The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized MGM Resorts International for its food recovery efforts.
The only honorees in Nevada, MGM Resorts and MGM Grand Las Vegas are two of 32 recipients who received the 2014 Food Recovery Challenge award, which is based on attaining the highest percentage of potentially wasted food diversion and prevention. MGM Resorts International received two national Food Recovery Challenge awards for reducing food waste and thus conserving natural resources.
“MGM’s zero-waste leadership has turned mountains of food scraps into compost to help fight waste and climate change,” says Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA’s regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest.
By increasing food scrap composting rates in guest dining facilities and turning inedible food scraps into a valuable soil amendment and animal feed, a total of 25,398 tons of food were diverted from landfill to compost by MGM Resorts’ 13 Las Vegas properties; this diversion conserved the equivalent of more than 50,300 gallons of gasoline. These practices have also been put in place in the resorts’ employee dining rooms, which serve more than 40,000 meals daily.
“Food recovery is an important part of reducing environmental impact in Nevada and across the nation,” says Chris Brophy, vice president of MGM Resorts’ corporate sustainability division. “Preserving our resources and diverting waste from landfills is essential to our future and the communities in which we operate.”
In addition to the EPA award, the company also received a certificate, recognizing MGM’s leading food recovery efforts in Nevada, from Senator Harry Reid’s office during a ceremony at ARIA Resort & Casino.
Organizations—including grocers, educational institutions, sports and entertainment venues, restaurants, and hotels—partner with the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge to prevent and reduce wasted food. The program primarily aims to protect the environment by composting, donating extra food, purchasing less, and helping communities reduce hunger.
