Zero Waste Community Partners: Redefining Business as Usual
There are no rules in Boulder County requiring businesses to recycle, but some businesses are taking exception to those rules... or lack thereof.
If every business could be like the Zero Waste businesses that work with Eco-Cycle, our community would be well on its way to recovering 70% or more of the waste we generate. And more businesses would be realizing the financial advantages of going for Zero.
The Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce recycles and composts everything it can at its office and at its events. According to Tracy Taylor-Sea, Event Marketing Director, “We want to use our leadership role to help educate businesses and community members about Zero Waste. I would say that it’s the easiest thing to bring into your business. It’s not difficult at all.”
At the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites, every room not only has a recycling bin, but also a compost bag. Guests can borrow a reusable drinking bottle, as well as a bike. It’s good for the environment, it’s fun for the guests, and it’s also good for business. Dan King, the Managing Owner said, “We have already generated in excess of $10,000 in revenues from new corporate customers and one-time guests who chose the hotel because of our commitment to Zero Waste with Eco-Cycle.”
Shopping at REI, you’ve no doubt seen and used their recycling and compost bins throughout the store. Behind the scenes, REI staff make exceptional efforts to recycle “hard-to-recycle” materials like plastic film, scrap metal, textiles and shoes, bike tires and tubes, and white block foam. After REI implemented its Zero Waste program, the store immediately cut its garbage by two-thirds. According to REI Shipping and Receiving Technical Specialist Tom Warner, “REI is all about the outdoors, and if you aren’t going to do something to make a better impact on the planet, then I don’t know if you can say you’re all about the outdoors. It was important to us to lessen our impact.”
What we still need for a Zero Waste Community:
Every single-family household in the City of Boulder has a recycling bin and a compost bin, and these households recover 57% of their discards. However, as a community, our recycling and composting rate is only 46%. Why? The business sector lags behind by recycling only 30% of its discards. Most communities reaching resource recovery rates of 70% and higher do so with the required participation of the business sector.
It’s time for businesses to step up and meet the residential sector in our efforts to go for Zero. Tell your city council members it’s time businesses participated in recycling like the rest of us. And let your favorite business know you want them to go for Zero Waste.
Zero Waste Around the World
Mandatory Recycling Makes a Difference: Leading communities such as San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, San Diego and Fresno recover at least 60% of their waste and require businesses to recycle.
Support Zero Waste Businesses!
View the full list of our Zero Waste Community Partners who work with Eco-Cycle to voluntarily reduce, reuse, recycle, compost and design their systems for Zero Waste. Or look for this decal in the window of participating businesses.
Welcome to the most recent businesses to join our network:
1825 Pearl Street, llc
Alfalfa’s Market
Asher Brewing Company
Atkinson-Noland & Associates
Boulder Housing Partners
Boxcar Coffee
Colorado Group
Convergence Solutions Inc.
Cured
Drop n Wash Laundry
Family Learning Center
Fine Featherheads
Greens Point Catering
Internachi
iSupportU
Juniper Books
Justice High School
LANX
McCryo
Mountain Ridge Animal Hospital
Naked Pizza
Native American Rights Fund
Pellman’s Automotive
Rally Software Development
ReSource
Select Energy Services
SparkFun Electronics
Two Spoons
Udis Bakery
Vitamin Cottage
Zach Transmissions
Join our business network of Zero Waste Partners. Call today! 303-444-6634 ext. 2
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Microplastics in compost 