LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is one of the founding partners of Green Chips, and as the operator of one of the nation’s largest and busiest convention facilities they are making recycling and reuse a priority throughout their organization. Their aggressive conservation efforts include replacing over 20,000 gallons of chemicals used annually for cleaning and other activities with environmentally-friendly products; replacing paper towels, toilet paper and other paper used with products with higher recycled content; operating 90% of their vehicles on propane or battery; installing water and power conservation throughout their facilities; and optimizing electronic communications to reduce paper usage.A key green initiative was to introduce recycling activities at every stage of convention show activities. Throughout a show, exhibit hall and meeting room materials are recycled and in a partnership with Republic Services, the authority’s local waste management company, the waste stream from every convention show is sorted for recyclable materials. The LVCVA is currently averaging a 60% recycling rate for all shows.
For example, one of the larger annual shows with over 100,000 attendees produces 240 tons of solid waste. With the recycling initiative in place, 41 tons of cardboard, 33 tons of carpet padding, 24 tons of plastic, 10 tons of mixed paper, 7 tons of various metals, and 5 tons of wood were recovered and recycled – reducing the waste stream by over half.
As part of the ongoing commitment to waste reduction, LVCVA is a member of EPA’s Waste Wise program which includes implementing a wide range of waste diversion and sustainable initiatives.
