The Waste-Free Show: Zero Is the New Black

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre has successfully tackled a seemingly insurmountable challenge: hosting a huge event and making all the trash disappear. It's happened not only once, but a half dozen times through a zero-waste program, produced in conjunction with Turtle Island Recycling, and launched in 2005.

The community is paying attention. The Recycling Council of Ontario presented the venue with the Gold Award in Ontario Waste Minimization, and the Building Owners and Managers Assn. of Canada gave the facility its Go Green designation for being a leader in environmental stewardship.

Vice President of Operations Vince Quattrociocchi, who has spearheaded the center's environmental efforts, took a moment to tell Tradeshow Week Associate Editor Jillian Dauer exactly how one goes about producing an event that doesn't leave a trace.

Question: What does zero-waste mean?

Answer: All products, all materials that are coming into that event, or make up that event, will be collected, separated and recycled. The whole concept is that no products or materials will end up in a landfill site.

Q: How did the idea of doing a zero-waste event arise?

A: From conversations with a recycling contractor and ourselves. We were talking about the good work that we have done in terms of recycling and what we've achieved over the last several years. We simply got to a point where, what more can we do? How can we improve what we've done? We landed on the idea of, let's try to work on an event where there's no waste going to a landfill site. Hence came the idea of zero-waste.

Q: How were you able to execute it?

A: It took a lot of work and planning in the initial start of zero-waste because you needed to understand that to be successful you have to identify all the types of waste coming into a particular event. You needed to make sure that you found a recycling home for all those materials.

We had to make sure our staff was trained and aware that we were trying to achieve zero-waste, so it meant their involvement and their support and also working with our clients so they would be supportive with identifying it to their exhibitors and their delegates.

Q: What was the first zero-waste event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre?

A: We probably chose one of the more challenging events that we have in our building. Construct Canada is made up of all types of construction material providers. Anything you would find in building a building or home is usually at the show, so to find a recycling home for all these various products was a bit of a challenge, I have to admit.

However, we were thrilled with the fact that our staff rose to the occasion and we achieved our first zero-waste event.

Q: Why go to all this trouble?

A: It's important today, more than ever, to be aware of global warming and the hardships that are current to our environment; to the fact that burying garbage or disposing of waste in a landfill is not the solution. Most, if not all, of these products are reusable, recyclable materials that we could, with a bit of effort, find a new market for, or find something other than dumping it into the ground or into a hole.

We feel strongly about that as an organization, and we felt we needed to do something more than just try to recycle a bit.

Q: Who is harder to elicit support from: show management, exhibitors or attendees?

A: Probably the exhibitors would be more of the challenge for us, simply because it's a radical change in how the industry is normally run. The exhibitors tend, in certain situations after the event is over, to somewhat walk away and a lot of materials are left behind. So we've been trying to educate exhibitors as to the benefit of taking back whatever materials they can, trying to reuse them, trying to minimize the number of materials coming into the facility.

I have to admit we are making good progress. We're having meetings with exhibitor decorator companies and trying to make sure that there's a greater awareness.

Q: How do you encourage them to get on board?

A: When we have a zero-waste event, there are information flyers or a sheet that describes what we need from them in terms of how to succeed in a zero-waste. It basically describes how to minimize materials on the showfloor. Try to take back as much as you can after the move-in, after the move-out. If it can be reused, we would encourage them to reuse it at a different show to minimize the amount of waste we have to find a recycle home for.

Q: What is the biggest challenge in putting on a zero-waste event?

A: The biggest challenge is obviously to succeed. I use (the Professional Convention Management Assn.) as an example. We did a zero-waste for them and they had a 98.5-percent success rate. Unfortunately, there are still a few materials around, that at this stage, don't have a recycling opportunity, so we considered 98.5 percent a clear success. To be able to say to a client, "You diverted 98.5 percent of the waste into recycling," is a wonderful thing.

Q: What advice to do you have for centers or show managers who want to put on a zero-waste event?

A: To talk with us; we are pleased to be able to help achieve a zero-waste for your event.

A number of clients have recognized the benefits. I personally feel when a client says that his or her organization should put on a zero-waste, it speaks well; it tells everyone else that that organization is environmentally conscious and forward-thinking.

Q: Have you noticed an increase in new events at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre because of the zero-waste option?

A: We believe so. There's been a lot more discussions with our sales team and our clients wanting to know what we're doing. It's an added value, the fact that we are able to do this and achieve a zero-waste for events when they come to Toronto.

Q: Whose responsibility is it to initiate a zero-waste event, the facility's or show manager's?

A: Both. We obviously talk about the fact that we're able to do this, and we've had great success in the past. We find there's been so much more interest where the conversation is: "We've seen what's happened at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, we want to know more, and how can we make it happen for us."

I believe what we've started and what we're doing is going to change the industry over time, which is a great thing to say because obviously our industry is known to produce high forms of show waste.

Q: Do you see this trend catching on in other centers and cities?

A: Absolutely. I can tell you from the number of phone calls I've had from colleagues, the media interest in what we're doing here in Toronto, it's just been overwhelming. Our clients are calling up and saying, "We heard what you've done for this event, can you do one for us as well?"

Q: What is the most important step a show can take toward becoming green?

A: Commit to it.

Q: What other environmental steps is the center taking?

A: This year our corporate goal is to recycle 63 percent and we are now at 64, so we're 1 percent above what our corporate goal is. We do other things, as well. For instance, we have one of the largest green roofs in our industry. It's a 300,000 square foot park above our facility that provides us natural heating and cooling.

Our cooling for our facility is through lake water; we don't have a conventional chiller. It's all very, very cold lake water that's pumped in and the coldness is extracted from the water, which naturally cools our facility. Plus, we've been able to reduce our energy consumption over the last five years down to 40 percent.

When you think of all that we do, we believe we've contributed to reducing the effects of global warming and trying to eliminate the ongoing issue of landfill sites and dumping garbage into the ground.