WestWorld Horse Manure Put To Use Instead Of Landfill

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Thousands of pounds of horse manure produced during equestrian events at WestWorld will be put to good use as fertilizer, according to a news release from the city of Scottsdale.

The approximately 40,000 pounds of manure produced at WestWorld events this year in Scottsdale will be transported by truckload to Mountain States Wholesale Nursery in Glendale to be used as nutrient-rich soil for nursery plants.

This partnership, part of the Sustainable Scottsdale program, saves the city more than $100,000 in disposal fees annually, the city said.

“We aim to divert as much material as possible away from the landfill, and this partnership enables us to do that in a big way,” WestWorld Facilities Manager Jeff Kurth said in the news release. “This waste product isn’t just hauled away; it takes on a new purpose after it leaves WestWorld and that’s really the best possible outcome.”

Mountain States Wholesale Nursery grows hundred of types of desert-adapted plants, both outdoors and in greenhouses. Mountain States began adding WestWorld horse manure to its soil mix in September 2020. The nursery produces its own soil mix on a three-year cycle, according to the city.

“It’s something that used to be deemed waste and nothing more, but people have figured out it makes a useful product that grows a better plant, so it has a value we all lose if it goes to the landfill,” Mountain States Operations Manager Ron Alewine said in the news release.