In April 2009, Saint Paul RiverCentre announced a mission to become a regional leader in sustainability. They partnered with Progressive Associates of Saint Paul, MN, who completed an initial assessment of their operations related to waste and recycling, energy usage, carbon footprint, purchasing practices and water consumption.
The assessment revealed that during the 2007-2008 “benchmark period,” Saint Paul RiverCentre and Xcel Energy Center together generated 2.8 million pounds of waste per year and recycled at a rate of 15%. Because these two facilities shared so many resources, they quickly formed a partnership and launched the following goal:
Over 2 years, they would
 Reduce their trash generation by 50% (1.2 million pounds per year)
Increase their recycling rate to 50%
The program began with a complete redesign of waste collection infrastructure, focusing on the best ways to handle recyclable materials as they passed through the facility. The following changes were made:
Over 600 new receptacles were installed for collecting recyclables across campus. There is now a nearly 1:1 ratio of trash cans to recycle bins facility-wide.
All bins in both public and back-of-house areas were fitted with customized consistent labeling, often including photos of actual products found on campus for clarity
New processes were implemented for collection of cardboard, paper, and can & bottle recycling. New equipment was added behind the scenes to make handling these items safer and more efficient.
Compost collection was added in all kitchens, concessions stands, restaurants and offices, as well as in all restrooms. In addition, Saint Paul RiverCentre was one of the first convention centers in the nation to offer compost collection in public areas. As the goal progresses, we look forward to adding compost collection to more and more public areas. |
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Plastic wrap and construction waste were added as new recycling streams.
An extensive transition to compostable products took place in all food service areas, and some locations switched to durable china and silverware to further reduce waste.
Over the course of the two years, additional compost collection was added in most public areas as compostable tableware was introduced. Headwaters Café, the Suite level of the arena, the Treasure Island Ice Lodge, and Press Dining areas are now nearly trash-free as all disposable products may now be composted with any food leftovers.
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The two-year timeline of this goal concluded in July of 2011. These facilities not only reached their goals, they far exceeded them. After two years they have:
Reduced trash by 59% (1.4 million pounds per year)
Increase their annual recycling rate to 53%
Over the course of those two years, the following quantities of material were recycled:
320 tons of compost (640,000 lbs)
311 tons of cardboard & paper (622,000 lbs)
192 tons of cans & bottles (384,000 lbs)
195 tons of other materials including construction waste, pallets, kitchen grease, donated food, plastic wrap, and electronics
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