reycling t
recycling tips for venues
esigning the right program for recycling iPET depends on the facility and the people
who use it. For each venue type, this chapter highlights additions to or differences from
the standard practices outlined in the previous chapter. Accordingly, the topics covered
for each venue vary, depending on what’s most relevant to the facility.
Schools & School Districts
Colleges & Universities
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D
Stadiums & Arenas
Corporate & Institutional Complexes
Amusement Parks & Zoos
Convention & Conference Centers
Public Multi-use Complexes
tips
Special Events, Festivals & Fairs
Because venues in different categories may share some characteristics, you may also find it useful to review the sections for other
venues with similar facilities or functions.
If your venue type is not included here, think about the types of
activities that take place at the facility and try to find the categories
that are most similar.
25
After reading Chapter 2 on
How to Start an iPET Recycling Program, read the tips
and advice for the venues
most similar to your facility.
These tips are designed to
supplement — not stand
alone from — the information in the previous chapter.
Schools & School Districts
Schools and school districts often have high rates of soft drink consumption. The
educational environment can offer an excellent opportunity for innovative ways to
boost recycling.
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If your school or district has a major sports facility, see Stadiums & Arenas on page 28.
Planning
• Form a “Resource Conservation Team” - including your recycling hauler or
processor, teachers, office staff, custodians, vendors, and students - to assist with
planning and streamline communication.
• Science or environment clubs are often useful groups to involve in recycling efforts.
Collecting, Handling & Processing iPET
• Schools often need dedicated storage areas for collected bags of recycled bottles.
Educating & Training Staff
• Teach the custodians about recycling as part of their regular training sessions at the
start of the school year, and include recycling specifics in the employee handbooks.
Promoting the Program
• Have a poster contest between classrooms, or have each classroom or school
decorate signs for iPET recycling bins.
• Have teachers make announcements about the iPET recycling program or
incorporate recycling topics into their lesson plans.
parkway school district — st. louis, missouri
• 20,000 students and 2,500 employees in 33 buildings spread over 65 square miles.
• A “Resource Conservation Team” of recyclers, faculty, staff, and technical advisors meets
periodically to address recycling issues and improve the program.
•iPET recycling program began in 1999 and recovered about 8000 bottles
(four 30” x 30” x 20” bales) in the first two months. Program also recycles
paper, cardboard, aluminum, scrap metal, and textbooks.
•Under an exclusive contract between the District and a soft drink company, four
high schools and several middle schools have vending machines and iPET recycling.
• Use 70 NAPCOR PETE’s Big Bins, with a liner, to collect PET only.
• One employee picks up recyclables from each school, and one runs the
recycling facility. Processors collect most materials at no cost and pay for some
commodities based on market rates.
• The entire recycling program saves $35,000 to $40,000 each year on reduced
waste disposal fees, which offsets labor costs. The sale of recyclables
generates some revenue.
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Colleges & Universities
If the campus has one, read about Stadiums & Arenas on page 28.
Planning
• Include provisions to support iPET recycling in contracts with vendors and bottlers.
Collecting, Handling & Processing iPET
• Recruit students to help. They are often active volunteers in supporting recycling efforts.
Work-study students can also collect or sort recyclables in a cost-effective manner.
• Some campuses are large enough to manage their own processing facilities
effectively and efficiently.
Promoting the Program
• Include recycling information in the orientation for new students as well as university
publications, such as campus newspapers, newsletters, and websites.
• Use campus groups and special events, such as Earth Day and America Recycles
Day, to help promote the recycling program.
• Create a website to provide students, staff, and faculty with convenient access to
information on what, where, and how to recycle iPET and other materials.
university of minnesota - minneapolis, minnesota
• 50,000 students and 17,000 faculty and staff in 206 buildings spread over 990 acres.
• The school has recycled iPET since 1996, and it has recycled cans, bottles, paper, debris, scrap metal,
and other materials since 1984.
• Overall diversion rate is 32%.
• PET recycling rate is 62%; 37 tons, or 1.3 million bottles, recycled per year.
• Every indoor waste station has a container for cans and bottles. Most have a total of 4 containers:
cans and bottles, newspaper, office paper, and garbage.
