Module Two

Water
Waste
Reduction & Recycling
 Table of Contents
Foreward................................................................................................. 1

© 2014 Specialty Coffee Introduction. . ................................................................................ 2

Association of America Reasons to Minimize Waste in Your Cafe.......................................... 3
The Specialty Coffee Association Key Terms.................................................................................... 7
of America (SCAA) is the world’s
coffee authority and largest
Getting Started............................................................................. 8
coffee trade association with Track Your Waste.................................................................... 9
over 12,000 members, including
member companies and their Make a Plan. . ...................................................................... 10
employees. SCAA members are
Where the Rubber Meets the Road: The Four R’s............................. 11
located in more than 40 countries
and represent every segment Reduce. . .............................................................................. 12
of the specialty coffee industry,
including producers, roasters,
Reuse.. ................................................................................ 20
importers/exporters, retailers, Recycle............................................................................... 25
manufacturers, baristas and coffee
enthusiasts. SCAA is dedicated to Rot (Compost)...................................................................... 28
creating a vibrant specialty coffee
Industry Trends and Engaging Customers....................................... 34
community, recognizing, developing
and promoting specialty Appendix................................................................................... 37
coffee by setting and maintaining
quality standards for the industry;
A: Calculating Your Waste Diversion and Reduction Rates.............. 38
conducting research on coffee, B: Resources.................................................................................... 39
equipment and perfection of craft;
and providing education, training,
resources and business services
for its members.

Visit www.scaa.org.

Acknowledgments
Author
Kirstin Henninger, Green Cafe Network
Subject Expert Reviewers
Wendi Shafir, US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9
Timone Hood, US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9
Richard Young, Green Cafe Network
Andrew Shakman, LeanPath
Elizabeth Anderson, World Centric
NOTE: No part of this publication may Members of the SCAA Sustainability Council Task Force (Alex Morgan, Chad Trewick)
be reproduced or published in any form
including but not limited to print, photocopy, Special thanks
or electronic form without the written Rachael Edinger, Green Cafe Network
permission of the:
Operators of the retail coffee businesses featured in this module:
Specialty Coffee Association of America
117 W 4th Street, Suite 300, Actual Cafe, Counter Culture Coffee, MadCap Coffee, Mission Pie,
Santa Ana, CA 92701. O Cafe, Peregrine Espresso, Salt Spring Coffee, and Starbucks
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
foreward

Conversations about sustainability are nothing new for the specialty

coffee community – we have been grappling with how to ensure the
future of our beloved beverage for decades. Our tendency has been
to focus most of our attention on the sustainability of farming, which
makes sense given that farms are the most vulnerable link in the
coffee value chain, both economically and environmentally. With that,
there is work to be done in consuming countries, too. While a roasting
company may be more resilient than a farm, that roaster is contribut-
ing to global climate change, which is already altering the landscape
of coffee production everywhere.

Opportunities abound for coffee importers, roasters, and retailers, not

to mention coffee lovers, to embrace efficiency and sustainability, but
it isn’t always clear where to begin. The SCAA Sustainability Council
published the first module of the Green Guide in 2012 with the goal
of raising awareness about these opportunities and demystifying the
steps that companies take toward reducing their use of resources. The
three modules—energy, water, and waste—detail some of the prac-
tices employed by sustainability leaders and they also explain the
rationale for reexamining business as usual, which is something we
recognize as crucial to building buy-in for change. Though some of
the studies referenced in the Green Guide were conducted nearly a
decade ago, the subject matter is more important today than when
the guides were published. Over this same time period, more states
have incentives programs for renewable energy and prices on water-
saving technology have dropped, which makes the business case even
more compelling.

Our hope is that coffee retailers of all sizes will explore this resource,
use the information, and contribute to the ever-evolving discussion
on how to #makecoffeebetter.

Sincerely,

Kim Elena Ionescu

Director of Sustainability, SCAA

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 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
INTRODUCTION TO WASTE REDUCTION

