Description
First opened in 1967, the Crown Center in Fayetteville is comprised of a coliseum, civic center, an expo center and fairgrounds. The main part of the Crown Center is the coliseum, which seats 8,500 and is home to regional sporting groups as well as a variety of concerts, family shows and motorsport events. The Crown Center began to recycle in early 2008 and currently recycles glass and plastic bottles, and is taking steps to recycle paper and cardboard.

Implementation
The Crown Center places approximately 40, 40-gallon Rubbermaid plastic barrels throughout the facility to collect plastic bottles. The bins have a white top with a small hole designed to keep trash out. The bins also include stickers that read “We recycle. Plastics only.” During large events with a considerable amount of waste left near the seats, plastic bottles are gleaned from the trash by the clean-up staff. Glass is used only by the contracted catering company, not the general public. From there, the material is taken to one of four, eight-yard dumpsters, one placed outside each facility. As the Crown Center is a Cumberland County facility, the county offers collection of recyclables on an “as-need” basis.

The Crown Center’s biggest obstacle with its recycling program is the amount and type of waste that is scattered throughout the facility. The Crown Center has seen as many as 15,000 guests, so the amount of waste and recyclable material generated can be vast and vary accordingly. Before the current program was put in place, the Crown Center trained its staff about the program and, specifically, what can and cannot be recycled. Since each event uses different vendors (and each vendor uses different materials) the staff must be alert on what should enter the waste stream.

Results:
The Crown Center has had a good response from its attendees through communication and regular use of the recycling bins.