Assisting the San Francisco Giants towards Achieving their Sustainability Goals in Recycling

By: Briana Smith, Social Media & Product Branding Specialist, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

(left: Tiffany McLaughlin, WAXIE Sanitary Maintenance Consultant; right: Randy Gomez, Director of Facility Operations at AT&T Park)

WAXIE Northern California is proud to be part of the San Francisco Giant’s sustainability efforts and congratulates them on receiving their 6th consecutive Green Glove Award. The Green Glove Award is given by Major League Baseball to the baseball club with the highest recycling rate.

WAXIE has helped the Giants in implementing an improved waste & recycling program on-site, including trash can liners specific to their needs & receptacle systems. Recycling is done on the premises 24/7 and the Giants are working towards reaching zero waste. Zero waste is a concept in waste management & planning that takes into consideration the life cycle of a product, so that it can be reused, and nothing is sent to a landfill or incinerated (1).

The 7th inning, traditionally known for the mid-inning stretch, has become an opportunity to encourage & promote recycling. Ushers go around and ask fans if they have any recycling.

Recyclables and compostable trash include cans, bottles, plastic cups, cardboard, paper, wood pallets, electronic components, light bulbs, batteries, cooking grease, food waste and grass clippings (2).

The Giants have continued to improve not only their recycling & waste diversion rates year upon year (they diverted 94% of their waste last year), but they’ve also made improvements to their facility to decrease water usage, increase solar energy production and become more conscious of their resources (3).

WAXIE has partnered with the Giants & AT&T Park over the last 8 years in their efforts to make their ballpark more sustainable. We were an integral part of their team as they attained LEED Silver Certification for Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance back in 2010 (4).

The WAXIE Green Team worked with Randy Gomez, Director of Facility Operations at AT&T Park, and his Facilities Team in surveying, training, tracking & assessing their cleaning & recycling needs. Part of this process included training the Giants GREEN TEAM in the safe & effective use of green cleaning products & procedures, as well as tracking the percentage spent on green products & materials vs. non-green items (5).

Additionally, the Giants and AT&T Park are members of the Green Sports Alliance, which is an organization created in 2010 whose mission is “to help sports teams, venues and leagues enhance their environmental performance.” Furthermore, “…the Alliance has brought together venue operators, sports team executives and environmental scientists to exchange information about better practices and develop solutions to their environmental challenges that are cost-competitive and innovative. The information gathered from this collaboration is available to Alliance members in order that they gain a better understanding of how sporting events can be performed in an environmentally sensitive manner.” (6)

WAXIE is excited & committed to being a part of the San Francisco Giants & AT&T Park’s continuous efforts towards promoting sustainability and in reaching their zero waste goals; we will also be a sponsor and exhibitor of the Green Sports Alliance Summit on July 21-23, 2014 in Santa Clara.

RESOURCES:
1. Zero Waste - Wikipedia
2. San Francsico Giants Ballpark Information: A-Z Guide - Green Initiatives: Recycling
3. Giants leading way in Earth-friendly efforts  - MLB
4. AT&T Park becomes the first Major League ballpark to receive LEED Silver Certification for Existing Buildings, Operations & Maintenance - MLB
5. WAXIE Proud to Be a Part of the SF Giants’ LEED Certification Team
6. About the Green Sports Alliance