Clarifying baseline landfill, recycling, and material flows to support measurable improvements.

Museums generate diverse waste streams — from daily visitor operations to exhibit change-outs and back-of-house packaging. Establishing a consistent audit approach and tracking baseline diversion creates a practical starting point for improving recycling, reducing landfill volume, and setting achievable targets over time. This supports operational efficiency and aligns sustainability actions with public stewardship.

Sections:

Building a Measurable Path Toward Reduced Waste and Circular Practices 

This lens focuses on how solid waste, recyclables, and specialty waste flow through the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. The Museum has expressed interest in understanding the volume, type, and origin of their waste streams, as well as the operational, financial, and environmental impacts of better waste diversion. The goal is to create a repeatable method for inventorying waste, identifying reduction opportunities, and supporting a long term path toward near zero waste operations. 

Because no two cultural institutions use space or materials in the same way, this lens emphasizes flexible, evidence based evaluation rather than prescriptive solutions. 

Current Baseline and Gaps 

Both institutions identified a similar starting point: limited quantitative data about waste composition and volume. This makes year over year improvement difficult to measure and prevents staff from identifying high impact intervention points. 

Current Patterns 

  • Waste is generated across galleries, administration, visitor services, groundskeeping, food service partners, and exhibition production. 
  • Certain materials such as packing foam, crates, exhibition drywall, and landscaping debris require specialized handling. 
  • The museum has established relationships with vendors for recycling but lacks granular tracking of contamination, diversion rates, or seasonal variation. 

Identified Needs 

  • A formal waste audit to quantify waste types and volumes. 
  • Purchasing review to reduce upstream material intensity. 
  • Diversion strategies for exhibition materials and grounds waste. 
  • Consistent staff training across departments. 

Benchmarking 

Regional benchmarking was conducted through visits to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, T Mobile Center, and Hallmark. Each of these organizations has developed near zero waste programs that can inform cultural institutions seeking scalable models. 

GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium 

Approach 

  • Uses a three stream system: recycling, compost, and landfill. 
  • All waste from events is back of house sorted by trained teams to reduce contamination. 
  • Vendor agreements require compostable serviceware wherever possible. 
  • Fan education is continuous and built into signage and digital displays. 

Insights for Cultural Institutions 

  • Back of house sorting dramatically increases diversion rates. 
  • Consistent bin colors and icon based signage reduce confusion. 
  • Staff and vendor training is more important than guest behavior. 

T Mobile Center 

Approach 

  • Uses a centralized waste dock where materials are manually separated. 
  • Has strong partnerships with local recyclers for glass, cardboard, and metals. 
  • Event specific waste plans are created for concerts and special events. 

Insights for Cultural Institutions 

  • A central sorting location can work even in older facilities. 
  • Event specific planning improves diversion outcomes. 
  • Benign waste streams like cardboard can be significant revenue offsets. 

Hallmark Headquarters 

Approach 

  • Longstanding internal culture of reuse and employee education. 
  • High diversion office waste program with strong procurement controls. 
  • Emphasis on manufacturer take back programs and closed loop systems. 

Insights for Cultural Institutions 

  • Waste reduction begins with procurement and internal culture. 
  • Staff behavior improves rapidly when expectations are clear and supported. 
  • Closed loop partnerships reduce disposal cost and waste. 

Opportunity Areas 

This section summarizes the most impactful opportunities identified for LHL and NAMA through workshops and benchmarking. 

Nelson Atkins Museum of Art 

Top Opportunities 

  1. Develop a comprehensive waste audit including exhibition deinstallation materials. 
  2. Coordinate with exhibition teams to create re use or recycling pathways for temporary walls, crates, and foam. 
  3. Establish clear diversion targets tied to procurement and vendor contracts. 
  4. Improve tracking of landscaping waste volumes and seasonal variations. 
  5. Partner across the district to align signage and simplify guest experience. 

Unique Challenge 

Art handling procedures limit the use of compostable or reusable serviceware in sensitive areas, requiring customized strategies for public versus controlled spaces. 

Repeatable Evaluation Method 

To create a consistent yardstick for measuring progress, the project recommends a simple and repeatable method any institution can adopt. 

  1. Document existing waste streams, including landfill, recycling, compost (if any), specialty waste, and vendor pathways. 
  2. Conduct an annual or semi annual waste audit using a defined sampling method. Measure weight, volume, contamination, and waste source. 
  3. Map upstream purchasing to identify reduction opportunities such as reusable materials, compostable options, or vendor take back programs. 
  4. Develop diversion targets based on realistic capacity and facility layout. 
  5. Train staff, vendors, and event partners with consistent signage and expectations. 
  6. Track progress quarterly and share results with institutional leadership and the EcoDistrict network. 

District Scale Opportunities 

The shared nature of waste challenges creates an opportunity for collaboration across institutions. 

  • Coordinated vendor relationships for compost hauling or recycling services. 
  • Shared training for staff and temporary event workers. 
  • Standardized signage and bin color systems. 
  • Shared purchasing standards to reduce waste at the source. 
  • Public facing education about sustainability efforts in the district. 

Summary 

Both institutions are well positioned to make measurable progress in waste reduction. Their operational scales differ, but the methods remain compatible. Event programming at LHL and exhibition production at NAMA create different but complementary pathways for innovation. Applying the district wide benchmarking insights and completing formal waste audits will create a strong foundation for future decision making and collaboration.