HAMMOND -- When lunch is over, the cooking oil in Horseshoe Casino's kitchen doesn't go down the drain and into the Hammond Municipal wastewater lines.
Instead, it heads into a line where it's collected, placed in a drum, then, like gasoline, pumped directly into the fuel tank of one of two diesel utility vehicles.
The maintenance vehicles run on the stuff, thanks to conversion kits installed by maintenance staff.
The grease-to-fuel, also used to heat the maintenance building, is just a fraction of the environmentally friendly efforts the casino has begun to employ.
From energy-efficient hand dryers and natural cleaning products to eco-friendly paint and paperless reports, Horseshoe Hammond is one of the leaders in recycling efforts and sustainable resources in Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.'s 53 properties worldwide.
"It's becoming more evident that it's important not only to our guests but also to our employees," said John Houchin, director facilities/marine operations for Horseshoe Hammond.
The casino encourages its 2,500 employees to recycle, and has formed a green team, which met for the first time last month. Horseshoe is also part of Harrah's regional and corporate green teams.
The sustainable initiative will be called Code Green, with Earth Day, April 22, as its kickoff day, Houchin said.
"Gary Loveman, our CEO, found it to be so important that he changed our code of commitment, which hadn't been changed in over 10 years," Houchin said.
Working with city, county
To initiate its green practices, the casino enlisted the help of the Lake County Solid Waste Management District and the city of Hammond.
"We've been having discussions with them and the Solid Waste District for a couple of years," said Kathy Kazmierczak, Hammond's recycling director. "One little meeting snowballed into doing a lot more."
Horseshoe recycles 100 percent of its cardboard, which amounts to 8 to 10 tons a week, donating a portion to the city, which turns it in for cash.
A baler sits across from the kitchen elevator so that as soon as cartons of food and other kitchen equipment are emptied, they go directly into the baler where they're compressed and banded.
"We certainly want to help them with their efforts and make sure it doesn't go into the landfill," Kazmierczak said. "We hope other companies will look at this as an example. They're certainly leading the way when it comes to recycling."
Composting part of plan
The casino's nearly-completed re-lamping effort involves replacing old bulbs with cold cathode lightbulbs that give off more light with less energy, as well as other energy efficient lights. The casino is also de-lighting overlit offices.
Soon to come is a change from petroleum-based to cornstarch- and potato-based disposable tableware, so that, instead of ending up in a landfill, the materials biodegrade in 180 days.
Ninety-five percent of the trash generated on the casino floor is recyclable, so, while guests are not actively involved in recycling, Allied Waste sends it to an automated separating facility.
"We've also partnered with Allied Waste to create a composting site in East Chicago for our use," Houchin said.
"By the end of the week we will have completed installation of a digital control system for our HVAC system," Houchin said Wednesday. The $500,000 project is based on a room's occupancy, whereby sensors detect movement and heat through infrared and ultraviolet light, and heat or cool accordingly.
Leonard White, solid waste specialist for the Lake County Solid Waste Management District, said the district worked with Hammond and Horseshoe for almost a year. White did logistics for the recycling effort and district educators were brought in, he said.
"I feel really good about what they're trying to do," White said. "They didn't have to call us. They showed a real interest in trying to do what was right for the environment."