Aramark, Mariners Want to Score 0 For Earth Day

At Safeco Field in Seattle, the Earth Day competition will be fierce. ARAMARK manages facilities services for the stadium and is partnering with the Seattle Mariners organization for the third annual Zero Waste for Earth Day event. ARAMARK and the Mariners will attempt to break their incredible 2010 record of diverting 82 percent of the waste produced in a day, keeping it out of area landfills.

The one-day commitment on Earth Day is part of a much larger effort at the stadium. Safeco Field produced about 1,141 tons of waste in 2010, and diverted more than two-thirds of it.

“In 2005, we recycled 12 percent of our waste, and ARAMARK has played the key role in increasing the 2010 rate to 70 percent. We have our sights set on 80 percent for 2011,” said Scott Jenkins, Vice President of Ballpark Operations for the Mariners, “ARAMARK has been a great partner.”

“We were number two in the MLB last year, behind the San Francisco Giants,” said Sean Stewart, General Manager for ARAMARK at Safeco Field. 

To help them make it to number one, and to beat last year’s Earth Day record, ARAMARK, other stadium partners, and the Mariners join forces and select a game during Earth Week to focus on for their waste management goal. 

After the game, ARAMARK collects all the waste from the 1.1 million square-foot facility, blows down the trash tier by tier, and sorts it all out. Most of the food, paper, cups, trays, pizza boxes, etc. head out to be composted. Mulched peanut shells join the compost pile too. Co-mingled recyclables – glass, plastic and metal, are separated from PET plastic bottles, cardboard, office paper, construction waste, yard waste and metals. Our employees devote about 10 percent more time to the Earth Day effort to make sure they have sorted every piece of waste they can find.

The Mariners do their part through marketing and public relations. They are hoping a corporate sponsor will sign on to help them promote their Earth Day program, and they use billboards and ads throughout the selected game to educate fans about what material goes in what container, and other ways they can help Safeco reach its goal. The Mariners have also made videos to share with staff, and employ signage throughout the building to remind people to recycle. 

They also employ the services of their recycling mascot, Captain Plastic.

“He comes down in the fifth inning of every game, and collects bottles,” Stewart said. This year, the Mariners will introduce Captain Plastic’s sidekick, Kid Compost, to educate fans about what can become compost.

Though the Earth Day effort is significant, ARAMARK supports ongoing activities at Safeco. In addition to recycling, ARAMARK has helped achieve annual savings of $500,000 due to conservation measures, resulting in lower consumption of electricity, natural gas and water. The Mariners’ “green spend” on custodial supplies also increased, to 97 percent in 2010.

ARAMARK also works side-by-side with Safeco on non-sports events.

Microsoft holds its annual meeting for 20,000 employees at Safeco every year, Stewart said. Every employee receives a boxed lunch, and after the event, ARAMARK employees pick through every box to sort the waste. The work at Safeco Filed has been recognized across the state, and in May, Safeco will receive the State of Washington’s Recycler of the Year award.

“We’re very proud of what we do,” Stewart said, “And the client is ecstatic.”