“If handled properly, waste management has

huge potential to turn problems into solutions
and to ‘lead the way towards sustainable de-
velopment’ through the recovery and reuse
of valuable resources; the creation of new
business and employment opportunities,
including for the informal sector; reduced
emissions of greenhouse gases from waste DID YOU KNOW...?
management operations, such as landfills;
and conversion of waste to energy.”1 Each American discards an average of approximately
United Nations Environment Program, 2012 news release 4.34 pounds of waste per person each day. This is
almost double the 1960 average of 2.7 pounds per
person per day.2
In a country like the United States, where consumers value
convenience and choice around-the-clock, there is bound Together, food and packaging account for almost
to be excessive solid waste generated in the production 45 percent of the materials that go into landfills in
and merchandising of retail coffee. While this can be the United States.3
daunting for the cafe owner, manager or barista who wants Restaurants and home kitchens discard over 13
to operate a “low-impact cafe”—the good news is that there million tons of food waste each year.4
are plenty of ways to minimize the solid waste associated
with brewing and serving a cup of coffee. The bright side is that by 2011 Americans recycled
34.7 percent of their waste, a great improvement
Purchasing decisions are key to preventing waste, since every over 1980, when only 11 percent of waste was
item that comes into the cafe brings its own environmental recycled.5
impacts, which begin with its production and continue
through its packaging, transportation, and disposal. Daily Even better is that recycling and composting
practices also greatly affect the amount of waste generated prevented 86.9 million tons of material from being
by a cafe, from food preparation to whether an order is “for disposed of in US landfills or incinerators in 2011,
here” or “to go.” These decisions and actions may seem which avoided the release of approximately 183
inconsequential in the moment, but because of issues like million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into
climate change and pollution, our waste generation at the the air—equivalent to taking 34 million cars off the
local level really does affect the health of our industry and road for a year.6
the environment at a global level. In addition, these small
decisions can be a jumping-off point for engaging staff,
customers, and fellow coffee professionals in understanding
and addressing broader global issues. “Choosing organic coffee won’t necessarily
Thanks to the growing sustainability movement in the coffee
stop global warming. But because we know
industry and in many municipalities, there are dozens of
and love coffee, this is how we are thinking
opportunities for cafe operators to get on board with the
about climate change, soil fertility, and other
“four r’s”—reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot. As these options
global issues, and is why these issues matter
gain popularity, it becomes even easier for businesses to
to us as coffee drinkers.”
save money through efforts to minimize waste. Read the Kim Elena Ionescu, Counter Culture Coffee,
speaking on the connections between composting, everyday
sections below to learn what some of these opportunities choices and larger environmental issues
are and how to take action.

1 United Nations Environment Program Newsdesk. “The Global Garbage Crisis: No Time to Waste.” June 11, 2012.
2 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Solid Waste. “Municipal Solid Waste in the United States.” 2010. http://www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2009rpt.pdf.
3 US EPA. Wasted Food & Packaging Toolkit. Forthcoming 2014. www.epa.gov
4 Williams, Elizabeth and Stephanie Carter. The A-Z Encyclopedia of Food Controversies and the Law. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing, 2011, 365.
5 US EPA. Municipal Solid Waste. http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm.
6 US EPA. Municipal Solid Waste. http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm. See Key Terms section for definition of carbon dioxide equivalent.

2
 THE WHY
REASONS TO MINIMIZE WASTE IN YOUR CAFE
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
STAY AHEAD OF LEGISLATION
In addition to offering financial incentives for businesses
to minimize waste, many municipalities are enacting
legislation that requires businesses to take certain actions
toward waste reduction. Regulatory pressure is mounting
across the United States to ban organic materials (including
food waste) from landfills; soon, cafe operators may not be
able to put food waste into a landfill without incurring fines.
SAVE MONEY
“A Penny Saved Is a Penny Earned.” A cafe spends a lot Over 20 communities across the United States have
more on purchasing coffee and food than on its garbage bill, committed to zero waste goals, including Austin, Texas,
so by preventing waste through clever purchasing, and by Carrboro, North Carolina, Summit County, Colorado, and
reducing and reusing items, you are avoiding the expense Kaua’i, Hawai’i, among others.8 In order to reach these
of ordering new products like cups and stir sticks. (See the goals many communities have enacted legislation that
sections below on the Four R’s for specific examples on affects retailers. For example, by mid-2014, a food waste
these savings.) ban will go into effect in Massachusetts for commercial
entities that send more than a ton of food waste per week to
Minimizing waste can also lower your bills. Thousands of
landfills. The food would have to be donated, composted,
communities across the United States have instituted pay-
or otherwise repurposed.9 When San Francisco enacted
as-you-throw programs, where the cost for waste disposal
its citywide ban on polystyrene foam (often referred to as
is dependent on the amount of waste generated (compared
“Styrofoam”), restaurants were charged a penalty if they
with a flat rate or having costs rolled into property taxes).7
continued to use these products after the ban went into
This incentivizes reducing waste. Check with your city and
effect.10
your waste hauler to see if any such programs exist or are
being planned in your area. If you stay ahead of legislation and take action now to
minimize waste, your business can stand out from others
and you can take advantage of free technical assistance
programs that are commonly offered in conjunction with
these types of regulations.

7 US EPA. Resource Conservation Program, Pay as You Throw. http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/payt/index.htm.

8 Zero Waste International Alliance. Zero Waste Communities. http://zwia.org/news/zero-waste-communities/.
9 Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “Patrick Administration Announces Plan to Ban Disposal of Commercial Food Waste.” July 10, 2013. http://www.mass.gov/eea/pr-2013/commercial-food-wasteban.html.
10 City and County of San Francisco. Food Service Waste Reduction Ordinance. Ordinance No. 295-06. November 14, 2006. http://www.sfgov2.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/fswr/documents_forms/FSWR_Ordinance295-06.pdf.

