The New Children's Museum, several hotels and area theme parks were honored today by the city of San Diego as "Recyclers of the Year" in a ceremony at the San Diego Zoo.
The New Children's Museum was named the 2011 "Recycling Partner of the Year" for bringing awareness to the importance of waste reduction. A current exhibit on trash shows the impact of litter on the environment.
Hotels given "Recycler of the Year" honors were the Grand Del Mar, which sends 12-16 tons of food waste to the Miramar Landfill recycling center each month; the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, which has reduced the use of water bottles and other disposable containers; and the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, which turns more than 250 tons of organic waste into compost annually, according to the city's Environmental Services Department.
SeaWorld San Diego was honored for eliminating plastic bags in its shops and reusing packaging materials, while San Diego Zoo Global was rewarded for composting food waste at the Safari Park.
The ESD works with the organizations to keep as little trash as possible from being sent to Miramar Landfill, which the city expects to be at full capacity in a decade from now.
"While it's our job to keep the Miramar Landfill open for as long as we can and to protect the environment, we know (we) can't do it alone," Mayor Jerry Sanders said. "Businesses and organizations like those showcased in this program have played an exemplary role in achieving the city's waste reduction goals."
Other "Recycler of the Year" recipients were Albertsons, General Dynamics NASSCO, Navy Region Southwest, Point Loma Nazarene University, Presido Place condominiums, Qualcomm, the San Diego Convention Center Corp., the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and the Padres.
