by Shane Henson — February 1, 2013—Would-be trash produced by fans packing the Staples Center in Los Angeles to see the Lakers now has a better chance of being recycled through the stadium’s use of GreenDrop Recycling Stations, offered through Pacific Cascade Corporation.
Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the company that manages the operations at Staples Center, has partnered with Waste Management to increase recycling efforts and decrease the amount of waste going to landfills. As part of the companies’ recycling program, they selected the Pacific Cascade recycling stations.
GreenDrop Recycling Stations reduce landfill contributions by allowing users to easily self-sort recyclable and compostable items out of the landfill waste stream. This reduces their environmental footprint while minimizing expenses and being fiscally responsible through sustainable operations, says Pacific Cascade.
So far, 160 stations have been deployed at the Staples Center. Pacific Cascade says it developed custom, detailed labels to guide guests to quickly and accurately dispose of waste at one orderly stop.
The unique, market-leading GreenDrop Recycling Station was designed through multi-year efforts of the Portland Trail Blazers’ head office and the Rose Garden Arena. The arena’s landfill diversion rate increased from 38 percent in 2007 to 90 percent in 2011, in part by replacing old-style garbage cans with GreenDrop Recycling Stations, says Pacific Cascade.
Staples Center’s management expects the recycling stations to be just as beneficial in achieving its waste management goals.
“Partnering with GreenDrop allows Staples Center to incorporate a convenient waste-diversion system that patrons can easily utilize without increasing operational costs,” said Lee Zeidman, senior vice president and general manager of Staples Center. “We evaluated other containers, but GreenDrop was the best option for the arena’s recycling needs.”
