Toronto Convention Center Achieves First Large-Scale ‘Zero Waste’ Convention
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) today announced that it has succeeded in mounting its first large-scale “zero waste” convention.
To meet its self-imposed “Zero Waste Challenge,” the MTCC partnered with the international Professional Convention Management Association, whose 51st Annual Meeting was held January 7-10th at the convention center, and long-time MTCC supplier Turtle Island Recycling, a Canadian recycling and waste management company.
The three organizations put together a multi-level strategy that was able to successfully divert from landfills 98.5 percent of all waste materials generated during the event.
A total of 16.016 metric tons of waste materials produced by the convention were captured for recycling and composting, including organics, plastics, paper, metal, glass, textiles, wood and other materials.
Turtle Island’s official calculations indicate that this saved:
- 57 trees
- Approximately 75,000 liters of water
- 39,310 kWh of energy
- 16,200 liters of oil
- 77 kg of air pollutants
- 85 cubic meters of landfill space
“Congratulations to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on its continuing stellar performance when it comes to being green,” said Ontario Tourism Minister Jim Bradley. “By doing this the MTCC is not only helping to keep Toronto clean and environmentally responsible, but it is also attracting convention visitors who share those goals and will bring millions of dollars to the city and the province. Keep up the good work!”
“Achieving ‘zero waste’ status when you have more than 3,000 people on site for a convention lasting a full four days is without a doubt a major coup. I applaud the MTCC’s efforts,” said Toronto Mayor David Miller.
“Already, calls are coming into the MTCC from across the country and five potential meeting clients attending the PCMA event have contacted the MTCC to inquire about having the Centre organize the same type of ‘zero waste’ convention for them in the near future,” he added.
“The MTCC is the first facility in Canada to achieve such incredible success with green meetings, and we are very proud to be associated with them,” said Leonidas Anagnostakos, cofounder of Turtle Island.
Rather than striving to divert just some of the waste generated from landfills and incinerators, “zero waste” emphasizes resource conservation, efficiency, reduced consumption, maximum reuse and recycling. It focuses on waste prevention and even the total elimination of waste within the context of sustainable economic growth.
For more information, visit www.mtccc.com.