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CASINOS WASTE RECYCLING CONSIDERATIONS AND EQUIPMENT

 

 

(For More Information Read the Article Below the Equipment - Material Table)

	Waste & Recycling Equipment Category	Brief Description / Typical Application	Main Material Classes (Select the materials below for additional information)
	20 Yard Self Contained Compactor	Outdoor Compactor hauled directly to the landfill	Mixed Trash
	Various sizes of Stainless Steel Compactors	Indoor Compactor for compacting mixed trash into small cubes of trash contained in a polybag	Mixed Trash
	Multi-Chamber Bottle Can Baler	Produces small easy to handle bales of plastic bottles (30 lbs) and Aluminum Cans (25 lbs)	PET Bottles	Aluminum Cans
	Compacting Dumpsters - 6 Yd Front & Rear Load	Outdoor Compacting Dumpsters are tipped onsite by Haulers	Mixed Trash
	Cardboard Baler - 60” High Density	Up to 1,000 pound bales of Cardboard	Cardboard
	60" Shrink Wrap Baler	Up to 800 pound bales of Shrink Wrap	Shrink Wrap
	Container Ready Compactors	Easy to add additional bays for different waste materials or as volume increases. Use existing 96 or 64 gal containers.	Recyclables	Mixed Trash
	Single Stream Self Contained Compactors (with Two Compartments)	Large volume Casinos can use one dual compartment compactor for processing both Recyclables and non-recyclables	Recyclables and Mixed Trash
	PET Baler - 60” Extra High Density	Up to 600 pound bales of PET	PET
	Smart-Pack - Automatic Compacting Receptacle	For public areas where people make their own trash deposits	Mixed Trash
	30" High Density Baler	Great Small Baler for PET, Cans, Paper and Newsprint	PET	Aluminum Cans	Newsprint
	Glass Bottle Crusher	For Crushing Glass Bottles	Glass bottles
	3 Yard Stationary Compactors	Typically for dry wastes such as compacting cardboard	Dry Waste
	Bulb Crusher	Low priced Fluorescent Bulb Crushers can save thousands per year in disposal costs	Bulbs Only

 

Casinos generate a tremendous amount of solid waste.  This includes food waste, cardboard, paper, glass, plastic, aluminum and other metals.  Under most, if not all circumstances, it is very profitable to start a waste recycling and reduction program in the Casino industry.  Anywhere between 50% to 60% of a casinos waste is recyclable.  This varies based on the casino's size, the hotel size (if applicable), occupancy, meal service and lounge business. 

The first step to a waste recycling and reduction program is to assign a team to perform a waste assessment.  Get your employees involved and excited in the recycling program.  Offer incentives and keep them in the loop at all times.  A successful program requires cooperation and commitments from employees and managers.

To conduct a waste assessment, first assess your waste characteristics.  What does your waste consist of? Then determine the volume of waste.  This will help to determine what can be recycled and therefore removed from the waste stream.  Then determine the associated costs for processing these materials.  Determine the current cost and then estimate the savings of removing these items from the waste stream. Add recycling profits to the equation to determine the profitability. Based on your findings, set goals for your casino.  Your goals should identify the extent to which each recyclable material is to be reused, reduced or recycled.  Once your goals are set, implement the program. To do so, educate your employees on new routines, how to use new equipment (such as compactors and baling equipment).  These recycling activities become a part of their job responsibilities, so document these new routines in your employee manuals and handouts.  Continue to meet monthly to discuss various new waste reducing opportunities and to monitor and fine-tune your recycling plan.

