April 30, 2008—Hearst Corporation just announced that it has begun implementing a “target zero-waste” policy at its Manhattan headquarters, making it among the first corporations to roll out a program in an office tower of its size. The 850,000-square-foot tower is the city’s first occupied green office building to achieve the Gold LEED rating by the US Green Building Council.
In combination with an aggressive recycling program, organic waste from Hearst Tower’s cafeteria, Cafe57, and its executive dining facility—both managed by Restaurant Associates—will now be collected and shipped to a composting site in New York. This will divert approximately 95% of all kitchen waste from landfills, says the company.
Hearst Corporation piloted the composting program with its waste hauler, Sprint Recycling, based in New York City, last month before formally introducing it as part of Hearst Tower’s green philosophy. During Hearst’s pilot, the amount of waste sent to landfills reportedly dropped by 23 tons.
Hearst Tower has also implemented an aggressive recycling program that recovers all paper, as well as all metal, glass, and plastics generated at the building.
More on Hearst’s environmental initiatives can be found on the company’s Being Green Web site.
