Nearly 200,000 pounds of trash were kept out of the landfill last year because to recycling initiatives at Bend’s Old Mill District and Hayden Homes Amphitheater.
Although the amphitheater has long been recycling, the Old Mill District, which also manages the outdoor venue’s operations, is now making a greater effort to recycle, reuse, and reduce.
A full-time sustainability manager has been hired by the Old Mill District. All of the food waste and table scraps are composted by Greg’s Grill, one of the eateries. In order to recycle its leftover coffee grounds, Sisters Coffee Co. donates them to a Bend farm for composting. According to Justin Alvarado, the sustainability manager for the Old Mill District, clothing retailers there recycle cardboard and plastic bags.
Bill Smith’s primary goal of transforming the riverside development from a former industrial mill site into a community center is aligned with the recycling and composting, according to Alvarado.
Alvarado said that Bill Smith had changed the Old Mill. It was a major victory for the environment. We want to become stewards of the land and take care of the place where we dwell. We must take the lead in our field and the garbage we produce in order to achieve that.
Thirty years later, he continued, the next environmental problem to be addressed is the quantity of waste produced by restaurants, shops, and amphitheaters using single-use items.
General Manager Andreas Gregoriou is forcing his resource management concerns on Greg’s Grill. Water is provided upon request. Individual dinner plates are scraped into compost bins, and takeout or to-go containers are more environmentally friendly.
Old Mill recycling
The general manager of Greg’s Grill, Andreas Gregoriou, puts food scraps in a recycling container.
Oregon lawmakers adopted a legislation that will restrict polystyrene foam containers used for meals to-go beginning this year. Foam packing peanuts are prohibited under the same measure.
According to Kavi Chokshi, the program manager for the Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project, it is crucial that the region transition from single-use to reusable products. Recycling is just one aspect of the problem.
According to Chokshi, the center is constantly searching for methods to assist companies or organizations that enhance the sustainability initiative. He’s also trying to persuade companies to buy reusable containers that patrons may take from one establishment and bring back to another for food to-go or reuse. According to Chokshi, the more companies that participate, the less expensive the containers may be.
One component of the endeavor is recycling.
According to The Environmental Center and the city of Bend, food waste accounts for one-third of all waste. According to Chokshi, 34,000 pounds of food waste are dumped into Knott Landfill annually. Additionally, the average household spends roughly $1,800 year on food waste.
According to Chokshi, Bend residents who reside inside the city borders can compost food waste in their yard waste bins.
Given that the Knott Landfill is expected to fill up in just five years, it’s critical to consider strategies to cut down on the quantity of trash that ends up there.
More work to do
Boygenius on July 30, 2023, at Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, Oregon. The location has received praise for its eco-friendly initiatives.Oregonian/Maddie Stellingwerf
The entertainment business Live Nation just named Hayden Homes Amphitheater one of the nation’s best environmentally friendly live performance spaces. Instead of using disposable or compostable cups, concertgoers utilize aluminum ones. According to Alvarado, the metal cups may be recycled or used again, just like cans, preventing them from ending up in a landfill.
The amphitheater has been working on garbage management since 2017. Although the program has changed, diverting waste from landfills has remained the main focus of the business. About 24 tons of material, or 76.85% of the garbage, were redirected by the venue in 2022. It increased to 87% for the 56-show season in 2024.
The amphitheater’s annual report states that achieving a 90% landfill diversion rate is the aim.
Beau Eastes, the marketing director for the Old Mill District, praised the amazing work that our Green Team has done at the amphitheater. Applying some of that expertise to the remainder of the Old Mill District makes us very happy. Beyond the amphitheater, sustainability has always been significant to us; the river trail for bicyclists and pedestrians is a prime example.
With Justin (Alvarado) and the knowledge he has gained, we sincerely want to go further.
The thin plastic bags that new clothes arrive in from the manufacturer are recycled by shops including J. Jill, Victoria’s Secret, Vanilla, Banana Republic, Athleta, Lululemon, and Francesca’s in the Old Mill District, according to Alvarado. 350 pounds of these plastic bags were recycled by the district last year. Alvarado began the month of November, recycling 162 pounds of plastic.
At the municipal level, we’re doing all we can, Alvarado stated. The top weight we diverted was composting. The most significant metric is food waste.
In addition to paying staff to man the trash cans, the amphitheater intends to increase recycling and composting in the Old Mill District, swap out waxed popcorn bags for paper bags, and replace compostable utensils with bamboo.
It’s critical to correctly sort waste and separate biodegradable items from non-biodegradable ones.
Even though it doesn’t directly affect customers, Alvarado stated, “We’re looking into getting recycling bins installed along the walkways throughout the district.” We are considering replacing the water fountain by the coffee shop with a water bottle filling station. That should encourage people to fill their own water bottles rather than purchasing one.
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