• Custodians carry plastic bags of recyclables to a central place in each building, where the recycling
crew picks it up for transport to the campus recycling facility.
• At the main recycling facility, cans and bottles are sorted on a conveyor, and PET is perforated and
baled. The baler is also used for paper. The recycling program employs 10 full-time staff for driving,
sorting, baling, administration, and other functions.
• Each year, the entire recycling program generates revenues of about $200,000, saves $156,000 on
disposal fees, and costs approximately $300,000 to run — an annual gain of about $56,000.
• Promotion of recycling includes a website, brochures, periodic building reviews, and bin signage
27
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College and university campuses usually include numerous types of buildings and
facilities, such as residence halls, offices, classrooms, sports facilities, research labs,
libraries, and dining halls. Beverages are distributed in a variety of ways, and vending
machines are usually common. Drinks are also brought in from off-campus.
Stadiums & Arenas
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Stadiums and arenas draw large crowds for their events. Unlike special events, these
facilities have permanent infrastructure and typically host major events, such as games
or concerts, on a regular and often frequent basis.
For many attendees - even those who wouldn’t think of littering elsewhere - it is customary
to leave drink containers, food trays, and other trash at their seats, rather than carrying
the waste to garbage or recycling bins. As a result, these venues often need special
clean-up crews for the seating area. Since glass is usually forbidden, iPET is becoming a
popular alternative to drinks sold in cups at many stadiums.
Collecting, Handling & Processing iPET
• Entrances and exits are common locations for recycling and garbage bins, but it is
also helpful to include bins in or near the seating area if possible.
• Use staff or volunteer groups to collect iPET and other recyclables from the seating
area during the event.
• Conduct “sweeps” to collect iPET and other recyclables (see sidebar).
Promoting the Program
• Use the public address system, reader board, or display screen to promote recycling
during the event. Show a picture or video of someone, especially a player or local
celebrity, using the recycling bins along with a recycling message.
• Ask vendors to include the recycling message in their concessions publicity.
stadium “sweeps”
At stadiums and similar venues, many attendees leave their discards in the seating area, and it may be
difficult to motivate them to bring recyclables to a collection bin. An alternative collection method —
known as a “sweep” — may be appropriate.
During a post-event sweep, recyclables left in the stands are picked up when the trash is collected from
aisles, cup holders, and under the seats. Several options exist for collecting iPET and any other
recyclables in a sweep:
• The same crews that pick up trash can collect iPET, using a recycling bag or bin along with the trash container.
• A separate crew can collect iPET, increasing bottle recovery as well as costs.
• Volunteers, such as a community litter pick-up organization or youth group (e.g., Scouts), may do
sweeps in return for publicity, donations, or revenue from recyclables.
Pick-up crews need careful training in material separation. Support from management is important as
trash crews may feel they are being asked to do twice as much work. Though not technically true (the
material is separated into categories, but the amount is the same), this objection must be overcome for success.
Sweeps are physically demanding, time-consuming, and messy, but they can achieve high iPET recovery
rates with low contamination.
28
• 95,000 people attend each football game.
• An average of 1400 pounds, or about 21,000 plastic bottles, recovered per game.
• Two students initiated the “Post-Game Recycling Volunteer Effort” in 1999.
• 10 to 20 student volunteers per game pick up recyclables after the crowds have gone. Volunteers
receive T-shirts, litter pokers, and ten 50-gallon clear plastic bags for collecting recyclables. The full
bags are collected via golf cart and put in a large roll-off container at one end of the stadium.
• The Solid Waste Supervisor e-mails each volunteer the results, including a personal rate of pick-up,
compared to the average rate of pick-up, as well as the total amount of plastic bottles collected per
game. The friendly competition motivates the students, and they seem to enjoy seeing how they
contribute to the recycling effort.
• Penn State University’s overall recycling program for paper, glass, aluminum and plastic bottles has
been in effect since 1989 and has a current diversion rate estimated at 33%.
• Penn State has 39,000 students and 350 buildings. 6,000 to 8,000 people are at the university each
day from May to October. Recycling at Penn State saves $125,000 each year in tipping fees for
waste collection.
