This Super Bowl party won't waste any food

Super Bowl Sunday promises to be a great day for Phoenix.

Along with a championship game in the national spotlight, the city is hosting a party. Whether you're joining in the downtown celebrations or tailgating at the stadium, there's one thing we can count on: football and food go together. Maybe it's Seattle salmon dip vs. Boston clam chowder or the traditional nachos and wings, but either way, a lot of food will be consumed.

And all too often, what's not consumed goes to waste. Every year Americans throw away more food than any other type of waste, almost 35 million tons, and much of it still edible.

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But this week, in partnership with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and Super Bowl XLIX, the first Reduced Waste Challenge is taking place at Super Bowl Central. That's the 12-block area in the heart of downtown Phoenix where thousands will enjoy parties and live music.

The Super Bowl Central team is preparing the right way, by encouraging vendors, business owners and attendees to use recyclable materials, as well as reusable items such as take-home plastic cups and bottles. This means that there won't be much waste to start with, and that makes all the difference.

They are also planning to turn food scraps into compost. Compost can be made from food or yard waste, materials that currently make up 20 to 30 percent of what we throw away. Composting creates organic material that can enrich the soil and help plants grow, keeping it out of landfills where it takes up space and releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

For the first time, the Phoenix Public Works Department will use a three-bin system to collect materials for composting (food, food-soiled paper and yard waste to be turned into compost) and for recycling.

With good composting and recycling programs, there isn't much need for trash bins, but they'll be there too. To introduce the new system, volunteers at select stations will assist attendees as they sort their leftovers, containers and other items into the correct bins.

The results could have a lasting impact because this pilot project will serve as a testing ground for the city's collection and processing of food waste by Phoenix residents, as well as setting a high bar for future Super Bowls and sporting events. Phoenix is in the process of designing a state-of-the-art composting facility at its transfer station to process yard waste and food scraps.

The goal of this Reduced Waste Challenge is to divert 80 percent of waste from landfills, and I'm confident they'll surpass that. The first Zero Waste PGA Phoenix Open recycled and composted 89 percent of all the waste generated. They also donated about 10,000 pounds of unused food to a local non-profit.

EPA works closely with organizations through our Food Recovery Challenge to prevent and reduce wasted food. Almost 800 participants, including teams in the National Football League, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and collegiate sports are helping feed people, not landfills.

Other participants include grocery stores, universities, stadiums, and other retail venues, which lose close to $165 billion on wasted food.

Thank you, Phoenix and Super Bowl fans, for kicking that food waste out of the landfill and into those compost bins.

Jared Blumenfeld is EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest.