweep of the area is needed after ALL equipment is taken from the venue.
Similarly, someone needs to closely inspect the start, course, and finish to be sure no equipment or supplies are left behind. You don’t want to receive a phone call from an irate resident in the area because trash or equipment was left behind.
Second-Hand Trash. Another decision that needs to be made is how to handle trash that is not produced by the race itself. Perhaps spectators party during the event and they leave trash along the course, or fans hand out oranges and then orange peels are left behind. You may not think this trash is your responsibility, but in the end, you may be deemed guilty by association and some—especially municipal authorities—would say that the trash was a result of your event.
When Does Breakdown Begin? A decision also needs to be made as to exactly when to begin the breakdown process. You don’t want to begin it too early and before all the runners have actually finished. Again, a decision has to be made about when and where to begin that breakdown process.
Distribute Cleanup Equipment. The event needs to be sure race workers and volunteers have all the tools to handle the cleanup properly and efficiently, such as rakes, brooms, shovels, trash bags, gators for transport, barrels, and dumpsters or containers.
Leftover Food. Events should also develop a plan for donating any leftover food items to a local food pantry.
incentives. So, how do you get folks to stay around to help with the cleanup? Of course, if you are paying them, then that one is easy. As for the others, maybe some food and drink when everything is done is incentive enough. Any and all other perks you can come up with can only help!
Lost and Found. A final part of the overall cleanup of an event is a plan for anything collected in the lost and found tent, if there was one. Where will these items end up going?
Make It Quick. Lastly, what can be very critical in all of this cleanup is the length of time it takes to breakdown and cleanup the start, course, and finish. Local police are looking to re-open the roads as quickly as possible, so the faster you can do this the more “in favor” you will be with the city / town where the race is held.
The key to all of this is making the cleanup part of the overall event plan and timeline. Ignoring this will only make what might have been a great event experience end on a sour note.