• Public outreach and education includes T-shirts, pamphlets, magazine, mouse pads, hats, banners,
recycling guidelines, and bumper stickers.
• Advice: Get students involved, and obtain support from the school administration. Make it somewhat
competitive, and make sure volunteers know they are a key part of the effort.
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penn state’s beaver stadium — state college, pennsylvania
Corporate & Institutional Complexes
Employees at major corporate or institutional locations often bring beverages from home
or buy them on or near the work site. Large employment complexes often have cafeterias
or vending machines that may sell beverages in iPET bottles. Some companies also offer
free soft drinks or juices as an added perk.
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Collecting, Handling & Processing iPET
• Lunch rooms, break rooms, or cafeterias are good locations for recycling bins.
• Providing each workspace with desk-side bins for iPET and other recyclables helps
increase recovery rates.
• Integrate iPET recycling into your institutional program to maximize your cost
savings. For example, if you are a manufacturing facility, you may already have
baling equipment available for your other recyclables.
Promoting the Program
• Using a color-coded system in an institutional setting with long-term employees can
create lasting recycling recognition.
marvin windows and doors — warroad, minnesota
• This manufacturing and corporate office location has 2 million square feet in ten buildings with 2800 to
3000 employees, and it is the largest employer in the area.
• Recycling of numerous commodities (including plastic film, wood, aluminum, glass, metal, paper, and
tires) has been an integral part of the manufacturing process for more than 10 years, saving money
and resources.
• Roughly 9 cubic yards of plastic bottles (any bottle with a screw top) are recycled monthly, 90% of
which are iPET — approximately 10,000 bottles a month, with a recovery rate of approximately 40%.
• Inside the facility, the green PETE’s Big Bins collect either cans or plastic bottles as part of the colorcoded recycling system.
• Clear plastic liners are used in the bins, and custodial staff collects recycling as part of their normal
job duties. Staff deliver the bags of plastic bottles to the drop-box container supplied and serviced by
KaMaR, the tri-county government for Kittson, Marshall, Roseau counties.
• The hauler does not pay or charge to collect the iPET, glass, aluminum, and news
paper in the drop-box. The area lacks a curbside recycling program, and employees
are encouraged to bring recyclables from home to this drop-box location.
• The plastic bottle recycling program has been in place since 1998. The volume of
plastic bottles has increased significantly since the onset and the company
recently placed 80 more PETE’s Bins to increase recovery. KaMaR also supplied an
8’ x 16’ open roll-off container dedicated for plastic bottles only to handle the
increased volume.
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Amusement Parks & Zoos
Collecting, Handling & Processing iPET
• Place recycling bins with all garbage containers, and check them frequently.
• Locate bins strategically. Remember that people in these entertainment venues are
unlikely to walk out of their way to recycle their beverage containers.
Promoting the Program
• Team with volunteer groups to promote recycling, especially on special occasions
such as Earth Day and America Recycles Day.
• Use signature logos for your zoo or park to make recycling signage more eye-catching.
tulsa zoo — tulsa, oklahoma
• With 1300 animals and 1600+ daily visitors, the Tulsa Zoo is the #1 tourist attraction in the state.
The 75-acre facility hosts a wide variety of special events and draws more than half a million visitors annually.
• Under an exclusive contract with the soft drink supplier, some revenues pay for special recycling containers.
• Recycling program started in 1998, and permanent bins were put in place in 2000. iPET is collected
in bins for “Bottles & Cans” clustered next to trash bins in a 1:1 ratio.
• PETE’s Big Bins are used as needed for special events.
• Volunteers staff special events and help visitors place recyclables in the proper bin.
• Caring and Recycling at Tulsa Zoo (CARTZ), a volunteer group, wore T-shirts made from recycled PET
to promote recycling on Earth Day.
• iPET is stored in a 17-foot flatbed trailer with compartments. The trailer was designed specifically
for the program, and it is driven periodically to a processor.
• The processor pays market prices for the recycled iPET, after subtracting 5 cents per pound to cover
processing costs.
