Recycling at Venues and Events

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Sandi Childs, Director Recycling Projects

• Recycling at Venues and Events
• Beyond Curbside and Drop-off Programs
• N.C. Department of Pollution Prevention
  Environmental Assistance
• July 14, 2009

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Coca-Cola Recycling

• Customer Engagement
• Education / Awareness
• Activation Trailer
• Benefits of Recycling

• Recovery
• Reuse
• Strategic Partners
• URRC investment
• Novelis
• Weyerhaeuser

• Access to Recycling
• Collection Bins
• www.cokebins.com

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Why Establish Recycling Programs Away From Home?

• BPEC (Beverage Packaging Environmental Council)
  2005 report showed in-home consumption
  predominates
• 67 of all pounds of containers (148 lbs per HH
  per year)
• 68 of all containers (1,100 containers per year)

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Why Establish Recycling Programs Away From Home?

• People spend significant amounts of time in other
  places sporting events, festivals, concerts,
  conventions and meetings, etc.
• Opportunities exist for
• Habit Reinforcement
• Material Recovery
• Education and Promotion

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2008 NAPCOR/EPA/APR Report
http//www.napcor.com/pdf/NAPCOR_VENUE-Final2.pdf
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What Defines a Venue or Event?

• Fixed venue location that hosts events
• Events hosted in non-venue locations (lack of
  boundaries)

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What is not included?

• Commercial buildings or facilities which
• Operate continuously
• Operate independently of beverage sales
• Already have proven, effective models for
  recycling
• Examples?
• Airports
• Malls

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Where is the Overlap?

• Civic Auditoriums or Convention Centers
• Stand-alone events are hosted that operate almost
  completely independently of facility management
• Beverage vendors and caterers may not be
  affiliated and may be different for different
  events or event types

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Six Guiding Principles for Recycling at Venues
and Events

• Identify and Include Key Stakeholders in Decision
  Making
• Understand Collection and Disposal Costs for
  Recyclables as Trash
• Obtain Beverage Container Sales Data Up-Front to
  Predict Recycling Volumes

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Six Guiding Principles for Recycling at Venues
and Events

• Track and Record Recovery Numbers Accurately
• Maximize Recovery Within Existing Waste
  Management System
• Use a Reliable Local Market

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Stakeholders

• Top management and decision makers
• Commitment, Accountability, and Functional
  Responsibility
• Communication
• One Team Leader

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Stakeholders Who are they?

• Beverage suppliers
• Venue Management
• Sales and Marketing
• Operations

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Who are they?

• Foodservice/Catering companies
• Specialty vendors
• Cleaning contractor or personnel
• Recycling Market (may be hauler)
• Waste Hauler (may be market)
• Local government recycling officials

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Trash Disposal Costs

• Clean-up costs, trash collection, storage,
  hauling, container rental, tipping fees
• Comparison allows understanding
• Cost-effective recycling programs use or
  substitute for trash collection elements
• Cost-effective sustainable

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Beverage Sales Data

• To calculate recovery rates
• Confidentiality issues
• Aggregate numbers can often be used for
  comparison
• Beverages brought in or events in areas with no
  fixed boundaries can be problematic

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Recovery Numbers

• Hauler or local market should provide recovered
  tonnage
• The more detail, the better
• Contamination should be reported
• Can be used for publicity or internal accounting

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Work within existing SWM system

• Recycling should not be brought in from outside
  as an overlay or addition to the existing SWM
  system, however tempting that may be
• Institutionalized sustainable
• Will allow existing SWM arrangements to be
  adjusted to reflect impacts of recovery

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Reliable Local Market

• Location
• Ease of access
• Capacity to manage additional material
• Willingness and ability to collect and provide
  recovery data
• Willingness to consider long-term participation
• Cost-effectiveness

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Market Options

• Waste hauler MRF
• Other private MRF
• Local government MRF
• Intermediate Processing Center
• Beverage company processors or reclaimers

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Market Issues

• Storage and transport containers
• Commingled vs. separated
• Bagged or de-bagged
• Processing fees
• Revenue
• Contamination
• Accurate weights and records

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Will Processors Adapt?

• Most MRFs or processors built to manage
  contractual arrangements for residential
  curbside/drop-off materials
• Composition from events and venues is very
  different
• How could it be harder to handle??
• What about cups and other food service plastics?

