Month: September 2024

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Okapi Environmental Services Paves The Way For Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium To Become The World’s First TRUE Certified Soccer-Specific Stadium

AUSTIN, Texas (September 27, 2024) – In a groundbreaking achievement, Q2 Stadium, home to Austin FC, Austin’s first Major League Soccer (MLS) team, has earned its Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) certification, making it the first soccer-specific stadium and fifth sports venue worldwide to achieve this honor. MLS is a men’s professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport’s highest level in the United States. This landmark certification underscores Q2 Stadium’s commitment to sustainability, driven by strategic planning and operational support from Okapi Environmental Services (OES).

TRUE Certification, developed by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), recognizes organizations that implement comprehensive zero waste policies, achieve an average diversion rate of 90% or greater from landfills and adhere to a stringent set of waste reduction criteria. OES played a pivotal role in guiding Q2 Stadium through the certification process, from establishing sustainability goals to implementing innovative procedures.

OES’ dedicated team of credentialed TRUE Advisors provided hands-on consulting, connecting Austin FC officials with vendors who share a commitment to sustainability. Their collaborative efforts led to the creation of an on-site waste processing facility, a mini Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), designed to maximize the efficiency of sorting and recycling operations at Q2 stadium. This facility has enabled Q2 Stadium to achieve and maintain an impressive diversion rate of over 90% from the landfill.

“Okapi has been especially great as we’ve really formalized our zero waste goal. Their team is made up of certified TRUE advisors so we really utilized them to help us with what all the credits mean for TRUE, what we could accomplish and how to get all the TRUE documentation together,” said Nick Otte, Senior Director of Stadium Operations at Austin FC. “Long term, the data they’ve collected for us along with their knowledge on the EcoVisor dashboard has been a really helpful tool.”

As the Official Waste and Recycling Partner of Austin FC, Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) has also been instrumental in advancing Q2 Stadium’s sustainability initiatives. Key accomplishments include:

  • Eco Stations: Guiding the selection of waste receptacles, called Eco Stations, that offer clear sorting instructions for fans, staff and athletes. Notably, the trash section is strategically smaller than the recycling and compost sections, encouraging fans to adopt sustainable disposal practices.
  • Trash Goalies: Providing staff to serve as Trash Goalies at the Eco Stations, offering fans real-time guidance on proper waste disposal to enhance their participation in sustainability efforts.
  • Educational Initiatives: Producing an award-winning video featuring a soccer ball navigating through the stadium, visually demonstrating how to sort items into the correct receptacles. This engaging approach helps fans easily identify where to dispose of their waste.

In addition to these initiatives, OES provided a thorough analysis of Q2 Stadium’s waste handling processes and developed a comprehensive guide for measuring sustainability data, helping the stadium track and quantify its success.

“This recognition is a testament to the leadership of Austin FC and Q2 Stadium in championing environmentally responsible practices,” said Matt Hutchings, Chief Operating Officer at OES. “We hope this achievement inspires other sports and entertainment venues to enhance their sustainability efforts and pursue meaningful certifications. Okapi is committed to supporting facilities across the nation in their journey towards waste diversion and sustainability excellence.”

For more information about Okapi Environmental Services and their sustainability initiatives, please visit consulting.okapienvironmental.com.

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About Q2 Stadium
Q2 Stadium is the state-of-the art 20,738-seat, soccer-specific venue that features a natural grass playing surface and a signature canopy structure offering shade and coverage for all seats, while providing an unequaled event atmosphere. Approximately 30% of Q2 Stadium seats (6,000 seats) feature breathable mesh seating technology, making the stadium home to the most breathable mesh seats in a major league venue in the world. Q2 Stadium will host the Major League Soccer All-Star Game in 2025.

Q2 Stadium also features cutting-edge lighting capabilities as the first stadium in the world to install 100% of the field lighting system with tunable RGB LED lights. Q2 Stadium opened in June 2021, when Austin FC played its first MLS match at home on June 19 against the San Jose Earthquakes. Q2 Stadium received LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in November 2021, recognizing the commitment to sustainability undertaken in the stadium’s construction and design.

About Texas Disposal Systems
Founded by Bob Gregory, Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) is one of the largest independently owned solid waste collection, processing, and disposal companies in the nation. Its fully integrated facility incorporates solid waste disposal, compost production and recycling operations. TDS provides the highest quality and most environmentally friendly services in the best interests of our customers, employees, and the community. Learn more about how TDS helps communities, organizations and schools manage and divert waste to beneficial uses at www.TexasDisposal.com.

