July 9, 2014 (Los Angeles, CA)– Santa Monica-based, national
environmental non-profit Global Green USA and Athens Services, one of
L.A.’s largest recycling and waste services company, have joined
forces to introduce food scrap recovery to more multi-family
buildings, starting in Lincoln Heights. The pilot represents the
largest residential building to implement food scrap collection in the
city to date.
According to the EPA, 95% of food scraps are landfilled in the US each
year, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to seven
coal-fired power plants. Global Green is committed to helping pilot
and deploy systems that will reduce these climate impacts. This pilot
is the first of a series of food scrap recovery systems that Global
Green will be helping deploy over the next year in major cities in
California and New York.
Athens Services, Global Green, and the building’s residents kicked off
the beginning of their composting efforts with a celebration featuring
food, fun, and a raffle which included Dodgers tickets as the grand
prize.
“The city of Los Angeles under Mayor Garcetti’s leadership is
committed to 70% waste reduction by 2020,” said Mary Luevano, Interim
Executive Director of Global Green USA. “Through our Coalition for
Resource Recovery project, we have identified the tools we need to get
simple, convenient food scrap recovery established in homes and
neighborhoods across LA. By diverting these nutrient-rich food scraps
from landfill and back into our soils we are closing the loop on our
local food system, and saving water and energy.” Food scraps account
for 35% of the landfilled waste in Los Angeles, releasing 1.2 million
tons of greenhouse gases. “If all this waste were to be composted, it
would reduce emissions equivalent to replacing fossil-fuel-based power
production with 300 new wind turbines,” Luevano added.
“As a property management company, diverting our waste just makes
sense,” said Cristal Gonzalez of Clint Lukens Realty. “It will help us
control our waste costs, and it’s a great way to give our tenants the
opportunity to act on their desire to reduce landfilled waste, and
teach their children about caring for the environment.”
Athens Services, one of the few haulers in L.A. with a composting
facility, will be transporting all organic discards, including
vegetables, meat, dairy, food-soiled paper, and compostable serving
ware, from the apartment complex to their facility in Victorville,
California where it will be turned into valuable soil amendment. “This
pilot is the first step in successfully implementing multifamily
organics collection,” said Jessica Aldridge, Athens’ Sustainability
Manager. “We are thrilled to assist our customers in composting their
food discards. This process will help us understand how to best meet
the residents’ needs, all the while supporting the City’s goal of Zero
Waste and protecting our environment by reducing greenhouse gas
emissions from landfills.”
In addition to co-hosting the event, Global Green USA organized the
initial donation of bins and bags to the building from EcoSafe(R), a
company that provides educational materials, “in house” kitchen
caddies, and a bag dispenser system that provides the residents with a
supply of replacement certified compostable liners. “We have been
supporting the Zero Waste industry with solution-based programs for
over 13 years, and have recently implemented successful multi
residential programs from New York to San Francisco,” said Jason
Sanders, National Manager – Zero Waste Programs EcoSafe(R). “We are
delighted and proud to be a part of the very first food scrap
diversion program in a Los Angeles apartment building of this size. ”
ABOUT GLOBAL GREEN USA:
Global Green USA is dedicated to helping the people, places, and the
planet in need through catalytic projects, transformative policy, and
cutting-edge research. Global Green USA’s signature programs include
greening affordable housing, schools, neighborhoods, and cities as
well as rebuilding communities — such as New Orleans and areas of New
York and New Jersey — that have suffered from the impacts of climate
change, sea level rise, and environmental degradation. Global Green
USA is the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International, which was
founded by President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993 to foster a global
value shift toward a sustainable and secure future. For more
information, visit globalgreen.org and follow us @globalgreen.
ABOUT ATHENS SERVICES:
For over 50 years, Athens Services has been part of the Southern
California community that they are proud to call home. They are
leading the way to achieve zero waste through advanced recycling,
composting and waste diversion. Whether it’s one, two or three bins,
everything is always sorted for resources. Athens Services strives to
provide an unmatched level of service with responsible, practical and
cost-effective solutions. Their commitment every day is to provide the
very best waste service program in the country for the Southern
California community that we all call home. For more information,
visit AthensServices.com.