Achieving zero waste-A study of successful diversion of convention-

generated waste in key West, Florida

Katherine Mantz, Keiser University
Timothy Mantz, Keiser University

Abstract
Many conferences including those focusing on topic of sustainability are not held using sustainable practices.
This study compares traditional conferences & conventions to a climate change conference sponsored in part
by Waste Management & the Casa Marina hotel as a zero waste event. The event was held in December 2015
at the 311-room, 5-star, Casa Marina hotel, a Waldorf-Astoria resort owned by Hilton, International in Key
West, Florida. The partnership between the Casa Marina & Waste Management resulted 100% of conference-
related material diverted from the landfill. 90.3% of material was recycled, composted or reused & remaining
9.7% of waste diverted to a waste-to-energy plant.

Introduction
Convention industry creates large temporary gatherings of people for business conferences & information
exchange (Zelinsky, 1994). Conventions & tourists they bring give & economic boost to local economies. These
convention attendees tend to spend more & stay longer during off seasons than do typical tourists (Spiller,
2002; Park & Boo, 2010). Convention attendees tend to create extensive word of mouth publicity & are far
more likely to revisit a city they have attended a conference in (Opperman, 1996). Tourism is an important
economic factor in many local economies helping provide jobs and revenues into local economy (Spiller, 2002;
Park and Boo, 2010).

Environmentally sustainable practices in convention industry are in their infancy. Multiple hospitality
segments are beginning to initiate sustainable practices & certifications into daily operations (Draper, Dawson
and Casey, 2011). business events sector is looking for options to improve environmental performance &
lessen impacts caused by conventioneers. Waste reduction & recycling materials are two sustainable practices
implemented by convention properties to help reduce environmental degradation (Rittichainuwat & Mair,
2012).

Literature
Waste and Sustainability Challenges in the Convention Industry
Handling of waste & improving environmental sustainability of hotels have become critical issues for the hotel
industry (Ball & Taleb, 2010). The growth of convention industry directly conflicts with growing sustainability
movement due to the industrys negative impact on the environment (Dunlap and Scare, 1991; Stoll-
Kleemann, ORiordan & Jaeger, 2001; Vermeir & Verbeke, 2006; Park & Boo, 2010). PricewaterhouseCoopers
(2011) reports meetings & events industry is the 10th largest industry in America exceeding $907 billion
annually. The environmental impact of meetings & conventions industry is the second, most wasteful industry
in country just after building and construction industry (EPA, 2011; Green Hotelier, 2011).

Meetings Strategies Worldwide (2008) estimates that over the course of a three-day meeting each attendee
generates an average of 61 pounds of waste compared to 13.5 pounds of waste that would have been
generated by same attendee at home over same period. Axler (1973), Bohdanowicz (2005), Ball and Taleb,
(2010) & Potts et al (2002) report smaller volumes from meeting & conventions attendees at an average of five
pounds of waste & over five pounds of recyclable materials per day. Larger hotel properties may dispose of
up to eight tons of waste per day (Ball & Taleb, 2010). Benchmarking Waste (2006) reports that over course of a
typical, five-day conference each attendee uses equivalent of 25 plates, 35 napkins, three cups or glasses &
more than 36 cans & bottles (Meeting Strategies Worldwide, 2006). Snarr & Pezza (2000) found that 60% of
materials generated by these same guests could be considered recyclable materials.

Need for Green Practices

Environmental criteria focusing on green practices for trade, professional and governmental meetings &
conventions is increasing (Mensah, 2006; Bohdanowicz, 2005). Event planners look to incorporate sustainable
initiatives when selecting venues (FutureWatch, 2010; Meeting Professionals International (2011). EventView
(2009) states 66% of planners require properties to have measurable green initiatives when determining
location for a meeting or convention (Green Hotelier, 2011). The hotel industry generally recognizes need for
green & sustainable practices (Bohdanowicz, 2006). Bohdanowicz (2006) found that hotels & conventions
should offer incentives to guests & attendees to participants in green & sustainable activities.

Zero Waste
Concept of zero waste as a sustainable initiative has become a universal goal in management of waste (Zaman,
2014; Zaman, 2015; Murphy and Pincet, 203; Matete and Trois, 2007; Hottle, et al, 2015). Zero waste
encompasses a wide range of sustainable practices focused on reducing the environmental impact caused by
society. As hotels shift toward more environmentally friendly operations and aim for zero waste facilities,
compostable products and composting and recycling become more attractive. Managers must learn to think
differently or these sustainable alternatives can complicate convention planning. Managers must consider
factors including cost, source material selection, training, collection design, and environmental tradeoffs for
different approaches to waste management (Hottle, et al, 2015).

For an event to be considered a zero waste event 90 percent or more of waste must be diverted from the
landfill Materials generated by events include organics & food scraps, glass & plastic beverage containers,
mixed paper & paper products, & waste products. Staff support, volunteer support, attendee participation,
communication & distinct signage are important resources necessary to accomplish a zero waste event (Ohio
State University, 2016; University of Virginia, 2016; University of Arkansas, 2016).

Methodology

To determine viability of a zero waste conference multiple factors need to be considered. In case of climate
change conference, three critical factors were evaluated prior to program execution. The first factor was
securing buy-in from major stakeholders, namely hotel property & environmental service providers who
handle post-conference materials. Support from the organization hosting conference is also necessary.
Stakeholders & conference attendees work together to reduce waste & recycle materials properly.