Media contact: media@texasdisposal.com

About Okapi Environmental Services LLC (OES)
OES is a management company with Bob Gregory as the sole member providing executive and support management services to companies owned and controlled by Gregory. These companies include Texas Disposal Systems, Inc., Texas Disposal Systems Landfill, Inc., TDS Land Management, L.P., TDS Environmental Services L.L.C., Texas Landfill Management L.L.C., Txalloy Inc., Creedmoor Pipeline L.L.C., Okapi Leasing L.L.C., and BGICO, LLC. OES will focus on the responsible, profitable growth of each of the companies in its various business ventures. Learn more about OES at www.OkapiEnvironmental.com

Media contact: okapimedia@okapienvironmental.com

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Texas Disposal Systems Builds MRF Inside Q2 Stadium for Austin FC

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) is proud to announce the brand new, custom Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) is complete and operating inside Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX, home of Austin’s Major League Soccer (MLS) team, Austin FC.

As part of TDS’ and Austin FC’s ongoing commitment to making Q2 Stadium the greenest stadium in all of MLS, TDS created a custom sorting system for Austin FC inside of Q2 Stadium that meets the needs of the stadium. With this new system, all materials discarded throughout Q2 Stadium are now being processed and properly sorted into the correct recycling, compost, and waste streams through a mini MRF.

The mini MRF creates an efficient way to decrease contamination and ensure recycling and compostable materials are diverted from the landfill. The mini MRF has the capability of processing approximately 1.5 tons per hour of materials such as glass, food waste, cardboard, paper products, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and more.

“The Austin FC fans are fantastic and do a great job at keeping materials in the right container; however, to truly maximize recovery of organics and recyclables it was necessary to create a system that enables Austin FC staff to look at each stream and sort for quality control,” says Adam Gregory, Vice President of Texas Disposal Systems and Okapi Environmental Services. “The automated conveyor and compaction system we came up with accomplishes that as efficiently as possible in a small footprint. I commend Austin FC for going the extra mile and working with us to create an innovative solution.”

The mini MRF is given its name not by the amount of material it’s capable of sorting, but by the size of the system itself. While Materials Recovery Facilities are doing the same process, sorting waste into different streams and ultimately diverting as much waste from the landfill as possible, they can range in sizes. For example, the MRF at Texas Disposal Systems spans more than 160,000 square feet. But with this MRF being built inside of the stadium service area with very limited space, it had to be a very compact system, and for this reason, is referred to as a “mini MRF.”

“As Austin FC’s official waste and recycling partner, TDS has been the biggest help I could possibly imagine, not just with this project but since the existence of our stadium and our club. Their team has helped us form our zero waste goals, develop our Eco Stations and our hauling systems,” said Nick Otte, Senior Director of Stadium Operations at Austin FC. “I think this mini MRF project in particular is way above and beyond what we could have expected and it’s going to help us meet our goals.”

Through these initiatives, TDS played a vital role in helping make Q2 Stadium the first soccer-specific stadium in the world to achieve TRUE Pre-Certification. To learn more about TRUE and its zero waste certification process, click here. Additionally, credentialed TRUE Advisors from Okapi Environmental Services (OES) have also played a crucial role in guiding Q2 Stadium through the certification process thus far. Okapi Environmental Services consulting group provides a hands-on consulting team that works with Austin FC to help them devise a plan to meet their sustainability goals and be as green as possible through their waste and energy usage.

In past years the MLS team has been at 75% diversion, last year they were at 84% and now they’re approaching 90%. With this new sorting process and equipment, Austin FC’s goal will be to sustain that 90%, increase it upwards and be more consistent with its efforts to get to zero waste.

Be on the lookout for an announcement very soon about where Austin FC is at in its Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) Certification process!

About Texas Disposal Systems

Founded by Bob Gregory, Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) is one of the largest independently owned solid waste collection, processing, and disposal companies in the nation. Our fully integrated facility incorporates solid waste disposal, compost production and recycling operations. We provide the highest quality and most environmentally friendly services in the best interests of our customers, employees, and the community. Learn more about how TDS helps communities, organizations and schools manage and divert waste to beneficial uses at TexasDisposal.com.

About Okapi Environmental Services LLC (OES)

OES is a management company with Bob Gregory as the sole member providing executive and support management services to companies owned and controlled by Gregory. These companies include Texas Disposal Systems, Inc., Texas Disposal Systems Landfill, Inc., TDS Land Management, L.P., TDS Environmental Services L.L.C., Texas Landfill Management L.L.C., Txalloy Inc., Creedmoor Pipeline L.L.C., Okapi Leasing L.L.C., and BGICO, LLC. OES will focus on the responsible, profitable growth of each of the companies in its various business ventures. www.OkapiEnvironmental.com

Media contact: media@texasdisposal.com