Black Meetings & Tourism - Georgia World Congress Center Achieves 64% Diversion Rate During Microsoft Event

Greening of Hospitality Industry
Georgia World Congress Center Achieves 64% Diversion Rate During Microsoft Event
The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) worked with the Microsoft Corporation in April during their Microsoft Dynamics customer conference, Convergence, to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill. Fifty-seven tons of waste were produced during the four-day event. Through coordinated efforts between Microsoft, the GWCC’s Building Services department and in-house caterer Levy Restaurants, 36 tons of the 57 were diverted from the landfill, resulting in a diversion rate of 63.6%. The GWCC baled and recycled over 1.4 tons of cardboard on site, in addition to 4.2 tons of plastic, aluminum, paper and glass. Levy Restaurants donated 1.5 tons of food to the Atlanta Union Mission and sent 29 tons of food waste and other compostable materials to Closed Loop Organics, a local composting facility. “It took a true partnership between our staff, Levy and Microsoft to divert such a large amount of waste from the landfill,” said Patrick Skaggs, assistant general manager of the GWCC who oversees operations of the 3.9 million-sq. ft. facility. “We are constantly working to improve and expand our sustainable practices and hope that numbers like this will be the norm in the future.” The Georgia World Congress Center is committed to sustainability and diverted over 216 tons from the landfill in 2009. During the first quarter of 2010, which does not include the Convergence event, the convention center diverted 96 tons by recycling cardboard, paper, plastic, aluminum and glass and by composting food waste.

Greening of Hospitality Industry

Georgia World Congress Center Achieves 64% Diversion Rate During Microsoft Event

The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) worked with the Microsoft Corporation in April during their Microsoft Dynamics customer conference, Convergence, to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill. Fifty-seven tons of waste were produced during the four-day event. Through coordinated efforts between Microsoft, the GWCC’s Building Services department and in-house caterer Levy Restaurants, 36 tons of the 57 were diverted from the landfill, resulting in a diversion rate of 63.6%.

The GWCC baled and recycled over 1.4 tons of cardboard on site, in addition to 4.2 tons of plastic, aluminum, paper and glass. Levy Restaurants donated 1.5 tons of food to the Atlanta Union Mission and sent 29 tons of food waste and other compostable materials to Closed Loop Organics, a local composting facility.

“It took a true partnership between our staff, Levy and Microsoft to divert such a large amount of waste from the landfill,” said Patrick Skaggs, assistant general manager of the GWCC who oversees operations of the 3.9 million-sq. ft. facility. “We are constantly working to improve and expand our sustainable practices and hope that numbers like this will be the norm in the future.” The Georgia World Congress Center is committed to sustainability and diverted over 216 tons from the landfill in 2009. During the first quarter of 2010, which does not include the Convergence event, the convention center diverted 96 tons by recycling cardboard, paper, plastic, aluminum and glass and by composting food waste.