The second factor involved a waste analysis of conference materials. The majority of materials must be
accepted and processed using environmentally recognized practices such as recycling, composting, reuse, or
upcycling. Each waste stream should be identified & kept separate from the other material streams to
eliminate potential for contamination; products labeled as recyclable are not always recyclable. For example, a
plastic bag may have a recycling symbol printed on the bag however the bag is not accepted at the recycling
facility and will be placed in the trash.

The second factor involves identifying where diverted materials will be delivered & who will be responsible to
transport materials. The cost to transport material & pay a tipping fee (cost set by facility to process material)
can be substantial. In this study, garbage was sent to a waste-to-energy-facility, recyclables were sent to a
materials recovery facility (MRF) & food scraps and organic materials were sent to an organics facility.
Although many conference properties want to divert organic materials for composting, there are limited
commercial composting facilities available, many which may be hundreds of miles from the event venue.

The third factor for zero waste success is ensuring the project costs & or negative environmental impacts do
not outweigh overall sustainable benefit. As mentioned previously, transportation costs & tipping fees can be
substantial as can be the environmental impact to transport materials a long distance. Costs to purchase
compostable & or recyclable products may be cost prohibitive. From pre-planning to post-event, zero waste
projects can require a large amount of time and financial commitment from stakeholders.

Climate change conference hosted 450 registered attendees over a three-day period. Conference events
included informational workshops & presentations, full service meals, bar service, a welcome reception & an
evening dinner luau. Majority of conference attendees stayed at hotel property & drove their own vehicles to
the event.
Zero waste team included managers, directors & staff from the Casa Marina & managers & staff from Waste
Management. Hotels Events & Catering Director, Marketing Manager, Food & Beverage Director & Head
Chef supported diversion efforts by ordering recyclable & compostable materials, promoting reuse rather than
disposal, educating staff & supporting initiatives to encourage sustainable practices.

Figure 1: Partial list of materials to be diverted

Materials Diverted
Material stream Products included but not limited to:

Shrink wrap, plastic bags, plastic straws, broken dishes

Garbage and glassware, foam packaging, shredded paper, soiled
aluminum foil, fabric

Glass, plastic, metal, tin and aluminum food and beverage

Recyclables containers , jars and cans, paper products, cardboard,
clean aluminum foil

Food scraps, approved compostable products, food soiled

Organics paper, napkins and cardboard, meat and dairy products,
fruits and vegetables

In conference meeting rooms, multiple recycling boxes were set-up to capture a mixture of recyclables
including mixed paper, glass, plastic & aluminum beverage containers, & cardboard. Waste Management
team monitored boxes to ensure materials were not contaminated & could be properly diverted while
conference attendees were continually reminded to place recyclables in recycling boxes.

In the kitchen, Casa Marinas head chef championed the zero waste cause overseeing a 22-team kitchen & bar
staff to ensure all materials from conferences food preparation & meals would be properly diverted. Waste
Management & Casa Marina worked together to design an in-house system to capture all kitchen materials
specific to conference without disrupting the hotels operational efficiency.

Multiple recycling and composting stations were set-up in food preparation and bar areas. Blue, 64-gallon roll
carts were set-up to capture recyclables. Green, 64-gallon roll-carts were set up to capture all food waste &
organic materials. Signage was displayed at each station to help food preparation staff & wait staff understand
which materials to place in which carts. Garbage was kept as a separate material stream. The chef ensured that
all materials were kept separate from other hotel meal preparation to ensure that only conference-related
foodstuffs were tracked.

Waste Management staff conducted simple training sessions to help the kitchen staff understand which
materials to place in which carts. Throughout the day, beginning with 6:00 AM food preparation, Waste
Management continually monitored containers to ensure materials were being diverted into the proper carts.
As carts filled with material, Waste Management staff removed carts & immediately replaced it with a clean
cart. Waste Management rolled the full carts to an outside staging area, weighed each cart, recorded the data
then prepared the cart for final delivery.

Conference-generated materials such as garbage, food, organics, product packaging, glass, plastic & metal
containers & paper were weighed & diverted. Due to large size of hotel property & limited size of zero waste
project team only conference-related materials were diverted. Materials from conventioneer hotel rooms &
other activities independent of conference such as waste generated during non-conference meals were not
measured.

Discussion

Zero waste events & potentially zero waste facilities are becoming more in demand for conferences,
conventions & meetings. Attaining the goal of zero waste at events is more realistic than ever. The partnership
between Waste Management & Casa Marina hotel was critical to the ultimate success. Planning in all phases &
willingness to invest time & resources to event can ensure that most everything is diverted from the landfill

Figure 2: Total Materials Generated

Synopsis of Total Materials Generated

Percentage of Average Pounds
Item Pounds Total Waste Generated per
Stream Attendee
Total weight of
all materials 1,897 100% 4.22
Garbage 184 9.7% 0.41
Recycle/Reuse 431 22.7% 0.96
Compost 1,282 67.6% 2.85

Figure 3: Final Destination and Technology for Materials Generated

Final Destination of Materials

Miles to
Item Technology
Destination
Garbage Waste-to-Energy 185
Recyclables Materials Recover Facility 178
Compost Organics Facility 283
Total Miles: 646

Figure 3: Waste Managements Direct and Indirect Costs

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