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Visitors go to zoos, theme parks, and other amusement parks to have a good time, and
families with children represent many of the attendees. Typical visitors spend much of a
day at these locations, and their visits usually include some eating and drinking. Many of
these facilities prohibit glass containers, making iPET the bottle of choice for vendors
and visitors.
Convention & Conference Centers
These venues can draw hundreds or thousands of attendees to events. Exhibits are
usually placed and removed within a few days, but food and beverage vendors are often
long-term.
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Planning
• Involve general management and staff; their support is essential for making the
recycling program run smoothly.
Collecting, Handling & Processing iPET
• Have staff members monitor recycling bins for contamination and empty them as needed.
• Have bins available in meeting rooms, for receptions, and for special events in the facility.
Educating & Training Staff
• Create recycling guidelines for staff and incorporate them into training sessions.
Promoting the Program
• Include recycling information in all marketing packets sent to potential exhibitors.
los angeles convention center — los angeles, california
• 2.5 million people attend 300+ events each year at this 702,000-sq-ft facility
covering 64 acres.
• Beverage container (glass, plastic and aluminum) recycling bins are blue “toters”
and are located in exhibit, dining, and kitchen areas. Also, 25 gray fiberglass bins
are placed permanently in hallways, meeting rooms, and “aesthetically sensitive” areas.
• The convention center currently recycles approximately 5,400 pounds of beverage
containers each month; iPET represents 50% of this total.
• During events, 4 staff members monitor bins and bring recyclables to a central
3-yard dumpster, which a hauler picks up 2 to 3 times a week.
• The hauler/processor pays $35/ton for mixed beverage containers. The program
recently began separating all beverage containers to increase their value. iPET
currently sells for $0.45 a pound in this bottle-bill state.
• Recycling information is included in the marketing packets sent to event planners
and vendors.
• Training is constant. Half-hour training sessions are repeated once a month for all
crews, including catering. Recycling information is included in the quarterly
newsletter for staff.
• The full-scale recycling program grew out of a state grant for beverage container
recycling that started in 1999.
• Overall diversion rate estimated at 60%. Commodities currently recycled are iPET
beverage containers, paper, cardboard, metal, construction/demolition materials,
pallets, carpet, carpet padding, and reusable items. Savings of disposal fees and
revenue from commodities total $6500 a month or approximately $78,000 a year.
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Public multi-use complexes contain a number of different venues within a single large
location. With their diverse functions, these facilities are almost like small cities, but their
attendees are highly transitory. These complexes may include meeting rooms, amusement
rides, stadiums, restaurants, food courts, concert halls, theaters, retail stores, and hotels
or resorts. The facility management at these venues is complex, and the use of iPET
bottles can be high. Depending on the facilities or functions in the complex, you may find
helpful tips from other venues: Stadiums & Arenas (p. 28), Amusement Parks & Zoos (p.
31), Convention & Conference Centers (p. 32), Special Events, Festivals & Fairs (p. 34).
Collecting, Handling & Processing iPET
• Make recycling signs and labels as prominent as possible. If possible, use distinctive
logos for your stadium, restaurants, and other facilities.
• Service recycling bins in restaurants separately from other public locations due to
potential food contamination.
• Place recycling containers strategically, and keep in mind that visitors to your public
event venues are unlikely to go out of their way to recycle materials.
seattle center — seattle, washington
• The Seattle Center uses 2-ml clear LDPE bags hung on an open rack for collecting recyclables at special
events. Permanent recycling containers are also present; metal collection containers are used outside
and plastic bins inside.
• The program, in place for 4 years, collects commingled plastic, metal, glass, juice boxes, and milk cartons.
• The clear bag works well because the public can see what materials belong in the bag. If garbage is
put into the clear bag, however, the recycling bag can end up being a trash can.
• Contamination averages less than 10%.
• The Center also has 12 big recycling dumpsters around the grounds, which use the same signage as the
plastic bag bins.
• Before each event, the recycling coordinator talks with vendors about the recycling program and tells
them where recycling dumpsters are located.
• For the Bumbershoot music festival, Folklife arts festival, and Bite of Seattle food fair, the recycling rate
is about 7% by weight for cans, glass, plastic, and cardboard.
