LAS VEGAS, Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) has earned top honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding achievement in food waste recycling programs at the Company's Las Vegas Strip resorts.  

The Company will be presented with the EPA's 2011 WasteWise Gold Achievement-Food Recovery Award as part of the agency's annual competition, which recognizes public and private entities for their environmental sustainability efforts.  The EPA gave Gold Achievement awards in 12 sustainability categories.  

The EPA WasteWise Gold Achievement Award is the third national award that MGM Resorts has earned for its recycling program. The Glass Packaging Institute recognized MGM Resorts with a 2010 "Friend of Glass" Award for its efforts in glass recycling and the American Forest and Paper Association presented MGM Resorts with the 2011 Business Leadership Recycling award for outstanding contributions to cardboard and paper recycling.

"With millions of people dining each year at our 165 restaurants and 11 employee dining rooms located on the Las Vegas Strip, MGM Resorts is committed to leading the way to reduce our waste to landfill," said MGM Resorts Senior Vice President of Energy and Environmental Services Cindy Ortega.

During 2010, the Company recycled 8,722 tons of food waste at its Las Vegas hotels, which represents 25 percent of all recycled tonnage at the resorts.  The accomplishment marks a significant increase in food waste recycling rates since 2007, when the properties first recorded food recovery rates, and recycled 3,353 tons of food waste.

MGM Resorts' Las Vegas properties partner with RC Farms of North Las Vegas, which feeds 3,000 pigs a day with food scraps from local resorts and casinos.  A second partner, Denver-based A1 Organics, sends crews to resort loading docks to gather food waste and haul it to its local composting site.

Criteria for the EPA's WasteWise Food Recovery Award included:  food recovery policies, quantity of food waste prevented or reduced, quantity of food donated or reused, quantity of food waste composted, and the scope of food recovery initiatives implemented.

"Our Company is tremendously honored to be singled out for our efforts among the 150 organizations that applied for the awards," said Brad Tomm, MGM Resorts Director of Sustainable Operations.

Food scrap recycling is just one part of a broader strategic approach to environmental sustainability at MGM Resorts.  The approach focuses on five key areas:  Energy and Water Conservation, Green Building, Recycling and Waste Management, Sustainable Supply Chain and Outreach and Education.  This strategic framework forms the platform from which MGM Resorts is fundamentally changing the way its resorts do business. MGM Resorts chronicled its environmental accomplishments in the Company's 2010 Environmental Responsibility Report which can be found at www.mgmresorts.com/environment

Food waste is the second largest waste stream in the United States after paper, according to the EPA. During 2009, 34 million tons of food waste were generated in the United States. Of that, 33 million tons, or 97 percent was thrown away into landfills or incinerators. When excess food, leftover food, and food scraps are disposed of in a landfill they decompose and become a significant source of methane.

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating a peerless portfolio of destination resort brands, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. In addition to its 51% interest in MGM China Holdings Limited, which owns the MGM Macau resort and casino, the Company has significant holdings in gaming, hospitality and entertainment, owns and operates 15 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has 50% investments in three other properties in Nevada and Illinois. One of those investments is CityCenter, an unprecedented urban resort destination on the Las Vegas Strip featuring its centerpiece ARIA Resort & Casino. Leveraging MGM Resorts' unmatched amenities, the M life loyalty program delivers one-of-a-kind experiences, insider privileges and personalized rewards for guests at the Company's renowned properties nationwide. Through its hospitality management subsidiary, the Company holds a growing number of development and management agreements for casino and non-casino resort projects around the world. MGM Resorts International supports responsible gaming and has implemented the American Gaming Association's Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming at its gaming properties. The Company has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions for its industry-leading Diversity Initiative, its community philanthropy programs and the Company's commitment to sustainable development and operations. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.

Statements in this release which are not historical facts are "forward looking" statements and "safe harbor statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the U.S. the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and other related laws that involve risks and/or uncertainties, including risks and/or uncertainties as described in the company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  We have based those forward-looking statements on management's current expectations and assumptions and not on historical facts.  In providing forward-looking statements, the Company is not undertaking any duty or obligation to update these statements publicly as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law.

SOURCE MGM Resorts International