When tourists visit Las Vegas they come for an escape and an ultimate vacation complete with shopping, going out to eat, spending time at a bar, and having fun. Everything a tourist does on their trip generates waste or uses energy which impacts the planet. Las Vegas is making huge strides to save the planet and is inspiring global hospitality companies with their initiatives. We are RENUoil of America, Inc. ™ and we are the largest on-site recycling company in Las Vegas. We partner with casinos and local restaurants to implement waste management programs and sustainability consultations. What happens in Vegas gets RENUed in Vegas.
What You Don’t Know About the Strip’s Green Initiatives
1. What you think you throw away is actually recycled!
Worried about throwing away your plastic water bottle in a trash can when inside a hotel/casino? Never fear all of the empty plastic and glass bottles do not go to landfill waste. Instead they eventually make their way to being recycled. RENUoil of America, Inc. ™ partners with casinos to help facilitate waste management programs. The casinos have recycling docks where waste is manually sorted and recycled. Using a manual method of sorting helps conserve energy and greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Casinos educate their employees about sustainability.
Casinos want their employees to know about the eco-friendly initiatives that they are partaking in. They sponsor annual in house green fairs in order to educate employees about sustainability. This helps put a face to all of their green partners as well as gets employees involved in making a difference.
3. Ever wonder what happens to all of the furniture after a casino remodels? Casinos give back to charities!
One of the most rewarding ways to go green is by giving back to charity. Donating unwanted items to charity prevents landfill waste while helping a good cause. When a casino remodels they will have hundreds of donation items such as TVs, stands, lamps, etc. Instead of landfilling these items, our partners choose to donate them to local charities. One item that is constantly donated and makes a difference are used mattresses. These are expensive items and can do amazing things for homeless shelters.
4. Do you ever wonder what happens to the little bottles of shampoo and conditioner?
Las Vegas is one of the homes to Clean the World. This non-profit organization works to prevent hygiene related illnesses, especially in third world countries. Hotels will gather up left over bottles and soap to donate and Clean the World will sort through these items to see what is reusable and sanitize them. Shampoo bottles are difficult to recycle due to the left over residue inside the containers. Sometimes they are not recyclable at all due to the resins found inside of the plastic. Therefore, finding a way to reuse these items save lives and makes a big difference for our planet.
5. What happens to all of that leftover food?
When someone visits Las Vegas they can’t help but think of the elaborate buffets and restaurants. All of that leftover food does not go to waste. Donatable food is often given to our local food pantry, “Three Square” which aims to fight hunger in the Las Vegas area. Non donatable food is separated as food waste. With some casinos it sent to farms and with others it is used for composted fertilizer.
6. Las Vegas restaurants are making a difference through their cooking oil.
RENUoil of America, Inc. ™ partners with restaurants to help save the planet through cooking oil recovery. The cooking oil is ran through an oil filtration machine that extends its usage by twofold. This helps reduce the procurement of it and packaging waste. After the cooking oil is no longer viable it is converted into biodiesel, which is often used to power school buses. This biodiesel is an Eco-friendly alternative to gasoline and has far less greenhouse gas emissions.
7. Casinos are moving towards getting their LEED certification.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This certification is used as a green rating system with platinum being the most Eco-friendly. LEED buildings aim to save energy, water, resources, reduce waste, and improve human health. The hospitality industry hosts large events, numerous guests, and three course dinners which can result in a large amount of waste. Having a LEED certification makes a large impact on the environmental footprint casinos are making. The trend to build LEED certified casinos is following the green movement and attracts guests who have an Eco-friendly mindset.
8. Casinos have sustainability departments that are making huge strides.
Las Vegas is the hub for many hotel chain’s corporate offices. As a result, sustainability departments in Vegas are working hard to come up with green initiatives that can be implemented at their properties all over the world. For example, one of our partners made the change to cut out all single use plastic straws--you can only get them upon request. A single casino can go through thousands of straws a day so making the change to say “no” to straws makes one big difference as straws are not recyclable and are contaminants in recycling.