Petco Park: Connecting Compostable Packaging with Food Scrap Recovery

Industry Insights · Packaging in Practice

BPI describes how Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, worked with Republic Services to connect packaging choices, waste collection and commercial composting.

Foodservice items approved for the program can share designated collection bins with food scraps. Clear picture-based signs help visitors sort correctly, while product testing checks compatibility with the receiving system.

Dedicated collection equipment and daily reports on sorting contamination help staff adjust operations. The collected material goes to a commercial composting facility, and finished compost returns to support planting areas around the stadium.

For foodservice packaging buyers, the case highlights the value of coordinating product selection with collection and local processing arrangements. Compostable packaging needs an appropriate route after use to fulfill its intended role.

Adapted from BPI’s article published on August 24, 2026. Read the original: A Home Run for Composting: How Petco Park Built a Successful Closed-Loop System →