On January 30, 2009, the Hyatt Regency Princeton and the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group (SWRRG) at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station will sponsor New Jersey's first wasteshed creation forum.

January 21, 2009

New Brunswick, N.J. -- On January 30, 2009, the Hyatt Regency Princeton and the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group (SWRRG) at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station will sponsor New Jersey's first wasteshed creation forum. The event, which is free and will run from sign in at 8 to 12:30 p.m., will help food waste generators or governmental bodies to create cost-effective food waste recycling routes. The routes created--or wastesheds--will involve common hauling to one of the state's new food waste recycling facilities, thus reducing the cost of transportation for every generator on the route.

For SWRRG, the forum is part of a statewide initiative designed to bring to New Jersey a revenue- and job-producing industry based on food waste recycling. For the Hyatt, the forum is not only an opportunity to share the story of a successful conversion to food waste recycling, but also a chance to become the first ever certified food waste generator under a new program created by Food and Organics Recycling in New Jersey (FOR NJ). FOR NJ is a sister organization to SWRRG and allows generators, haulers, recycling facilities and others the opportunity to share information about, and celebrate success in, organics recycling.

"The FOR NJ certification process is our primary way of celebrating success," said Priscilla Hayes, who is director of SWRRG and, along with Jennifer McDonnell of Environmental Strategy Innovations, co-founder of FOR NJ. "By being certified, generators, haulers or recycling facilities show that they have completed crucial requirements for food waste recycling and gain the right to display and use our logo."

Charles Link, director of engineering at the Hyatt, has spearheaded the hotel's efforts to become certified and welcomed the opportunity to host the forum.

"I attended a SWRRG food waste event in Mercer County last December," said Link. "After attending the forum, I had a waste audit completed in order to plan my food waste recycling. Through it, I discovered ways to improve all of the hotel's recycling and to save the property money while reducing our carbon footprint. Now we're becoming known as a model of sustainability in our area."

The FOR NJ certification process for waste generators involves five basic steps: 1) performing a waste audit; 2) performing a wasteshed audit; 3) performing a "purchasing" audit to determine what compostable liners or tableware are necessary to make the program successful; 4) performing a "climate change audit" by joining the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) free WasteWise program and having greenhouse gas reductions calculated; and 5) committing to recycling food waste. Link has been busily leading the Hyatt through the steps since late 2007, and was recognized by EPA Region 2 as a model at EPA's recent seminar on "Pollution Prevention in the Hospitality Industry: How Managing the Environment Can Help Your Bottom Line."

"We were pleased to showcase the Hyatt because food waste recycling is a new area for most generators, and one that can help those in the hospitality industry, or anyone with a food service operation, to reduce their trash bills and save both money and greenhouse gases," said Lorraine Graves, one of the organizers of the EPA event, and a speaker at the Wasteshed Forum on January 30.

The forum agenda will include presentations on the Hyatt's switch to food waste recycling, details on how a waste audit can improve a company's bottom line, and models for generators or municipalities to use in creating wastesheds with adequate "route density" for the cheapest food waste recycling cost. This will include working with local officials, county and municipal recycling coordinators, the environmental commission, sustainability initiative (many municipalities have them) and membership organizations (chambers of commerce, restaurant associations, the League of Municipalities, hospital associations, higher education and school organizations). Other topics to be covered include using online tools to find neighbors quickly and how to approach neighbors. Nick Smith-Sebasto, associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State, will cover creating "a wasteshed of one" by creating an onsite facility that eliminates the need for hauling. Participants will also learn how to get involved in FOR NJ and SWRRG.

To sign up for the forum, please call Charles Link at 609-734-4245 or E-mail him at charles.link@hyatt.com.

About the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group
For more than 10 years, the Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group (SWRRG) at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station has provided leadership and coordination in various innovative waste-reduction and recycling focus areas, including food waste, computers, fluorescent light bulbs, mercury-containing devices, waste paint and green purchasing/ environmentally preferable purchasing. Through the only New Jersey-wide food residuals recycling initiative, SWRRG has brought together waste generators, recyclers and government to find optimal ways of diverting food waste away from methane production in landfills and into the production of energy and soil amendments, which are vitally needed in the state and adjoining regions. The SWRRG has provided assistance to entrepreneurs and generators for planning systems; conducted research and outreach; completed numerous waste audits and facility visits; and created a website and other tools for all stakeholders.

About Hyatt Regency Princeton
Hyatt Regency Princeton is a 347-room full-service hotel situated within the Carnegie Center office complex near Fortune 100 companies. It is conveniently located a mile from Princeton University and Princeton Junction Train Station. The hotel features a five-story garden style atrium with Koi ponds and 20,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, a fitness center and indoor pool. For reservations and additional information, call 609-987-1234 or visit www.princeton.hyatt.com.

About Food and Organics Recycling in NJ
FOR NJ is a coalition of retailers, restaurants, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, processors, regulators, councils, haulers, recyclers and residents working to promote an understanding of the importance of recycling organic residuals for a cleaner and more productive economy, environment and culture for all. http://groups.google.com/group/FORNJ

Contact: Priscilla E. Hayes
Director
Solid Waste Resource Renewal Group
732-932-9155, ext. 233
hayes@njaes.rutgers.edu