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Here's how a Las Vegas hotel is recycling all those disposable face masks it's handing out

TerraCycle Include USA Venetian Resort PPE

Here's how a Las Vegas hotel is recycling all those disposable face masks it's handing out

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When the Venetian Resort on the Las Vegas Strip reopened in June, it made face masks easily accessible. It placed amenity kits with disposable masks in rooms daily. It offered masks at doors around the property. Employees receive fresh masks at the start of their shifts. But over the past six weeks, that has resulted in a lot of discarded masks. So far, 644 pounds of single-use masks would have gone to the landfill unless the resort could figure out a different solution. "We took it up as a challenge and we wanted to find a means to dispose of the masks in a sustainable manner," said Pranav Jampani, executive director of sustainability for the Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Can disposable face masks be recycled?

Jampani's team contacted several recycling companies but it was difficult to find a place that would take them. Single-use masks are not easily recycled. Along with the health implications, the masks are made up of multiple materials. This makes them hard to recycle. After calls to several vendors, the Venetian finally found one up to the task. The hotel is partnering with TerraCycle to pilot one of the first large-scale PPE recycling programs in the hospitality industry. "Traditionally, masks cannot go in the bin. They are not municipally recyclable. And that really goes for any type of PPE or safety equipment," said Dylan Layfield, senior manager of material solutions for TerraCycle.     image.pngTerraCycle specializes in recycling materials that aren't accepted in traditional curbside recycling programs. Two years ago, Layfield said, the company started recycling masks and other personal protective equipment. The new coronavirus pandemic has made that service more in demand. "We've got a lot more inquiries from both consumers and businesses who want to see this material recycled," Layfield said. "A lot of businesses are seeing these not only get thrown away but littered and tossed on the ground." In the past, TerraCycle's typical customers were businesses that ordered the "zero waste box" to collect PPE from their employees. When the company returns the box to TerraCycle, Layfield said, the company shreds the masks and PPE into a crumb-like material which is used to form products such as shipping pallets, composite decking and composite lumber.

How the Venetian's mask-recycling program works

This is the first time TerraCycle has worked with a partner to collect PPE on a scale this large. It involves picking up and transporting the masks in bales of 500-800 pounds. It's also a new challenge for the Venetian, which has almost 20 million square feet of campus. Establishing a process for recycling the masks took a bit of planning. "We brainstormed different ways to collect and separate the masks in our properties so that we will be able to capture as many as possible with the least contamination," said Jampani.   image.pngCollection boxes have been placed throughout the resort and at the exits staff members use when they leave for the day. Employees who work the recycling dock, who already are responsible for sorting the Venetian's trash to ensure that the resort recycles as much as possible, are a second line of defense. Wearing protective gear, they sort out masks along with other recyclables to keep those from ending up in the landfill. Both companies hope this program will help balance the need to protect public health with sustainability. "Any time you can not use a product it's better. COVID has definitely made that a little bit more difficult," Layfield said. "Our business is to be there to collect these materials that people are going to have to use that are otherwise going to be discarded into a landfill or incineration."
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The Venetian Resort Announces New Innovative Recycling Program to Keep Face Masks Out of Local Landfills

TerraCycle Include USA Venetian Resort PPE
The Venetian Resort expands Sands ECO360 recycling efforts as the first Las Vegas-based property, and one of the first in the nation, to develop an innovative program to recycle surgical face masks, which are being used by guests and Team Members as part of the resort’s Venetian Clean initiatives. As part of this pilot project, in partnership with TerraCycle, the discarded masks are collected on-site at The Venetian Resort and sent to a recycling facility where they are separated, shredded and densified into a crumb-like raw material.  This material will be used to make repurposed products such as composite lumber for shipping pallets, railroad ties and composite decking.   “Our responsibility to the planet is one of our company’s core values,” stated George Markantonis, president and COO of The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. “Our Sands ECO360 global sustainability initiative was designed to help minimize our environmental impact, and it reflects our vision as a leader in sustainable resort operations. We continue our journey to a more sustainable future as we seek innovative environmental solutions.”   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to eliminate waste, recycle the unrecyclable and use our innovative business solutions to minimize human impact on the planet,” said TerraCycle Founder and CEO Tom Szaky. “It’s through partnerships like the one we enjoy with The Venetian Resort that allows us to fulfill our objective and help preserve the environment for future generations.”   Since re-opening in June, The Venetian Resort began diverting discarded surgical face masks from other waste being sent to landfills, through an industry-leading trash-sorting initiative that takes place on property. In addition to this program, the resort actively sorts its trash, diverting 27 types of items that would otherwise be sent to landfills. Through this program, between 55-60 percent of waste is diverted from local landfills, a number that far surpasses the national average of 32 percent, or the state average of 23 percent. “As a company that has put sustainability in the forefront of our operation, it was important to find a recycling solution for this PPE, to avoid sending them to our landfills,” continued Markantonis.   This project, part of the company’s Sands ECO360 initiative, will help provide “proof of concept” for such recycling, to encourage others to replicate the program. Currently, consumer masks are not recycled through main-stream or curbside recycling programs, due to the complexity of the recycling process.  Surgical face masks are made of a multitude of materials, and need to be sorted and separated before recycling.  In addition a magnet is used to separate the metal nose strips, which can melted and utilized in other recycled materials.  
For more information, visit venetian.com or www.terracycle.com.
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Venetian Creates Program To Keep Face Masks Out Of Landfill

TerraCycle Include USA Venetian Resort PPE
The Venetian Resort is expanding Sands ECO360 recycling efforts as the first Las Vegas-based property, and one of the first in the nation, to develop a program to recycle surgical face masks, which are being used by guests and team members as part of the resort’s Venetian Clean initiatives.   As part of this pilot project, in partnership with TerraCycle, the discarded masks are collected on-site at The Venetian Resort and sent to a recycling facility where they are separated, shredded and densified into a crumb-like raw material.  This material will be used to make repurposed products such as composite lumber for shipping pallets, railroad ties and composite decking.   “Our responsibility to the planet is one of our company’s core values,” stated George Markantonis, president and COO of The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, in a statement. “Our Sands ECO360 global sustainability initiative was designed to help minimize our environmental impact, and it reflects our vision as a leader in sustainable resort operations. We continue our journey to a more sustainable future as we seek innovative environmental solutions.”   “At TerraCycle, our mission has always been to eliminate waste, recycle the unrecyclable and use our innovative business solutions to minimize human impact on the planet,” said TerraCycle Founder and CEO Tom Szaky. “It’s through partnerships like the one we enjoy with The Venetian Resort that allows us to fulfill our objective and help preserve the environment for future generations.”   Since re-opening in June, The Venetian Resort began diverting discarded surgical face masks from other waste being sent to landfills, through an industry-leading trash-sorting initiative that takes place on property.   In addition to this program, the resort actively sorts its trash, diverting 27 types of items that would otherwise be sent to landfills. Through this program, between 55-60 percent of waste is diverted from local landfills, a number that far surpasses the national average of 32 percent or the state average of 23 percent.   “As a company that has put sustainability in the forefront of our operation, it was important to find a recycling solution for this PPE, to avoid sending them to our landfills,” continued Markantonis.   This project, part of the company’s Sands ECO360 initiative, will help provide “proof of concept” for such recycling, to encourage others to replicate the program. Currently, consumer masks are not recycled through main-stream or curbside recycling programs due to the complexity of the recycling process. Surgical face masks are made of a multitude of materials and need to be sorted and separated before recycling.  In addition, a magnet is used to separate the metal nose strips, which can be melted and utilized in other recycled materials.   For more information, visit Venetian.com.
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