L.A. Coliseum Touts ‘Zero Waste’ After Football Games

Coliseum officials realized they had reached “zero-waste” status after the USC game on Nov. 26 and the Rams game on Dec. 12.

Waste360 Staff, Staff

December 27, 2016

1 Min Read
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Officials from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum say the stadium is now considered a "zero waste" venue. More than 90 percent of waste generated during football games is how recycled or composted.

The facility is following the lead of other football stadium operations that have made waste reduction a priority. In Philadelphia, a special team of Lincoln Financial Field employees gears up for their challenge of the night: sorting the stadium’s trash. The Green Team, which is made up of sustainably driven individuals, was conceived by the Eagles’ fan engagement team and service provider Aramark as part of the Eagles’ Go Green initiative.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns have made it a priority to deal with food waste

SCPR.org has more about the Coliseum's waste reduction efforts:

“It’s been a long time coming, but it’s also been a long road,” Grant said. “Going from zero percent diversion [to landfills] to zero percent waste in two years is incredibly fast for a program this big.”

Grant came from the University of Minnesota, where he put together a recycling and composting program for the school’s stadium, which seats 50,000. He wanted to do the same in L.A. USC did too.  The university took over management from the Coliseum in 2013.

Grant, who is employed by USC, said he worked with the school’s sustainability department to come up with a plan. They worked with their trash contractor, vendors and employees to make sure more products could be recycled or composted, like the plates used to serve food.

Read the full story here.

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