Recycling Game Plan

nder lights illuminating a worn field, fans leave the Rose Bowl Stadium either elated by triumph or disappointed by defeat. The last thing these fans see may be scuffed University emblems neatly painted on the field, the final result emblazoned in bright lights on the giant scoreboard or mounds of discarded items scattered under the stadium seats.

At the 2007 Rose Bowl Game, personnel from the city of Pasadena and Rose Bowl Stadium addressed the problem of resources left in the tailgate area, at special events areas and in the stadium. The first comprehensive diversion program was implemented at the 2002 Rose Bowl Championship Game. Since then, the program has been expanded to include increased recycling, donation programs and reuse opportunities in addition to recycling at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) football games.

While recycling now occurs at a majority of Rose Bowl Stadium events, this article focuses on recycling during the 2007 Rose Bowl Game.

DEVELOPING A GAME PLAN. Recycling at venues can be a challenge and involve extensive planning with numerous parties to develop strategies that work for all of the parties involved. Standardized approaches to recycling do not work when designing and implementing programs for large venues. Designing the Pasadena Rose Bowl diversion program required a great deal of strategic planning. In fact, the city of Pasadena received grant funding from the California Department of Conservation, Division of Recycling (DOC), to recycle single-serve beverage containers discarded during the Rose Bowl.

The city also hired SCS Engineers to design and implement a comprehensive diversion program for the New Year’s Day Game. The firm provides engineering, construction and contract operations services to private and public sector clients through a network of 40 offices in 17 states.

The Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC), a nonprofit organization employing young adults to perform community improvement and environmental work, volunteered to collect beverage containers.

The primary goal of the diversion program was to maximize recycling and reuse while minimizing waste. This translates to a reduction in waste hauling costs and an increase in revenue generated from the California redemption value of bottles and cans.

In developing a program, the first task is to determine which materials are going to be recycled and how the materials will be collected. It’s imperative to understand markets and collection processes available for these materials. Recyclables can either be source separated or commingled and transported to a material recovery facility (MRF), where the commingled materials are separated and sorted by hand or by machine. The Rose Bowl recycling program uses a combination of both strategies. In light of a city of Pasadena ordinance requiring a 50 percent diversion rate, waste haulers typically transport waste to a MRF for further recycling. In addition to 50 percent of material being diverted through the MRF, the Rose Bowl source separates cardboard, bottles and cans. Through these methods, close to 70 percent of the waste stream generated during the Rose Bowl is diverted from the landfill.

The planning of a venue recycling program consists of understanding the costs and logistics of recovery efforts, cleanup procedures, collection and hauling of materials and security measures. Additionally, the number of attendees at an event, venue layout, bin placement, efficient transportation methods and routes and predictable attendee patterns are important.

MAKING THE PLAY. Venue collection options are made available to attendees, special events, vendors, exhibitors and food service companies. Methods of collection can be participant-driven (e.g., recycling bins) or involve no action on the part of participants (e.g., post-game picks). The Rose Bowl recycling program uses both collection methods. The LACC places identifiable recycling bins at stadium entrance gates, along major walkways, at bars and food service areas and throughout the special events areas and the stadium. The clearly labeled recycling bins are placed next to trash bins to increase program participation and minimize contamination. Tailgaters receive their own labeled recycling bags in which to collect their single-serve beverage containers and are instructed to leave these bags by their cars so that an LACC staff member can collect the bags for recycling. Three-cubic-yard containers are dispersed at special events areas and throughout the stadium for cardboard collection. After the game, the LACC performs a post-game pickup in the stadium, where crews work in tandem with the cleaning company to collect bottles and cans from among debris that is swept into the aisles.

Seven special events took place prior to the Rose Bowl Game, with more than 30,000 attendees. These events included two alumni events, a corporate hospitality tent, a kick-off and VIP luncheons, a food zone and media tents. Site-specific diversion and donation programs were established and developed in coordination with each event manager.

In light of the nature of special events, it is typical that numerous single-serve containers are disposed of, that large amounts of waste are generated in a short time and that temporary staff works the event. This combination can make diversion programs challenging to design and implement.

ON THE SIDELINES. Many items generated at venues and special events could otherwise be donated. Typical items collected include wood, foam core, food, centerpieces and plants.

An extensive donation program was established at the Rose Bowl Game. Special events managers and stadium staff were given a "Donation Request Form" on which they listed items for donation to be collected after the event. Donation procedures were established based on the request forms, and over half a ton of items were given to a local homeless shelter, a food bank and a senior center.

Education and outreach are imperative to the success of an event’s diversion program. Education consists of training staff and stakeholders, developing internal procedures and guidelines and communicating procedures and strategies.

Venues provide an extraordinary outlet for educating tens of thousands of participants at one time. Clear and consistent messaging helps to remind attendees to recycle away from home. For instance, the city of Pasadena hosts an educational booth to disperse recycling information, banners and signs promoting recycling are posted at stadium entrances and announcements are made on local radio stations and placed in local publications.

Prior to the Rose Bowl game, management from the cleaning, recycling, food service and vendor companies are informed of the recycling procedures. Management is then asked to relay the procedures to all staff members.

POST-GAME RUNDOWN. It is common for venue managers to be concerned about increased labor costs through recycling. However, the increased costs are minimal when compared to the reduced cost of waste hauling, the resulting revenues generated from the sale of secondary commodities and environmental benefits of recycling. Rose Bowl Stadium does not incur additional fees for labor, since the LACC provides collection services for free in return for the California redemption value of bottles and cans. The organization saw a significant payoff for its efforts, as more than 115,000 individual bottles and cans, or 1.5 bottles or cans per attendee, were recycled at the event.

Developing a comprehensive diversion program at venues can be challenging, but also rewarding. Because the Rose Bowl recycling program has been in place for six years, attendees have come to expect recycling there.

Recycling at venues and events has come a long way, but much can be done to increase the practice. In fact, California passed legislation (AB 2176) to ensure recycling at events and venues with more than 2,000 paid attendees. Performers, corporations and nonprofit organizations increasingly request "green" venues to host their concerts or events. Hopefully, as in the case of the Rose Bowl, the public will come to expect recycling at all special events.