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 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY
IN THE COFFEE INDUSTRY
As an industry, retail coffee shops generate large amounts of
waste daily. For example, a few medium-sized independent
cafes surveyed in San Francisco generate on average
about 1,000 gallons (roughly 2,500 pounds) of mixed solid
waste each week.13 If we extrapolate that to a city with 300
coffee shops, a total of about 300,000 gallons (750,000
lbs) of waste would be hauled away each week from these
IMPROVE CUSTOMER cafes—that’s about 15.6 million gallons (39 million lbs) of
waste in a year!
AND EMPLOYEE LOYALTY
Imagine—if each of those cafes recycled just 15 percent of
Efforts to prevent waste are typically more visible to customers
their total solid waste, it would divert almost 3,000 tons of
than the steps a cafe takes toward energy or water conservation.
waste from landfills annually! This collective action would
For example, when customers see a cafe provide easy-to-
prevent 7,802 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent
understand recycling and/or compost bins, they get a visual
(MTCO2E) from reaching our atmosphere—the same as
message that the cafe is doing its part to minimize waste.
conserving 356,203 gallons of gasoline.14
According to a 2011 National Restaurant Association survey,
Americans prefer to patronize establishments that are doing That’s just the scenario for one hypothetical city. As more
something to help the environment: 60 percent said they cafes jump on the green bandwagon, our commitment
preferred to eat someplace that recycles and 51 percent would as an industry is felt and seen. See SCAA’s whitepaper,
pay extra to eat at a place that recycles.11 In addition, sharing a “Understanding the Triple Bottom Line” for more discussion
larger vision of your cafe, which includes sustainability goals, on why integrating sustainability into your retail coffee
can foster team loyalty among your employees.12 business is worth the effort.

11 Lammers, Lesley. “Survey Shows Most Restaurants Recycle & Consumers Dig It.” TriplePundit. June 9, 2011. http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/06/survey-shows-restaurants-recycle-consumers-dig/.
12 SCAA whitepaper. “Understanding the Triple Bottom Line.” 2013. http://scaa.org/files/? fn=get_code&Code=A461270B-2611-4198-B485-5DEEFC883CB4http://scaa.org/?page=resources&d=statistic-and-reports.
13 Unpublished survey of independent coffee shops in San Francisco by Green Cafe Network, 2010. Assumptions: one gallon of m/lixed waste equals 2.5 pounds -a conservative estimate based on the EPA’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM) model. http://epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/warm/index.html.
14 US EPA. Resource Conservation WARM. http://epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/warm/index.html.

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 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
HELP OUR ENVIRONMENT
It may seem obvious that reducing waste is good for the
environment, but often we don’t stop to think about why.
Below are a few examples of how waste reduction provides
environmental benefits.

LANDFILLS PRODUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

AND TOXICITY
Landfills produce methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times
more potent than carbon dioxide. The less waste there is in
landfills, the fewer greenhouse gases there are in our atmo-
sphere leading to climate change.15 Minimizing waste sent
to landfills also helps minimize toxicity in our environment,
because many landfills leak and contaminate nearby bodies
of water. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study
found that 82 percent of landfills surveyed had leaks.16
Sending less waste to incinerators also helps. Even though
many incinerators produce energy from combusting trash
(a nice idea in theory), incinerators are still a major source
of emissions. In fact, they create more carbon dioxide emis-
sions than coal, oil, or natural-gas-fueled power plants.17

USING LESS PAPER SAVES TREES AND

CARBON DIOXIDE
The United Nations estimates that 25 percent of global car-
bon dioxide emissions are from deforestation. Using fewer
paper products, recycling paper, and purchasing recycled-
content paper products allows more trees to remain stand-
ing in the forest, where they can continue to remove carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere, provide habitat for animals,
and prevent soil erosion. According to the EPA, recycling a
ton of paper can save 17 trees.18

COMPOSTING HELPS SOIL FERTILITY

Conventional farming, which is heavily chemical-dependent,
is destroying soil health, resulting in farms with less productive
yields and barren earth. Compost made from coffee grounds
and food waste creates a mineral-rich soil amendment that
can improve soil fertility and crop yields. See the Rot section
for details. Also check out Counter Culture Coffee’s “Save
Our Soil” campaign, which encourages coffee drinkers and
businesses to compost and support organic farming in order
to promote healthy soil, which “leads to healthy coffee trees,
prosperous farms and delicious coffee.”19

16 Clean Air Council. Waste and Recycling Facts. http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html.

17 Clean Air Council. Waste and Recycling Facts. http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html.
18 US EPA. Resource Conservation – Tools for Local Government Recycling Programs. http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/tools/localgov/benefits/.
19 Counter Culture Coffee. Save our Soil. http://counterculturecoffee.com/sustain/save-our-soil.

