International Market Place is located in the heart of Waikīkī on the island of O’ahu and is known for its world-class surfing, sightseeing, dining and shopping. O’ahu is home to nearly one million of the state’s 1.43 million residents. It’s not surprising that this bustling tropical paradise takes sustainability seriously.
“Living in a precious island environment, it’s our responsibility to be good stewards of the ʻāina (land) including how we can innovatively think about waste disposal and recycling,” said Breana Grosz, general manager of International Market Place. “Luckily, Hawai’i has always been at the forefront of conservation and sustainability. Honolulu passed the nation’s first food waste recycling ordinance in 1997 requiring restaurants, hotels and grocery stores to recycle food waste. Hawai’i could even become the first state to ban single-use plastics at restaurants.”
Food is a main attraction at the iconic International Market Place, which Taubman fully reimagined and reopened in 2016. The center has been an attraction for visitors and kama’aina (residents) alike since 1957. A review in Hawai’i Magazine praised the center’s new third-level Grand Lānai as, “a world class collection of restaurants by some of the most esteemed names in the culinary biz.”
“To help our restaurant tenants meet the requirements of the recycling ordinance, we designed a food recovery program and chilling room into the renovation plans,” said Grosz. “All food waste is placed into special bins which are stored overnight in the chilling room. Every morning the bins are emptied into trucks and hauled, not to landfills, but to local pig farms on the island, where it is processed into feed. It truly is a win-win for everybody; the center, tenants, farmers and environment.”
In addition to the center’s food recovery program, discarded cardboard and glass are recycled, and other non-food trash is delivered to the Hawaiian Electric Company to power an efficient waste-to-energy facility.
“We are doing our part at the center to be more cognizant of our environmental impact,” said Grosz. “We are especially proud of our drip irrigation system that with the help of embedded sensors keeps the extensive landscaping throughout the center thriving without using any more water than necessary. We are also analyzing the practicality of installing solar panels onsite. In marketing, some of our programs focus on sustainability partnerships and education. In some cases, these initiatives can even bring cost-savings and be revenue generating to our tenants. At International Market Place and globally, we need to be pono (righteous) with how we live, work and interact with the environment around us.”