The Secret Life of Waste at Las Vegas Sands

Do you ever wonder what happens to a paper coffee cup, plastic straw, or a disposable utensil once it has served its purpose? Since waste is hidden in plain sight in the hospitality industry, but nevertheless an important sustainability issue, we at Las Vegas Sands are working to address throughout their business including restaurants, internal stakeholders, decision makers, and 50,000 Team Members globally. When products are thrown away, our Team Members and partners recapture as many of those resources as possible behind the scenes to give them a second life.

Our 2018 Environmental Report, elaborates on initiatives and strategies used to tackle waste in each of its four pillars: Green Buildings, Green Meetings and Events, Environmentally Responsible Operations, and Stakeholder Engagement.

Key to building up resort recycling in Green Buildings

Las Vegas Sands relies on internal Sustainable Development Standards to embed waste minimization into our resort development process. During construction, we focus on recycling building materials from concrete to carpet, and when remodeling our resorts, we offer gently used furniture to our Team Members at nominal prices. During recent development projects at Marina Bay Sands, the property diverted 7,717 tons of construction waste away from landfill.

More than meets the eye in Green Meetings and Events

Large-scale conferences, meetings, and special events take months of planning and a lot of effort to bring to fruition. In addition to these resources, the amount of waste generated and the various items that thousands of exhibitors and attendees bring to the properties every year must be considered. Pop-up booths, program flyers, visual displays, and decorative props are just some of the unique products our company repurposes or recycles once our visitors have left. In collaboration with meeting stakeholders, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and Sands Expo & Convention Center were able to divert 93% of waste from the IMEX America event away from landfill! By tackling one waste category at a time, we are inching toward making zero-waste events standard practice at their meeting venues.

Solving food waste puzzles in Environmentally Responsible Operations

Las Vegas Sands resorts operate like mini cities that offer a range of services and experiences to our guests, from theater shows to fine dining and a variety of entertainment. Behind the scenes, the company is making it a priority to leverage behavioral science to untangle the complexities of food waste in its operations. Resorts doubled down on tracking and measuring to create more reliable waste baselines, streamlined kitchen inventory management to reduce over buying, and even piloted new trays in Team Member Dining rooms to encourage portion control.

Unlocking opportunities for waste action in Stakeholder Engagement

Empowering individuals with knowledge through campaigns and activities have helped drive positive change in all areas of our business. To fully realize the potential of the internal Green Ideas crowdsourcing challenge, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas implemented its winning Team Member’s proposal to donate gently used suite items such as desk organizers, makeup mirrors, and irons to a local charity.

Learn more about Las Vegas Sands EC0360 initiatives here: https://www.sands.com/sands-eco-360/our-vision.html