Case Study: Lansdowne Conference Resort

The Lansdowne Resort, located in Leesburg, Virginia, opened in 1991. The Resort has 305 guest rooms, 550 employees, golf and swimming, dining, and conference space. Lansdowne implemented a recycling program in 1991, and in the fall of 1997 expanded it significantly with a new hauler and two full-time employees who were hired specifically for recycling. The number of recycling containers and locations was increased to be more convenient. Mixed paper is now picked up from guest rooms and recycled. The cost of waste disposal decreased by about 20%. The amount of trash landfilled decreased by 25%.

Materials Recycled: Commingled paper, newspaper, glass bottles, aluminum cans, #1 & #2 plastic containers, corrugated cardboard, wooden pallets, cooking grease.
Cost Savings: Saved 20%, almost $2,000 per month. Landsdowne pays about $3,800/month for trash disposal, $395/month for recycling.
Waste Reduction: Includes double-sided copying and use of e-mail. Dispensers are used for some beverages, and employees and guests use china and glass dining ware. Two of their newspaper companies, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, collect their newspapers after use. Good pallets are taken back by vendors.
Buy Recycled: Office pads of paper, toner cartridges
Education: Operational meetings are held every day in the property operations department and other departments meet montly. Managers stress the importance of recycling at the meetings and the message is reinforced with the latest cost savings.
Keys: Hire staff for recycling. Get recycling bins for each office. Acknowledge recycling's economic and environmental benefits.
Hauler: BFI
Recycled: 20 tons/month; 240 tons/year
Waste Disposed: 60 tons/month; 720 tons/year
Recycling Rate: 25%