What we can learn from Disney Parks recycling
To Sum it up:
Disney Parks guests, around 150 million of them annually, create over 441 tons of garbage every day (and that’s just at Disney World, according to the Reedy Creek Improvement District in 2018.)
Though Disney staff is able to recycle up to 22 pounds daily, and at Disneyland alone 30 million pounds of materials are diverted from landfill annually, they’ve been extra creative in further reducing and reusing what they have in excess by looking beyond basic recycling. There’s a lot we can learn from these efforts and even replicate at home.
Background:
There’s more to recycling than diverting guest waste from landfills. Visitors to Disney Parks often mention the park design as an allure just as strong as rides and thrills, including set design and elaborate landscaping customized to each park and ride. When any of the 16,000+ trees on property dies, staff landscapers can quickly cut down the tree and reuse it for mulch. But now you can buy the tree that adorned your favorite Disney ride.
What’s happening:
In a new recycling project announced at the D23 conference, historic trees on park property will be recycled into keepsakes that highlight the history of the ride. To kick off the project trees from the entrance of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride will be made into timeline plaques that call out specific dates as they relate to rings on the tree, as well as collectors plaques.
The idea to recycle the trees came from Disneyland urban forester Rhonda Wood, and debuted with limited edition medallions to guests at D23. Of course, these plaques are not cheap — they start at $6,500 for the current Pirates of the Caribbean set.
This is part of a larger program to reduce waste that includes:
- Reusing restaurant cooking oil to power steam trains and boats, saving roughly 200,000 gallons of petroleum diesel per year.
- Tote bags and other accessories created from tarps used around Disneyland Paris.
- The regular release of ladybugs to help control the population of aphids and other soft-bodied insects.
- Saving holiday gingerbread decor, like the enormous gingerbread house at the Walt Disney World resort, as winter snacks for bees during a time when flowers are not as plentiful.
A past program recycled guest soap scraps into new bars, which was part of a system to eliminate single-use toiletries at resort hotels.
What can you learn from these initiatives?
- Reuse your own water from cooking pasta and boiling vegetables for plants.
- Connect with neighbors to share herb seeds or other garden items, like pollinator plants that make local bees happy.
- Check with your local government for services that pick up dead public trees to reuse for park mulch, or offer pickup.
- Research neighborhood compost programs that manage the drop-off and pick-up of compost bins.
- Heat soap bar remnants to mold into new bars.
Sources:
OC Register: How Disneyland has reduced its ecological footprint by saving water, recycling
Disney Parks Blog: You Won’t Believe How Disneyland Resort Recycles End-of-Life Trees
Southern Living: Disney World Recycles Their Massive Gingerbread Displays By… Feeding Them to Wild Bees
Travel Pulse: What Happens To All the Leftover Food From Disney Parks?
Pop Sugar: Cut Back on Waste During Your Next Disney Vacation With These 9 Easy Tips
LA Times: Letters to the Editor: Hate fireworks pollution on July 4? Try living near Disneyland
The Street: A Disney Hotel Favorite Is Going Out of Business
CNBC: Everything we learned at Disney’s parks panel at the 2022 D23 Expo
Forbes: Disney Releases Corporate Social Responsibility Report For Fiscal Year 2021
Benefits of Recycling: Disney Sustainability
Midway to Main Street: How Much Garbage Does Walt Disney World Produce?
Good Housekeeping: 10 Simple Ways to Recycle Soap Slivers Into Something Useful