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Categories of Venues and Events

• Outdoor Sports Stadiums
• Indoor Sports Arenas
• Outdoor Sporting Events
• Specific Purpose Venues
• Indoor Mixed-Use Event and Conference Centers
• Dedicated-Use Venues
• Outdoor Events

Source NAPCOR/EPA/APR Report 2008
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Category 1 Outdoor Sports Stadiums, Fixed
Seating

• Football, baseball, soccer, NASCAR auto racing,
  track and field events, bicycle racing, dog and
  horse racing, concerts, religious gatherings

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Characteristics

• Fixed seating areas
• Structured property boundaries
• Defined activity zones
• Parking lots
• Outdoor merchandising areas
• Outdoor hospitality function areas
• Entry points
• Sales and service concourses within the structure
• Private hospitality areas and clubs within the
  structure
• Spectator seating areas

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Overall Recycling Approach

• Participatory tactics
• Recycling bins
• Pass the Bag
• Merchandise or other incentives
• Non-participatory tactics
• Pre-event recycling
• Post-event pick
• Vendor recycling

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Recycling Bins

• Next to trash cans
• Translucent bags if lined
• For efficiency, should be collected only when
  full
• Garbage picks to maximize?
• Single-Stream trend?

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Recycling Picks

• Challenges
• Convincing the contractor and stadium management
  that a pick will not be significantly more costly
  than current clean-up procedures
• Training of crews
• Ensuring that sufficient employees are present to
  perform an efficient pick
• Perception that picking up recyclables is not
  real recycling since attendees do not
  participate
• Adapting recycling to clean-up procedures that
  move trash into piles.

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Recycling Picks
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Campgrounds

• Challenges
• No trash cans in campgrounds to pair with
  recycling bins
• Difficulties finding volunteers or paying for
  staff to supervise incentive/redemption centers
• Cost and time necessary for curbside recycling in
  campgrounds and
• Possible contamination.

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Category 2 Indoor Amateur/Professional Sports
Venues, fixed seating

• Professional and amateur level sporting events
• Primary usage is professional basketball and
  hockey
• Additional venues dedicated to tennis, jai alai,
  and track and field
• Opportunities for non-sporting events such as
  concerts, ice shows, rodeos, circuses, and
  merchandise fairs.

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Characteristics

• May be located in more urban areas
• Generally space is tighter and seats may be
  steeper
• Types of events, event times, and audiences will
  vary widely

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Characteristics

• Activity Zones
• Parking lots, which may be multi-use and not
  specifically dedicated to the venue
• Temporary outdoor merchandising areas for some
  events
• Temporary outdoor hospitality function areas for
  some events
• Entry points
• Sales and service concourses within the structure
• Private hospitality areas within the structure
• Spectator seating areas
• Floor-level exhibit or display space for
  merchandise shows and trade eve

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Overall Recycling Approach
Participatory tactics Recycling bins
Merchandise or other incentives Pass the
Bag Non-participatory tactics Pre-event
recycling Post-event pick Vendor recycling
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Recycling Challenges

• Leakage and residuals liquid management
• Space constraints

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Category 3 Outdoor Sporting Events, no fixed
seating

• Ski races, golf tournaments, Grand Prix and
  motorcycle racing, marathons, road races, beach
  volleyball, and surf competitions
• Cooper River Bridge Run, Charleston, SC
• Wachovia Golf Championship (at Quail Hollow
  Club), Charlotte, NC

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Characteristics

• Loose boundaries around designated activity zones
• Beverages may be brought in
• Participants and spectators may mingle
• May be very large areas with varying terrain

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Overall Recycling Approach
Participatory tactics Recycling bins
Integration with local government programs
Use of volunteers Non-participatory tactics
Post-event clean-up Vendor recycling
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Recycling Challenges

• Large crowds over short time frames
• Logistics of loose boundaries
• Volunteer management

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Category 4 Non-sporting, Specific Purpose Venues

• Aquariums and zoos theme, amusement and water
  parks fee-based natural attractions
• Special programming based on the season of the
  year, specific themed exhibits, and local demand

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Characteristics

• Fixed boundaries and multiple entry points
• Attendees are both spectators and participants
• Operate predictable programs and activities on a
  regular schedule, usually six or seven days a week