Tips for Reducing Waste and Recycling in Casinos

• Casino gift shops are a good place to sell used decks of cards as souvenirs, or leave them in hotel rooms for your guests use.  (Be sure to 'mark' or cut to prevent reintroduction to game tables)
• Bale aluminum cans for recycling
• Donate plastic coin containers to local museums and art centers to use in art projects.
• Compost food and landscape waste to be used as mulch or a soil amendment
• Purchase cleaning products in bulk or in concentrates.
• Use refillable soap and shampoo dispensers in bathrooms and hotel rooms
• Bale plastic bottles for recycling
• Offer guests the ability to reuse their bed linens and towels versus changing them daily.  Some guests would rather not change bed linens if they are only staying a couple of nights.  The 'green movement' makes this a wise offering
• Buy energy efficient, long lasting fluorescent light bulbs. Use a fluorescent bulb crusher to recycle spent fluorescent bulbs
• Buy energy efficient appliances and computers
• Use water-efficient toilets, sinks and other fixtures
• Bale cardboard for recycling.  Removing cardboard from your waste stream offers tremendous savings to casinos.  It's not unusual to receive less than a one year payback for a baler.
• Install water stations on the casino floor with durable cups in order to eliminate the sale of water bottles.

Fluorescent Bulb Recycling in Casinos

Grand Casino Hinckley (located in Hinckley, Minnesota) implemented a fluorescent bulb recycling program.  They tracked it for the first year.  During this time, they collected and recycled over 13068 feet of tubular fluorescent light bulbs,, 768 pieces of U-tube and round fluorescent bulbs, 598 compact fluorescent bulbs, and computer components and other devices containing mercury. These activities resulted in five pounds of mercury eliminated from the environment. Grand Casino Hinckley also implemented other recycling programs.  In one year, they 351.39 tons of food waste (composted), 89.25 tons of cardboard, 5040 tons of cooking oil, and 508 pounds of batteries.

To prepare fluorescent bulbs for recycling and keep them contained, use a Fluorescent Lamp Crusher.  A Fluorescent Bulb Crusher is the answer to efficiency and recycling of fluorescent lamps. 

Cardboard (OCC)

To recycle corrugated boxes, have designated areas to collect cardboard at the most common areas it is generated. Make rounds to collect the cardboard with hand trucks and take the cardboard to a docking area for pickup by a recycling company.  Use a vertical baler to compact and bale the cardboard to prepare it for pickup by the hauler.  Be sure to obtain the required bale size specifications from your hauler before purchasing a baler.  Most require 30" or 60" bales.  The use of a vertical baler to bale the cardboard usually offers a one or two year payback to a casino.

Aluminum Cans

Aluminum cans fall into the UBC (used beverage containers) category. To recycle aluminum cans, they are typically baled.  Some recycling companies require that the cans are washed before being baled, while others will process the cans themselves to free them from contaminants.  Be sure not to include non-container aluminum such as pie pans, and frozen food trays with your aluminum can bales.  These are are considered a contaminant.

Plastic Bottles

Recyclable plastic is usually numbered.  Separate your plastics by number in order to avoid contamination.  Recycle type 1 (PETE) and type 2 (HDPE) plastic containers are generally the types that are recycled in casinos.  Generally you would throw out plastic types 3, 5 and 7.  These include some food wrap, vegetable oil bottles, yogurt containers, diapers, syrup bottles, some bags and most bottle tops.  (plastic food wrap and vegetable oil bottles), 5 (yogurt containers, syrup bottles, diapers, some bags, most bottle tops and some food wrap) and 7 (layered or mixed plastic). The plastics industry is in the early stages of recycling these types of plastics and in most areas do not offer a recycling program for these. 

A vertical baler can be used to bale plastics.  Leave the ram down between deposits to keep plastics from springing back.

Newspapers

Newspapers can be baled and recycled in Casinos.  Haulers usually require that the newspapers be baled.  A small vertical baler can be used to bale the newspapers. Generally haulers will accept 30 and 60 inch bales of newspapers, but check with your recycling hauler for further specifications and requirements.

 

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For a quick overview of Waste Reduction & Recycling Tips for Casinos and Hotels, click here

For assistance in determining the best approach for your particular facility, email WasteCare Corporation at sales@wastecare.com and in addition to your contact information, let us know the approximate volume of trash being hauled from your facility each week or month and the approximate waste hauling cost each month and we will be glad to give you some suggestions.

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