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 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT SOURCE REDUCTION RATE
is a metric measure used to compare the emissions from measures the extent to which total waste generation has
various greenhouse gases based upon their global warming been reduced. It’s important to consider this because look-
potential (GWP). Carbon dioxide equivalents are commonly ing only at the diversion rate can mask other factors such
expressed as “metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents as a growing overall waste stream. Therefore it is important
(MTCO2E)” or “million metric tons of carbon dioxide to both divert waste and to generate less waste overall.
equivalents (MMTCO2Eq).” The carbon dioxide equivalent
for a gas is derived by multiplying the tons of the gas by the WASTE DIVERSION
associated GWP (as defined by the EPA).20,21 is the process of diverting waste away from the landfill.
According to the EPA, “waste diversion is the prevention
ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE and reduction of generated waste through source reduction,
PURCHASING (EPP) recycling, reuse, or composting…reducing the burden on
is the procurement of products or services that have a landfills and other waste disposal methods.”26
lesser impact on human health and the environment. EPP
guidelines specify the environmental attributes and certi- WASTE DIVERSION RATE
fication requirements of a product or service. Also called is the percentage of waste materials diverted from traditional
green purchasing/procurement.22 disposal such as landfilling or incineration to be recycled,
composted, or reused.27 It usually represents the percentage
ORGANICS of solid waste that is recycled and composted. See Appendix
(ALSO CALLED ORGANIC WASTE) A to learn how to calculate your cafe’s diversion rate.
are materials that are or were recently living, such as
produce, animals, leaves, and yard trimmings.23 ZERO WASTE
is a goal to reuse all the waste byproducts created by an
POSTCONSUMER WASTE operation (food, glass, paper, etc.). It does not mean that
no waste is generated in the first place. For instance, food
is waste that has reached its end use and has been sent
waste may be composted and used to grow more food.
to a waste collection facility. At the collection facility, items
According to the EPA, “zero-waste policies minimize resource
are sorted by type and sent to recycling facilities. For paper,
consumption and eliminate waste whenever possible in
postconsumer fiber is sent to a pulp mill to be made into
order to conserve energy, mitigate climate change, reduce
postconsumer pulp. The pulp is then used in the recycled
water usage, prevent toxics creation, and stop ecosystem
paper-making process.24
destruction. These policies help us address inefficiencies in
the way we develop, use, and dispose of products.”28 The
SOURCE REDUCTION term is often used interchangeably with waste diversion (see
(ALSO CALLED WASTE PREVENTION) Appendix A), but they are two distinct things.
means creating less waste in the first place, i.e., using fewer
materials to get a given job done. According to the EPA,
“waste prevention offers the greatest environmental benefits
and provides substantial cost savings to organizations.”25

20 US EPA. Glossary of Climate Change Terms. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/glossary.html#C.

21 US EPA. Waste Reduction Model (WARM). http://epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/warm/index.html
22 US EPA. Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention, “Pollution Prevention, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing.” http:// www.epa.gov/epp/pubs/about/about.htm.
23 State of California. CalRecycle Glossary: Organic Materials Management. http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/Glossary/.
24 New Leaf Paper. FAQ. http://www.newleafpaper.com/customer-support/faq.
25 US EPA. Resource Conservation. Waste Prevention. http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/smm/wastewise/wrr/prevent.htm.
26 US EPA. Greening EPA. Waste Diversion. http://www.epa.gov/oaintrnt/waste/.
27 Babylon Online Translation Software. http://www.babylon.com/definition/Diversion_Rate/English.
28 US EPA. U.S.-Brazil Joint Initiative on Urban Sustainability. Zero Waste Policies. http://www.epa.gov/jius/policy/epa/zero_waste_strategies.html.

7
 GETTING STARTED
DOING A WASTE AUDIT
TRACKING WASTE & DEVELOPING A PLAN
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
Just like with conserving energy and water, the old axiom
“what gets measured gets managed” rings true when it
comes to preventing waste in a cafe. The first step in re-
ducing or preventing waste is to assess and measure the
amount and types of waste generated in your cafe.

ASSESS YOUR WASTE STREAM

1.
To do a full waste assessment you can contact your waste What are your biggest sources of waste? For
hauler (they frequently offer assessments free of charge) or example, when you look in your trash bins, are
do one yourself by collecting data for at least three days. they filled with mostly coffee grounds or soy
If you are doing your own assessment, ask the following milk boxes, food scraps or packaging?
questions:

2.
Once you identify your main sources, measure
how much of each type of waste you generate
each week by total weight or volume. Half a
64-gallon bin? About a whole bin? Two? For
additional help in calculating your waste diver-
sion rate, refer to Appendix A.

3.
Once you’ve identified what the high volume
and weight materials are (typically food waste,
coffee grounds, and packaging), determine if
any of them can be eliminated, reduced, re-
4. used, recycled, or composted. See the sec-
Also include notes on the characteristics of tions below on the “Four Rs” for specific
items in your waste stream and as much detail guidelines on this.
as possible on the reasons for discarding them
(i.e., food spoilage, trim waste, nonrecyclable
packaging, etc.).
5.
Make sure to record all of the information from
your initial assessment as your baseline in a
paper log or Excel spreadsheet.

