Expanded Recycling, Composting Efforts at Wells Fargo Center

New initiatives begin with 76ers home opener on October 31.

Comcast-Spectacor is bringing in new efforts to "go green" with the start of the NBA season at the Wells Fargo Center tonight when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Denver Nuggets, beginning at 7 p.m. 

The Philadelphia-based international sports and entertainment firm is working with Waste Management and Aramark to implement new composting practices at the Wells Fargo Center.  Waste Management will begin collecting and composting all of the building’s food waste, while Comcast-Spectacor and Aramark are introducing all new compostable service ware in all concessions and all Premium Seating areas of the venue.  The program will allow the companies to divert more waste from landfills without fans having to do anything differently.

"Comcast-Spectacor is committed to going green by seeking every opportunity to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible," said Matt Homan, General Manager of the Wells Fargo Center. "We are excited to be working with Waste Management and Aramark on this new initiative that will ultimately help our environment."

Composting is a natural process that turns organic material into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that is valuable to industries and the environment.  It diverts materials away from landfills, which are costly and are an unsustainable method of waste disposal.  According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, buried waste is the #1 source of human-caused methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to global warming.  When organic material like food and yard waste decomposes in an anaerobic or oxygen-free environment, like a landfill, methane gas is produced.  Since composting diverts these materials from landfills, it thereby reduces the amount of methane gas that ends up in our atmosphere. 

Commercial food recycling is a lot like kitchen composting on a larger scale.  Aramark’s kitchens have been equipped with special containers for food waste.  These containers will be emptied into larger food waste containers that Waste Management will empty after each event.  Waste Management will transport the food waste to a composting center in Delaware where it will be turned into compost and organic soil products for home, farm and landscape use.

"Almost 75% of the waste generated by commercial food operations can be composted," said Patty Barthel, spokeswoman for Waste Management.  "Food waste composting reduces waste disposal costs, conserves landfill space, and highlights the commitment that Comcast-Spectacor and Aramark are making to being green."

The food waste that will be composted at the Wells Fargo Center are fruit and vegetables; meat, poultry and seafood; bakery items and ingredients; coffee grounds, filters and tea bags; milk, juices and cartons without plastic spouts; dairy products; paper products; waxed paper and paperboard; and plants and cut flowers.  Items that cannot be composted include plastics, metals, glass, Styrofoam, twist ties, rubber bands, wire, tape, rope, twine, and grease and oil. 

Comcast-Spectacor’s recycling programs rival many of the large arenas in the country, including an energy-savings plan that stops waste at its source.  The Wells Fargo Center’s food composting program also will help shrink the carbon footprint of the fans of the Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Wings, Philadelphia Soul and all spectators attending concerts and other events at the venue.

Comcast-Spectacor is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the home arena for both the Flyers and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the Wells Fargo Center, and four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 100 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; New Era Tickets, a ticketing and marketing company for public assembly facilities; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; FanOne, a digital fan marketing company; and Paciolan, the leading provider of venue enablement, ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions.