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Athens Services
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Many people in the United States go to bed hungry every night. Among them are surprising numbers of college students, even at elite schools. Some of those schools have implemented programs aimed at alleviating food insecurity on their campuses.

One such example is the UCLA Community Programs Office (CPO) cross-cultural center, which has been helping low-income students for more than 30 years. In response to the economic downturn of 2008, the CPO opened the Food Closet, one of the nation’s first food pantries for college students. Over the past decade, program volunteers have recovered more than 60,000 pounds of food from local grocery stores and campus affiliates and diverted it to the food pantry. This food recovery and diversion program have become a model for other colleges and universities.

As a leading provider of waste management and recycling services in the City of Los Angeles, Athens Services is committed to recovering and diverting unwanted, edible food previously destined for landfills. Athens partners with several local community groups in this effort, including Beacon House, FoodCycle, Food Forward, and Saint Francis Center.

Recently, Athens donated $100,000 in grant funding to support the CPO program.* The funding will go toward the purchase of additional vehicles that will be used to make dozens of food pickups weekly from on-campus events, as well as nearby food banks, grocery stores, restaurants, and other businesses. “Athens Services is proud to partner with the CPO to advance their goals of alleviating student hunger, promoting student empowerment, and reducing food waste in Los Angeles County,” said Athens Sustainability Manager Jessica Aldridge.

“We are excited to embark on a new opportunity to work with Athens Services and to expand efforts to reduce food waste in Los Angeles,” said Chidera I. Izuchukwu, UCLA Basic Needs Manager. “Together, this new partnership can play a pivotal role in ensuring UCLA students receive the support needed to be successful at UCLA and beyond.”

*Grants are made possible by the City of Los Angeles recycLA Food Recovery Program.

Athens Services, one of the leading providers of waste management and recycling services in the City of Los Angeles, and Global Green USA, the American affiliate of Green Cross International, have created an innovative program to help Los Angeles condominium and apartment owners and residents better manage their waste and recycling.

About 70 tenants and property managers gathered recently at LA’s First Unitarian Church for the inaugural workshop to become Recycling Ambassadors (RAs) in their buildings. “Recycling Ambassadors are an on-site resource for their neighbors,” said Jessica Aldridge, Sustainability Manager for Athens Services. “They are waste liaisons and educators who want to make their community a more sustainable home through increased recycling programs, composting programs, or waste prevention and reduction.”

“We designed this program to train and engage community members to become champions of waste prevention, recycling, and diversion,” said Madisen Gittlin, Director of Global Green’s Coalition for Resource Recovery.

Attendees learned the ins and outs of recycling requirements in Los Angeles and were introduced to the RA program. Ambassadors commit to a six-week program that includes initial outreach to landlords, a building survey, distributing outreach materials and signage provided by Athens Services, reaching out to tenants, and conducting waste audits to measure progress. After that, they commit to about an hour per month and one workshop per year to continue the program.

“We are excited about this new program, and believe it will be an effective strategy to build strong communities,” Aldridge said. “Recycling Ambassadors have the opportunity to learn the knowledge and skills necessary to encourage their neighbors to take action and make a positive difference in the world.”

To learn more or find out about future workshops, contact RAmbassador@AthensServices.com.

Some trash companies’ roles are changing as amassing food waste continues to be a front-and-center garbage issue. Athens, headquartered in the city of Industry, Calif., is among those now doing more than collecting and dumping food waste, and the refuse company has its work cut out for it, located in a state imposing especially rigorous laws.

The company has its own compost facility, with plans for expansion. It partners with food donation organizations to see that edible food that would otherwise go to waste is given to people in need—even paying to help run their programs. And Athens is a key player in a zero waste initiative at Los Angeles Coliseum.

Article: http://www.waste360.com/food-waste/athens-food-waste-role-expands-beyond-conventional-trash-company

VICE Impact sat down with Athens Recycling Coordinator Brian Hunter to talk about about his work in the new recycLA program. He shared why he’s passionate about his new role and some of the goals that he and other Athens RC’s hope to accomplish. Brian thinks he and other millennials are attracted to the sustainability field because they feel it’s important to have a job that’s about “going green rather than greed.” We’re thrilled to have so many new employees like Brian to help us get Los Angeles to zero waste. They bring enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to our team!