9
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
SET MEASURABLE
TARGETS AND
TRACK THEM
Remember, the goal of tracking your waste
is to help you manage it as best as possible.
After recording your baseline information,
set measurable targets and record progress
in a log or tracking tool.

MAKE A PLAN
PUT YOUR PLAN IN WRITING
Once you’ve assessed your situation and set goals for re-
Consider having your staff help write it to increase
ducing waste, how do you begin? You know what steps
buy-in.
will work best for your cafe, but you can start by using the
guidelines below to help make a plan with realistic goals.
Remember that financial savings through waste reduction
or other green efforts can be used to finance “green” items CONSIDER DOING A SEPARATE ASSESSMENT
that may cost more, such as compostable take-out prod- AND TRACKING FOR FOOD WASTE
ucts or making a new waste station in the front of the house. Depending on your menu, food waste may be a major
A few key tips to help the planning process are as follows: or minor component of your business’s waste stream.
If your cafe serves a fair amount of food, consider first
conducting a simple food waste audit to effectively
plan how to minimize food waste in your cafe.
Similarly to assessing your overall waste stream,
THINK ABOUT HOW YOU tracking your food waste for three full days will give
WILL ENGAGE YOUR STAFF you a good baseline for assessing all types of food
Talk openly and transparently with your staff and ask waste. Record your information using a paper log or
for their ideas on how the cafe can minimize waste spreadsheet. Check out the EPA’s Food Waste Audit
and what will motivate them. They will appreciate Log for an example:
you including them in the decision-making process, www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/fd-tools_rescrs.htm
which can lead to better productivity, improved mo-
Organize your tally sheet so you record the food type,
rale, and of course, less waste!
the reason for discarding it, and its volume (by number
of portions or number of quarts or weight in pounds).
Once you have assessed your cafe’s food waste, you
CONSIDER REMOVING THE GARBAGE CAN can use the tips in this module to make a plan to mini-
Have staff ask permission to throw things away. You mize it.
only have to do that for a short time to have a really
strong educational impact.
Many free tools exist online to help businesses assess,
track and reduce food waste. Some include:
Free articles, webinars, and tools from LeanPath:
CONSIDER WAYS TO RECOGNIZE AND REWARD www.leanpath.com/free-resources
YOUR TEAM
EPA’s Food Waste Management Cost Calculator, which
Use team recognition as the first reward. Just being
estimates the cost competitiveness of alternatives to food
noticed and thanked goes a long way. If your waste-
waste disposal, including source reduction, donation, com-
hauling bill goes down, consider sharing some of
posting, and the recycling of fats, oils, and grease:
those savings with the staff through a fund for a staff
www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/foodwaste/tools/index.htm
gift or trip (like tickets to a ball game or show).
EPA’s Wasted Food and Packaging Toolkit: www.epa.gov
10
WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD
THE FOUR R’S
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
Now that you’ve assessed your overall waste flow and de-
termined where the most waste is being generated, you can
start reducing, reusing, recycling, and rotting (composting)
to meet your overall waste reduction and diversion targets.

THE FIRST R: REDUCE

There’s a reason that “reduce” is the first of the four r’s. As
stated before, it is the prevention of waste that offers the
greatest environmental benefits and provides significant
cost savings.

DID YOU KNOW...?

If packaging use were reduced by 50 percent in the

United States, it could save up to 105 million met-
ric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2E) per
year—equal to removing 20 million passenger ve-
hicles from the road. That would be like the whole
state of California going car-free.29
Our global food supply is a huge contributor to
climate change. The way food is produced, pro-
cessed, packaged, stored, and transported is re-
sponsible for about one-third of the world’s green-
house gasses.30

The guidelines below are separated into tips for using source
reduction to minimize non-organic waste as well as organic
(food) waste. In a retail cafe environment, source reduction
for both nonorganic and organic waste is best achieved
through making changes in your daily practices as well as
shifting toward environmentally preferable purchasing.

29 US EPA. Food Waste & Packaging Source Reduction Toolkit. forthcoming 2014.
30 Bellarby, Foereid, Hastings & Smith. Cool farming: Climate impacts of agriculture & mitigation potential. Amsterdam:Greenpeace International.
2008. Cited in Greening Food and Beverage Services-A Green Seal Guide to Transforming the Industry by Cheryl Baldwin. American Hotel & Lodging
Educational Institute. 2011, 19.