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Overall Recycling Approach

• Participatory tactics
• Recycling bins permanent, visually
  attractive, right-sized
• RVMs
• Non-Participatory tactics
• Permanent staff and logistics

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Recycling Challenges

• Number and cost of sufficient appropriate bins
• Logistics of RVMs
• Proper appearance of bins

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Category 5 Civic Centers and Multi-Use Arenas,
indoor

• Civic centers, convention halls, public
  auditoriums, concert halls and urban complexes
  that combine multiple facilities
• Local interest sports and competitions, including
  boxing, wrestling, hockey, and similar events
• Local or regional trade shows and merchandise
  shows such as craft fairs, holiday bazaars and
  gun shows
• In major cities these facilities may host
  national and international conferences and trade
  shows

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Characteristics

• Activity Zones
• Arenas for sporting events
• Stages for musical events
• Grandstand or stadium-style seating
• Concourses with merchandise and food service
• Classrooms and lecture halls
• Large exhibit halls
• Central kitchens
• Convertible dining areas

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Overall Recycling Approach

• Participatory Tactics
• Recycling bins Permanent and owned/maintained
  by facility, or Temporary, brought in by event
  organizers or loaned by local government
• Non-participatory Tactics
• Behind the scene recycling for vendors
• Trade show set up and take down
• Meeting or learning event set up and take down
• Food service clean up

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Overall Recycling Approach

• Opportunity Contracts

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Recycling Challenges

• Variety and unpredictability of events and
  materials generated
• Training facility staff and specific event
  contractors
• Education of diverse attendees in short time
  frames

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Category 6 Specific Purpose Venues, sporting or
non-sporting, boundaries may be flexible (mainly
outdoor)

• State Fairs
• Equestrian Centers
• Amphitheaters

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Characteristics

• Activity Zones
• Outdoor segmented spaces
• Food Courts
• Category 1 spaces/events
• Category 5 spaces/events
• Lots of attendee movement

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Overall Recycling Approach

• Participatory Tactics
• Recycling bins Permanent and owned/maintained
  by facility, or Temporary, brought in by event
  organizers or loaned by local government
• Incentives
• Non-participatory Tactics
• Behind the scene recycling for vendors
• Trade show set up and take down
• Meeting or learning event set up and take down
• Food service clean up
• Parking lot or seating picks

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Recycling Challenges

• Variety of events and event spaces
• Training facility staff and specific event
  contractors
• Education of attendees in short time frames

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Category 7 Special Events, no fixed facility,
outdoor

• Bonnaroo
• Street festivals, parades and carnivals
• Food, art, craft, holiday, and other special
  interest events
• Hot air balloon rallies and air shows
• Free-standing country and regional fairs (smaller
  fairs held in open space areas
• without the infrastructure of the fairgrounds
  included in Category 6).

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Characteristics

• Activity Zones
• Outdoor segmented spaces
• Very loose boundaries
• Lots of attendee movement
• Each event has its own culture

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Overall Recycling Approach

• Participatory Tactics
• Recycling bins - Temporary, brought in by event
  organizers or loaned by local government
• Incentives
• Campground programs
• Non-participatory Tactics
• Behind the scene recycling for vendors
• Picks in activity zones, parking lots,
  campgrounds

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Recycling Challenges

• Party atmosphere
• Training staff, volunteers and specific event
  contractors
• Education of attendees in short time frames
• Sufficient, sturdy bins in proper locations
• Campground program logistics

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Learnings from Event/Venue Experience

• Move stakeholders from involvement to commitment
• Use stakeholders to best advantage
• Cost-effectively cut out the middleman when
  possible
• Continue to work on optimal bin placement
• Build progress on participation using promotion
  and positive reinforcement
• Cultivate relationships with cleaning companies
  that get it
• Always consider the event culture

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Learnings from Event/Venue Experience

• Balance immediate demands with sustainable,
  efficient and effective recovery
• Better utilize volunteers
• Dont be hesitant to maximize recovery using
  non-participatory tactics
• Optimize data collection and interpretation
• Always lower costs!

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Contact Me

• Sandi Childs
• cassandrmchilds_at_cokecce.com
• sandichilds1_at_gmail.com
• [phone]