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Public Multi-use Complexes
Special Events, Festivals & Fairs
chapter 3
Special events are usually entertainment-oriented and often draw large crowds. They
typically take place over one or several days, and many are annual events. Many special
events - such as street fairs, concerts, athletic events like runs and bicycle races, and
music festivals - are held outdoors.
Some special events take place at established facilities with existing infrastructure, such
as fairgrounds or racetracks. These events may require supplemental collection containers and other facilities to support recycling, but they often already have some basic
infrastructure, such as garbage cans, restrooms, and seating.
Other events occur at completely undeveloped sites where all infrastructure must be set
up before the event and later removed - including portable restrooms, food service
facilities, lighting, as well as waste disposal and recycling facilities.
Planning
• The recycling coordinator should be intimately involved in all aspects of event planning.
• Recycling provisions should be included in contracts for food and drink vendors as
well as other booths.
Collecting, Handling & Processing iPET
• Have staff or volunteers monitor the bins throughout the day and remove any
contamination, so that the public does not mistake the recycling bins for garbage cans.
• Have staff or volunteers use litter collection pokers to remove trash from recycling bins.
• Have cleaning crews separate recyclables while collecting trash after the event.
• At venues with existing equipment and staff for solid waste collection, some events
have reported high recycling rates using a separate collection system for recyclables,
rather than integrating recycling into the existing solid waste management.
• Recycling crews are typically dedicated to their program’s success, while regular
maintenance staff that have previously collected only garbage may view recycling at
special events as an added burden.
Educating & Training Staff
• The recycling or event coordinator should talk to each vendor or booth before the
event to show them where and what to recycle.
Promoting the Program
• Partnering with a large business in your area can help leverage resources. For
example, you can ask the company to provide or pay for some bins in exchange for
giving free publicity.
34
• Annual 3-day, 14-block music and arts festival attracting 150,000 people each year.
• Festival has a 23-year history, with 4 years of conducting commingled recycling.
• Overall recycling rate estimated at 22%; nearly a ton of iPET was recovered (total waste generated was
about 27+ tons).
• 150 PETE’s Big Bins for collecting plastic and aluminum were placed alongside trash cans. Glass,
cardboard and newspaper collected separately. Riverfest pays Waste Management, its hauler, to
provide extra staff during the festival to collect the recyclables and sort them each night.
• Public outreach included a news conference and on-site printed materials.
• The recycling coordinator met with vendors 3 weeks before the festival to explain the recycling program,
and mandatory recycling was included in their written contracts.
• Advice: Use see-through containers, have one recycling bin per trash container, and publicize the
recycling program during the event.
toad suck daze — conway, arkansas
• Annual 3-day street fair attracting 150,000 to 175,000 people each year. 10-12 booths sell beverages in
iPET bottles.
• Festival has a 19-year history, with 3 years of recycling PET in PETE’s Big Bins.
• 112 cubic yards of iPET were recycled, and the fair generated 25,000 pounds of trash.
• 20 PETE’s bins placed next to 96-gallon trash carts to collect glass, metal, and PET, plus a prominent
recycling center in the middle of the food court, with four 6-yard dumpsters. Sandbags were placed in
the bottom of the PETE’s bins to keep them in place.
• 6 staff members monitored bins and took trash and recyclables to a central location.
• 125 “Clean Team” volunteers collected litter and removed contamination from the recycling bins using
pokers. The 2000 festival required 400+ hours of labor to handle the garbage and recycling.
• iPET is taken to a municipal MRF and sold to a variety of processing mills.
• Promotion of the program included recycling T-shirts worn by staff and volunteers, lapel stickers worn
by staff and vendors, recycling reminders printed on the festival guide map and announced at the
Recycling Command Post, recycling media packets provided to all TV stations, and a parade with
sandwich boards and posters promoting the PETE’s bins.
• Recycling lapel stickers were distributed to each vendor, festival committee members and directors, the
Toad Master, and the public.
• Each vendor received a memo explaining the recycling program.
• Advice: Never leave a recycling bin alone without a trash container next to it because it will attract
contamination, use visible signage for bins and recycling stations, monitor recycling bins frequently,
and remove contamination throughout the day.
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riverfest — little rock, arkansas