12
 Work with
suppliers to minimize
packaging
Buy durable,
reusable products

TIPS TO REDUCE & PREVENT WASTE:

NON-ORGANIC WASTE
Baked goods. Pastries and other baked goods can arrive
in sturdy, reusable trays that get returned to the bakery for
use over and over again. Other alternatives include delivery
in recyclable or compostable boxes.
Laundry. If you use a laundry service, make sure they pick
up and drop off your laundry using reusable bags rather
than disposable ones.
Milk. Some milk suppliers can deliver milk in five-gallon
bags that fit into a dispenser, from which you can transfer
milk into reusable bottles for baristas. Other local dairies
deliver in refillable containers (typically glass). Work with
your milk supplier to determine what produces the least
amount of waste, or consider switching suppliers to one
that is dedicated to minimizing waste in their operations.
Other beverages (chai, juices, etc.). Some companies,
typically more boutique or local ones, deliver these items in
glass containers that can be returned and reused. Alterna-
tively, beverages like iced tea and chai can sometimes be
purchased in concentrated form, saving on the number of
containers needed.
Produce. Frequently produce can be delivered in reusable
flat trays. If you buy produce at a farmer’s market or pro-
duce store, be sure to take your own reusable bags.
Stir sticks. Use reusable spoons or reusable chopsticks in-
stead of disposable stir sticks. Consider the potential sav-
ings: If a cafe that used 80 disposable wood sticks per day
switched to reusable stirrers, it would save almost 30,000
wood sticks (40 pounds of wood) each year. The savings
would also be financial—about $150 per year.31
Flatware. Use reusable flatware instead of disposable cut-
lery. Plastic cutlery not only ends up in the landfill after only
one use, it is also made from nonrenewable resources.
Display cases. Display baked goods on durable plates in-
side glass cases or in large glass jars instead of individually
wrapping items in plastic wrap.

31 Estimates based on field data shared by Clean Water Fund. ReThink Disposable: Stop Waste Before It Starts. www.rethinkdisposable.org.

13
 Buy in bulk

Cleaning. Use cloth cleaning rags instead of paper towels.

Bathrooms. Consider switching to hand dryers in rest-
rooms instead of using paper towels. There are mixed re-
views on the environmental savings associated with dry-
ers because of the electricity they use, but investing in
energy-efficient dryers saves paper waste and eliminates
the cost of buying paper towels (which helps to offset the
cost of purchasing dryers). Alternatively, if you have a com-
post program that accepts paper towels, you can place a
separate “paper towels only” bin in the restroom with clear
signage explaining that the towels are going to a compost
facility. (See below for info on purchasing recycled-content
paper products.)
Sugar. Bulk sugar saves money and can look nicer on dis-
play. Consider the potential savings: If a cafe eliminated
the use of just 45 packets of sugar per day, it would save
16,335 wrappers annually. This amounts to a financial sav-
ings of about $190 each year and saves about 115 pounds
of paper.32 If you don’t feel you can eliminate sugar pack-
ets entirely, consider keeping them behind the counter so
they’re used on an ask-only basis.
Salt, pepper, and other condiments. Just as with sugar,
get rid of pesky packets—condiments look nicer in con-
tainers. Keep a few packets behind the counter for those
customers who request them for take-away orders.
Chocolate, cinnamon, and spices. Most cafes only of-
fer these in refillable glass containers—make sure you’re
among them!
Tea. Carry bulk tea to save on the packaging associated
with individually wrapped teabags. Bulk tea can be beauti-
fully displayed in nice-looking containers.
Beer. If your cafe serves alcohol consider serving draught
beer, which saves glass bottles and cans from needing to
be recycled later.

32 Estimates based on field data shared by Clean Water Fund. ReThink Disposable: Stop Waste Before It Starts. www.rethinkdisposable.org .

14
Straws. Instead of offering individually wrapped straws, buy
a straw dispenser to hold unwrapped straws. There are also
handsome paper straws available nowadays, which can go
in a dispenser and potentially be composted. Keep in mind
the option of offering straws only to those who request
them instead of leaving them out. Consider the potential
savings: For a cafe that uses 50 straws per day, switching
to a dispenser would eliminate 18,150 paper wrappers per
year (three pounds of paper). It would save about $10 an-
nually after the purchase of a dispenser, which retails for
about $18.50.33
Napkins. Keep your napkins in a dispenser that ensures
only one napkin comes out at a time, instead of a handful.
Consider the potential savings: A cafe that eliminates 55
napkins per day would save approximately 19,800 napkins
in a year (217 pounds of paper). This would also save about
$199 per year after the purchase of a dispenser (they retail
for about $4).34
Water. The ultimate example of serving in “bulk” is serv-
ing tap water in pitchers or urns with reusable glasses as
an alternative to bottled water. This is an excellent way to
show customers that you are dedicated to going green and
preventing waste. If you have concerns about taste, you
can filter tap water onsite and/or consider adding bubbles:
there are great machines for carbonating tap water (if you
charge for bubbly water, this can be an easy revenue source
as well). Also consider selling reusable water bottles with
your cafe’s brand on them. Stainless steel bottles are du-
rable, look nice, and are recyclable. Use reusable cups next
to your tap water instead of paper or plastic for additional
environmental and cost savings.

