Santa Ynez Chumash Recognized for Zero-Waste Achievement

Green Business Certification Inc. recognized the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez for its efforts to create a nearly 100 percent zero-waste entertainment complex, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians announced on Thursday. The Chumash Casino Resort is the only gaming venue in the nation to win the Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) certification at the silver level, the second facility in the state, and the first in Santa Barbara County.

Some of the casino’s qualifications for the award include preventing close to 90 percent of the facility’s waste from going into landfills through major recycling projects with local and international green organizations. The casino collaborated with TerraCycle, Textile Waste Solutions, Frontline International, and other groups that recycle waste from the casino into new products. The organizations collect cigarette butts, old uniforms, and cooking oil waste from the casino and transform them into park benches and picnic tables, cleaning cloths, and bio-diesel, respectively. In 2018, the casino’s green efforts kept almost 3 million pounds of waste out of the landfill.