GTS Places High-Tech Trash and Recycling Compactor at the New Starbucks at Downtown Disney, Anaheim

West Palm Beach, FL; Anaheim, California- Trash removal seems like an afterthought to most of us. Thankfully for food outlets that produce a high volume of trash, like the new Starbucks at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA, it is Peter Spano’s first thought. Spano, Global Trash Solutions’ President and Founder, envisioned making trash and recycling smaller through compaction. He knew it could reduce costs and the user’s carbon footprint.

“I understand that it’s a headache paying too much for trash removal, storing leaking trash bags in the back room, running trash to the dumpster during lunch rushes, and having removal companies on the parking lot every day picking it up,” said Spano of his clients’ trash and recycling challenges. For the past six years, GTS has been reducing businesses trips to the dumpster through its various trash and recycling compactors and balers.

Global Trash Solutions’ latest venture began a little over a year ago with two of the world’s largest brands: Starbucks and The Walt Disney Company. The new Starbucks in Downtown Disney presented its own challenges for trash removal and recycling. Firstly, there is no trash area directly behind the store, and the default solution would have been for workers to carry trash bags nearly every hour through the streets of Downtown Disney. This was not an amenable resolution for anyone involved.

“Working with some of Starbucks and Disney’s top executives was a privilege. It was a year-and-a-half long collaboration that led to a cleaner, better trash system that saves everyone time and money while keeping the integrity of Downtown Disney intact,” said Spano.

On March 10th, the completed state-of-the-art coffee shop opened in the heart of Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California. As the doors swung open and the smell of coffee wafted out, Global Trash Solutions’ lead personnel, Peter Spano and Brian Hunt, Director of Operations, were in the back putting their custom-designed GTS2000 indoor compactor to work and ensuring that the opening went smoothly. By taking care of all the trash generated during the opening day, they allowed the Starbucks managers, cashiers and baristas to focus on giving their first time guests the best experience possible.

“We’re giving Starbucks the time focus on what they do best,” said Spano. Over the next few days, Spano and Hunt trained Starbucks’ personnel to efficiently use the equipment and deal with any problems they might encounter. They will continue to support the team through weekly phone conferences.

Global Trash Solutions designed a custom trash and recycling compactor that sits inside the back of the store. Spano knows he has done his job right if he can make guests think nothing of trash while also reducing the time employees spend thinking about it.

So, while Starbucks guests are enjoying their favorite beverage and café treat, playing with the interactive touch screen drawing board, or simply sitting on the patio viewing the living green wall – over 1,000 plants landscaped to resemble a coffee cup – the GTS2000 is doing its part to reduce waste volume while increasing the “green” handling of it and simultaneously saving money. Now who’s thinking about trash?