33 Assuming cafe is open 363 days/year. Estimates based on field data shared by Clean Water Fund. ReThink Disposable: Stop Waste Before It
Starts. www.rethinkdisposable.org.
34 Assuming cafe is open 360 days/year. Estimates based on field data shared by Clean Water Fund. ReThink Disposable: Stop Waste Before It
Starts. www.rethinkdisposable.org.

15
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
A NOTE ON PLASTIC BOTTLES
Buy
What about other drinks like soda, juice, and ener-
recycled-content
gy drinks? When it comes to beverage containers,
products
plastic bottles carry a heavy environmental impact
through their production and disposal. If you stock
grab-n-go drinks, consider purchasing ones in alumi-
num cans and glass bottles, which are more widely
recycled and more efficient to produce from recycled
Recycled-content paper. This kind of paper saves virgin content. You might also look into ways to encourage
trees, minimizing waste at the source. Items such as paper customers to bring bottles back, such as through a
towels, toilet paper, napkins, cups, sleeves, pastry bags, bottle deposit program, or invest in bottle conversion
sandwich wrap, take-out bags, and coffee cups can all be programs where certain companies produce microfi-
purchased with recycled content. When possible, purchase bers from recovered plastic bottles.
paper products made from 100 percent postconsumer Do away with bottled water
waste, or purchase paper that carries a certification verify- Why? Consider these reasons:
ing the recycled content and/or responsible forestry man- Production. In 2007, the United States used the en-
agement scheme, such as the Forest Stewardship Coun- ergy equivalent of 32 million barrels of oil to produce
cil’s (FSC) certification. Why bother? More details are in the plastic water bottles and 54 million barrels of oil to
Recycling section below, but consider the following facts: transport them—enough to fuel about 1.5 million
• 544,000 trees would be saved if every household in the cars for a year.37
United States replaced just one roll of virgin-fiber paper Disposal. North Americans use 2.5 million plastic
towels (70 sheets) with a roll made from 100 percent bottles every hour, most of which are thrown away.38
postconsumer waste.35 Most plastic water bottles are made from polyethyl-
• In 2006, Starbucks switched to cups with 10 percent ene terephthalate (PET) plastic, and even though it is
recycled content, which reduced their cups’ environ- widely recyclable, in 2011 about 71 percent of PET
mental impacts and helped to make recycled-content water bottles still ended up in landfills or incinera-
cups more widely available. In 2012, Starbucks intro- tors—or worse, our oceans.39
duced their new hot-cup EarthSleeve. Made from 85 Water quality. There is no assurance that bottled
percent postconsumer content, Starbucks estimates water is any cleaner or safer than tap water.40 Tap wa-
they save 100,000 trees per year.36 ter in the United States is subject to more stringent
Recycled-content plastic (e.g., trash bags). Use trash safety regulations than bottled water; there are no
bags made from recycled, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) regulations or labeling requirements for bottled water
instead of ones from low-density polyethylene (LDPE or LL- related to parasites, pathogens, or synthetic organic
DPE). They contain fewer raw materials and work equally as chemicals such as phthalates. 41, 42
well for most uses.

35 Natural Resources Defense Council. A Shopper’s Guide to Home Tissue Products. http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp.
36 Starbucks Coffee Company. Cups and Materials – Innovation in Recycling and Food Packaging. http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment/cups-and-materials.
37 Food & Water Watch. Bottled Water Costs Consumers and the Environment. http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled/bottled-water-bad-for-people-and-the-environment/.
38 A Recycling Revolution. Metal & eWaste Recycling. http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html.
39 US EPA. Resource Conservation. Plastics. http://www.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/plastics.htm.
40 Food & Water Watch. “Bottled Water Costs Consumers and the Environment.” http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled/bottled-water-bad-for-people-and-the-environment/.
41 Food & Water Watch. “Bottled Water Costs Consumers and the Environment.” http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/bottled/bottled-water-bad-for-people-and-the-environment/.
42 Natural Resources Defense Council. Bottled Water. http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/qbw.asp.

16
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
SOURCE REDUCTION
mos
t pre
ferre

FEED HUNGRY PEOPLE

d

FEED ANIMALS

INDUSTRIAL USES

COMPOSTING
leas
t pre

INCINERATION OR
ferre

LANDFILL
d

(source: EPA’s food recovery hierarchy)

TIPS TO REDUCE AND PREVENT ORGANIC WASTE (FOOD WASTE)

Check out the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy above to see that the most important thing you can do to reduce food waste
is to prevent that waste in the first place. Hmmm…sound familiar?

