AUSTIN, TX -- (Marketwire) -- 02/07/13 -- In most hotels, environmental responsibility extends as far as the sign in the bathroom asking guests to hang up your towel. The Four Seasons Hotel Austin's compost and recycling program is the first of its kind in the nation to take environmental stewardship a step further. Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) designed a system to offer in-room recycling and composting with the aim of diverting 90% of waste from landfills.

Composting is a relatively recent introduction to the hospitality industry. Generally hotels that compost only implement the program behind the scenes in the kitchen, where no guest will ever see it. The Four Seasons Hotel Austin decided to take this model a step further. They called on Texas Disposal Systems to devise a program that would offer guests the option of recycling and composting in their rooms. After extensive research, TDS chose to offer compost bags and trash receptacles with two containers: one for waste and one for recycling. Now guests are able to actively take part in the hotel's sustainability project.

Texas Disposal Systems is the only company in the area that handles trash, recycling, and organic waste streams at a single facility, eliminating the need for multiple vendors. They process the organic waste at their Creedmoor headquarters, generating high grade compost that is then sold under their Garden-Ville brand. "The food waste TDS gets from the Four Seasons is combined with tree trimmings from landscapers and other organic materials from areas throughout the state that are being diverted from the landfill," comments TDS Marketing Director Jennifer Gregory. "TDS is putting these natural resources back into our modern everyday life."

Ultimately this compost will be sold back to Garden-Ville customers, including the Four Seasons to nurture the landscape surrounding the hotel, including a lawn that leads down to the popular Ladybird Lake hike and bike trail. "It all comes full circle when we get that Garden-Ville compost made from food waste we contributed," says Four Seasons General Manager Rob Hagelberg. "Then our efforts are fully realized in the environment around us."

Texas Disposal Systems is a waste, recycling, and composting company that operates under the motto of "Reclaim, Recycle, Repurpose." Based out of Creedmoor, just south of Austin, TX, TDS offers waste management services to municipalities, businesses, residences, and events where it promises to be "Noticeably Different, Noticeably Better." More information can be found at www.texasdisposal.com or by calling (512) 421-1300.

Add to Digg Bookmark with del.icio.us Add to Newsvine