Reno/Sparks, NEV – Following on the heels of a successful recycling and composting program at the 2011 Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off, John Ascuaga’s Nugget and Castaway Trash Hauling have further expanded their efforts on a year round basis.
“We are all very excited to see our recycling plan take shape,” Stephen Ascuaga, COO John Ascuaga’s Nugget, said. “It can be a bit cumbersome to make changes like this property wide, but our staff has embraced the program. We know it’s the right thing to and we’re looking forward to measuring our results.”
The Nugget has been recycling cardboard for a number of years. This year, they’ve added glass, plastic, aluminum and organic compostable material to the stream. The kitchen staff now separates all food waste and scraps into compost bins and recycle as much of the packaging as they can. All organic material, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, and yes, even bones, can be collected for composting. According to Ascuaga, their centrally located kitchens are ideally laid out for the compost collection and there is now very little trash generated there.
“We’re already generating about one cubic yard per day,” said Brent Johnson, manager of janitorial services at John Ascuaga’s Nugget. “December tends to be a little bit of a slower month so it gave us the chance to experiment and make adjustments to the program as we go. We expect to see that number increase as we get busier and settled into the routine.”
Johnson says his janitorial crew has been source separating glass plastic and aluminum where ever possible. Several recycling collection sites have already been set up throughout the property and more are being planned.
The Nugget began their big recycling push at the Rib Cook-off this year. During the six day event they captured 20 tons of recycling, resulting in a 33% reduction in the amount of trash that was sent to a landfill. More than 18,000 pounds of compostable material was transported to RT Donavan Enterprises, a local composting facility, and approximately 22,000 pounds of cardboard and glass were processed and transported to recycling facilities. “The Rib Cook-Off was the first major food event to institute a successful composting program,” said Steve Duque, Operations Manager at Castaway.
