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NERC in the News

Concession Company to Begin New Recycling Program at Rentschler Field

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CT Environmental Headlines; September 8, 2009

Sodexo, the company that provides concessions at Rentschler Field, will implement a new recycling and composting program starting with the Sept. 12 UConn vs. North Carolina football game. Food waste, soiled paper, and biodegradable serviceware will be collected during the game from the Club Area, Luxury Suites (Skyboxes), Corporate Tents, and Press and Media Boxes.

Staff from the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will provide assistance with implementing the compost and recycling collection for the Sept. 12 game.

“Sodexo is committed to working with our customers and clients to take action that is good for the environment,” said Joanne Gagnon, Sodexo general manager at Rentschler Field. “Recycling and composting the tons of trash generated at UConn football games will help to significantly reduce waste.”

NERC will also be conducting a waste assessment of the entire Rentschler Field operation and developing a report for Sodexo on how to expand the composting and recycling to all parts of the stadium, including all concessions and public areas.

To make the separation and collection of organics easier, Sodexo has begun the phase-in of purchasing biodegradable food service containers made from paper to use in its operations. Sodexo will also be separating recyclables and food waste at its catered special events during the year.

The Connecticut DEP has adopted a statewide solid waste management plan that calls for expanded efforts of recycling and composting, and especially seeks to increase organics recycling from the institutional, commercial and industrial sectors. “The composting effort at Rentschler Field is certainly consistent with the goals in the solid waste management plan and will serve as a model for other stadiums and similar venues throughout the state,” said K. C. Alexander, the organics recycling specialist at CT DEP.

The Northeast Recycling Council works to advance an environmentally sustainable economy by promoting source and toxicity reduction, recycling, composting, and the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services. The mission of the CT DEP is to conserve, improve and protect the natural resources and environment of the State of Connecticut. NERC’s involvement with this composting program is funded by a US EPA grant.

Sodexo, Inc. is a Gaithersburg, MD-based integrated facilities management services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., Sodexo Inc. is a member of Sodexo Group, and funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation, an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $11 million in grants to fight hunger in America.