Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul RiverCentre, and The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Compostable Ingeo food serviceware aids in waste reduction
Situation
2007 = 15% Recycling Rate on 2.9 million pounds of total waste
Solution
- Strategic waste reduction initiative "50-50 in 2"
- Goal: reduce trash by 50% and increase recycling rate to 50% over 2 years
- Approach: engage partners & staff at all levels to achieve success
In March 2012 the Xcel Center and the Minnesota Wild celebrated
1,000,000
pounds of compostable material
Strategic Objectives
- Bolster existing practices for recycling
- Add composting and comprehensive green purchasing plan
- Refine process for waste handling as it flows through building
- Add new infrastructure for easy sorting and clean handling, while right sizing equipment to minimize waste hauling costs
- Engage staff, vendors and guests to participate
- Support the City of Saint Paul and become a role model for region
- Enhance the brand of Saint Paul RiverCentre and Minnesota Wild in the community
Ingeo Role in Meeting Objective
A key to a successful recycling program is alleviating “separation anxiety”for the end user. Using the Ingeo materials has allowed us to simplify sorting and in some cases create a two-stream / no-waste situation in parts of the facility where all items are now recyclable or compostable.
Our project continues to succeed by making it easy for people to do the right thing and difficult for people to fail. Enrolling partners and leveraging them in creative solutions was key to this strategy and has enabled us to reach our goals.
Key Stakeholders
- Saint Paul Arena Company - Facility operators who made waste reduction part of the overall strategic plan
- Litin Eco - Product vendor who combined many high-quality compostable products under one roof for easy ordering
- MHC Culinary Group - Foodservice vendor responsible for buying products and distributing them for use throughout Saint Paul RiverCentre
- Levy Restaurants - Foodservice vendor responsible for buying products and distributing them for use throughout Xcel Energy Center
- Progressive Associates - Consulting firm who helped design and implement the “50-50 in 2” program
Actions You Can Take
- Learn more about the benefits of composting
- Look for recycling and composting opportunities at work, home, and public events
- Ask your waste hauler for curb-side composting service at home
- "Close the loop" and buy locally produced compost for your flowerbeds at the local garden store
Other Milestones, Successes, Outcomes
In March 2012, the facilities collected their one-millionth pound of compostable material. Annually, the quantity collected has grown substantially each year since the program began.
