News

July 30, 2009

Team Player

Centerplate, one of the nation's largest managers of sports- and convention-center feeding operations, is hoping to score some points with Mother Nature and the public with plans to eliminate the use of nonbiodegradable cups, plates and other disposables within all of its accounts.

The process is already underway at the Dallas Convention Center, with a completion target of early 2010. Throwaway plastic knives, forks and spoons are being replaced with flatware made of potato starch, which breaks down under certain conditions.

Cups made from corn are being phased in for soft drinks and beer, while hot beverages will be served in cups lined with what Centerplate describes as plant-based plastics. The facility is switching to disposable plates and takeout containers made from sugar cane and trash-can liners that decompose upon disposal.

"When a 2 million-square-foot operation like the Dallas Convention Center commits to this level of change, the benefits to the overall environment and to the health of the immediate community are huge," notes Des Hague, president and chief executive of the Stamford, Conn.-based concessionaire.

The company says it is currently evaluating suppliers with the intention of rolling out the program to all of its accounts. Centerplate manages the foodservice operations of 140 sports, entertainment and convention venues in North America.

Other green initiatives undertaken by the company include the use of china, glass, cloth napkins and permanent cutlery at the Vancouver Convention Center, and the recycling of more than a fourth of the waste produced by the San Diego Convention Center.