Who sorts your trash? - Sailors for the Sea

Who sorts your trash?

 September 18, 2013  | By: Oceana

One of the most inspiring stories we heard, is found in the not so pretty job of trash sorting. 
 
At the America’s Cup park & village, there are three separate waste bins –  one for trash, compost, and recycling. While the signage is clear (even noting that you can in fact recycle Mr. Potato Head) many people rush through the process of throwing away their trash. Anticipating this issue, the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) established a process for double checking the work of the public with trash sorters who comb disposed waste to ensure proper sorting.
 
Many among the general public are unclear on general trash sorting parameters – is the aluminum foil used to wrap food considered metal scrap, are plastic straws recyclable, etc. One can only imagine that serving as a trash sorter (with the goal of zero waste/perfection) requires specific training.

So how did the America’s Cup find skilled workers? 

They trained them, in fact Jill Savery, head of sustainability for the ACEA, and Recolgy, the onsite waste company, trained over 1,000 workers on how to properly sort waste. While the event is meeting sustainability requirements due largely to the staff needed to ensure trash disposal requirements are met, workers are gaining a skill set that is in high demand for jobs they may otherwise been unqualified to apply for. While it may not be as flashy as boats that go 50 mph, we believe this lasting legacy is a story worth sharing!