Florida Guide > Disney General
How Green is Disney?
Millions of holidaymakers will have enjoyed their annual vacation to Orlando in Florida and especially their visits to the theme parks at Walt Disney World. But only a handful of guests will be aware of the work that goes on behind the scenes. The Walt Disney Company take environmental issues very seriously and do their utmost to help and preserve our planet in every way they can.
Did you know, for instance, that the Walt Disney World Resorts recycle over thirty per cent of their waste every year? This includes recycling newspapers, office paper, both steel and aluminium cans, glass bottles and many other items including concrete!
Food that has been prepared but not served is collected through what is called the Disney Harvest Program. This program hands out the food to local non-profit agencies in Central Florida.
Food waste is never thrown away but is mixed with other waste such as yard and wood waste together with animal manure (and they must get a lot of this from Animal Kingdom). It is then used to make compost.
Green purchasing is high on their list too and Disney endeavours to buy as many recycled products as they can. They also work with the manufacturers to try and reduce unnecessary waste and packaging. Paper towels and toilet tissue are bought in jumbo rolls to reduce the amount of packaging. Each year this can reduce the amount of packaging by over eight hundred thousand pounds.
Bedding sheets in the Disney resorts are only changed every three or four nights or at the guests’ request. The same thing happens with the towels, we are now asked to only leave towels on the floor if they need laundering. This helps enormously with the conservation of water, gas and electric.
The stunning landscaped gardens are watered with approximately three million gallons of water, all of which has been reclaimed.
All Walt Disney World restaurants are smoke-free environments and many of their restrooms in the parks and in their resorts have infrared sensors and automatic irrigation controls to reduce the amount of water that is used. This can mean a reduction of over fifty million gallons every year!
Over a million pounds of wood, either surplus to requirements or broken, including wooden pallets, are collected and rebuilt or are ground into garden mulch and sawdust. Nothing goes to waste.
The Walt Disney Company take their role in looking after the environment very seriously and so when you get home from your wonderful holiday in Orlando, remember that you too can do your bit to be “green” and recycle as much of your waste as you possibly can!
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