DENVER – Organizers of the National Western Stock Show say they have sharply reduced the event’s animal bedding waste by changing how stalls are bedded and by recycling the material into compost sold locally.
“We happen to be the only venue in the country that we’re aware of that actually uses this process,” said Kevin Bode, senior director of event operations for the show.
The long-running Denver event, now in its 120th year, will host more than 15,000 animals this year, he said.
In the past, ranchers typically bought bagged bedding and put down their own mulch, often more than they needed. The show now uses a pre-bedding system. Mulch is blown through a tube from a special truck to put down a uniform layer before exhibitors arrive. That change, Bode said, lowered annual waste from about 2,500 tons — roughly 9,000 cubic yards — to about 1,600 tons, or about 6,000 cubic yards.
“It’s also benefiting our local businesses,” he said. “Express Mulching is a local business, so we're utilizing them. The company that's doing our hauling to take them to composting is a local business… The composting company is a local business. So, we’re definitely benefiting the environment here and helping our neighbors.”
All bedding is mulched, hauled to a local composting facility, and turned into bagged compost sold through local retailers.
“It’s very possible that if you’re purchasing gardening materials come springtime, you might be getting some of the waste materials that were generated during (the) stock show,” Bode said.
The show also takes steps to protect local waterways during the show by diverting storm drains in the stockyard area to the public sewer system so waste is treated rather than discharged into nearby rivers. The yards undergo a sanitization process that can continue until mid-March.
“I think if you look, you’ll find that the ag industry is one of the best stewards when it comes to being environmentally friendly,” he said.
