2025 From Trash to Treasure: Organic Recycling Gains Momentum in U.S. Convention Centres

In a wave of sustainability, convention centres in the United States are making a green transition through organic recycling. According to Denali, a company specialising in organic waste disposal and recycling services, 51% of food waste in the US comes from retailers such as convention centres and hotels and ends up in landfills, making it the third largest source of methane emissions in the country. To address this challenge, Denali is working with convention centres across North America to divert food waste from landfills and convert it into compost and other reusable materials.

One of Denali's latest achievements is its partnership with the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Centre Dallas (KBHCCD), which hosts hundreds of conferences, trade shows and events and receives more than 1 million visitors annually.Denali uses its depackaging technology to separate food from packaging, recycle food waste that would otherwise be discarded, and convert it into North Texas compost for farms and gardens.

This collaboration is led by KBHCCD's catering partner, Sodexo Live! a leading global provider of catering and facilities management services committed to reducing waste through sustainable business practices. kbhccd's senior executive chef, David Skorka, said, "Partnering with Denali to to recycle leftover food demonstrates our continued commitment to sustainable business practices, including waste reduction."

KBHCCD's recycling programme is part of its broader sustainability efforts and community engagement programme. Through its Good Neighbour Program, KBHCCD donates surplus and unconsumed food items (which meet all safety standards) and display items to local non-profit organisations that serve homeless and vulnerable families and children.

Nancy St. Pierre, Denali's Director of Communications, said, "KBHCCD has already done impressive work to promote sustainability, but event venues like hotels, convention centres and sports stadiums generate large quantities of unconsumed food due to factors like heavy catering and unpredictable attendance. We are committed to providing our partners and communities with the technology, expertise and services to further enhance their sustainability efforts."

By partnering with recycling companies such as Denali, event venues not only reduce their reliance on landfills and lower greenhouse gas emissions, but also align with broader sustainability goals through sustainable food donation and recycling practices. Additionally, Denali's services help organisations achieve corporate waste targets, sustainability initiatives and ESG reporting.

Denali supports KBHCCD in the following ways:

Handling all organic recycling processes and operations.

Providing standard and customised reports so that venues can educate their teams and consumers about the environmental impact of recycling organics.

Training staff to correctly identify food waste and sort it properly for collection.

Collect food waste on a weekly basis, de-package it and convert it into products that can be reused in agriculture, such as compost.

Provide consulting services to help establishments create sustainability plans, goals, and best practices for organic recycling.

Marketing services to help venues communicate and promote their sustainability efforts to their customers.

KBHCCD is not the first event venue Denali has partnered with in Dallas and the broader region.In October 2024, the Hilton Dallas at Lincoln Center partnered with Denali to recycle its food waste and offer certified zero-food-waste conferences, meetings, and events.In 2019, Denali also partnered with the Phoenix Convention Center and the City of Phoenix's Public Works Department to help the facility divert food waste and cooking oil from landfills and convert them into compost and biofuel, respectively.

Denali has also worked with the Fairmont El San Juan Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Denver Marriott, and numerous sports venues and music venues including State Farm Stadium and Talking Stick Amphitheatre in Phoenix, Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

Demand for Denali's services is growing as more convention centres, hotels, conference centres, stadiums and arenas seek to increase sustainable practices in response to demands from guests, attendees and stakeholders, as well as state laws such as SB 2876, the Large Event Recycling and Composting Act, which goes into effect in Illinois on January 1, 2025.

Denali's organic recycling not only helps reduce the burden on landfills, but also provides valuable resources for agriculture, such as compost and biofuels. By partnering with Denali, event venues can better manage food waste, reduce environmental impacts, and contribute to sustainability.