17
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
REDUCING PRECONSUMER FOOD WASTE
Preconsumer waste includes items in the back of the house
and also those items merchandised in the front of the house
but not received by the customer. In a coffeehouse, typical
examples include unsold pastries, left-over deli items that
can’t be sold and brewed coffee that does not get sold.
Keep the pastry case neat. As items such as pastries
sell throughout the day, move them onto smaller plates or
containers to keep supplies looking bountiful even as they
dwindle. Customers will be more likely to buy them if they
seem fresh and plentiful.
Use ingredients in multiple dishes. Design your menu
to have multiple-use ingredients; if an ingredient can only
be used for a certain dish, it is more likely to spoil or expire
before being used up.
Calibrate your oven. Keep oven equipment calibrated to
prevent over-baking, since it’s likely that overbaked goods
will get thrown away.
Reuse coffee. Consider using leftover coffee for making
iced coffee—either coffee that was brewed that day and
didn’t sell, or making fresh coffee from roasted beans that
haven’t sold by their sell-by date.
Check produce. Check your produce deliveries carefully
for rotten or damaged product, and return any substandard
product. If your provider regularly delivers produce that
“turns” quickly or is damaged, consider switching to anoth-
er provider that is more attentive to freshness and quality
Prevent spoilage. Store raw vegetables and other perish-
ables in reusable airtight containers to prevent unnecessary
dehydration and spoilage. Adjust inventory levels and ro-
tate perishable stock at every delivery to minimize waste
due to spoilage.

18
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
MINIMIZING POSTCONSUMER FOOD WASTE
Postconsumer waste, also known as “plate waste,” includes
items left or discarded by the guest. Examples include food
left on plates, unused condiments, and leftover beverages.
Right-size your portions. Are you serving more than your
customers can eat? One critical way to minimize waste
is through portion control—serving the correct amount of
food. Consider reducing the size of your portions or offering
half-sized portions on the menu so that your customers are
not throwing the excess food away.
Use the appropriate serving dishes. Choose your plate
and/or bowl sizes so that they match your portions well and
help food appear plentiful.
Make some ingredients optional. Train your staff to ask
customers about optional ingredients. For instance, don’t
automatically put onions on your bagel-with-lox only to
watch the customer pick them off.

KEY FOR MINIMIZING ALL TYPES OF FOOD WASTE:

TRAINING
Your staff are the ones preparing food, so they will be inte-
gral to any effort to reduce food waste. It’s important both
to train them to notice waste where it is occurring and to
encourage them to take action to reduce it.
Trim carefully. Train staff when prepping food to only trim off
what is not needed, like when cutting fresh fruit and veggies.
Rotate to avoid spoilage. Make sure staff help keep your
refrigerated and dry storage areas arranged to facilitate
easy product access and rotation. Always rotate the old-
est items to the front so they don’t have a chance go bad
before they can be used.
Consider joining the EPA’s Food Waste Recovery Challenge,
which provides free technical assistance to businesses
that commit to reducing the amount of food they send
to landfills. This assistance can support your community,
help your business save money, and reduce your cafe’s
environmental impact.
See: www.epa.gov/foodrecoverychallenge

19
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
THE SECOND R: REUSE
Striving to reuse items in your cafe and promote reuse DID YOU KNOW...?
among customers goes hand-in-hand with many of the
source-reduction tips above, since reuse helps reduce the A typical ceramic mug is used between 1,000 and
net amount of waste generated by your cafe. 2,000 times in its lifespan (and is designed for up
to 3,000 uses), compared with a single-use paper
Check out Clean Water Actions’s ReThink Disposable cam-
cup used for only a few minutes before being dis-
paign for a great example of how organizations and cities
carded.43, 44, 45
are taking action to prevent waste by promoting reuse in-
stead of take-out containers. Every year, Americans throw away enough paper
www.cleanwater.org/ca/rethinkdisposable and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the
equator 300 times.46

TIPS FOR REUSE

Reuse during build-out. For new cafes, the design and An exception—appliances. Buying used appliances (e.g.,
build-out phase is an excellent time to make conscious fridges, ice machines, etc.) can be an exception to the prin-
efforts to prevent waste and show your customers your ciple of reuse. While it may seem like a great way to reuse,
commitment to sustainability. Wood, windows, and other the cost of operating an old appliance can be significantly
materials can be sourced from salvage yards and reuse greater compared with a new energy-efficient model and
centers. Incorporating reused items in the interior design of may cost more in the long run. See the Food Service Tech-
your cafe makes it unique and interesting. Try to choose a nology Center’s website for the latest information related to
designer and contractor who are excited to make the effort. kitchen appliances, including tips on comparing old models
to new ones: www.fishnick.com
Use salvaged wood and materials for counters, tables,
or other furniture. For example, O Cafe in New York City
DAILY REUSE IN THE CAFE
used reclaimed wood from a barn to construct two walls in
Menus. Use a chalkboard menu instead of paper menus, or
the front of the house and used leftover scraps to build their
laminate paper menus so they can be used over and over.
community board. Actual Cafe in Oakland, CA used wood-
en slabs from a nearby university’s discarded lab tables to Implement an “ask first” policy. Staff can help train each
construct their countertops and tables. Their planters were other to get in the habit of always asking first if a customer
made from old cast iron urinals and their signs were made wants their order “for here” to minimize the use of take-
of salvaged windows sourced from reuse centers or scrap away products. For food orders, have staff ask the custom-
yards. Even their pendant lamps were made from old bot- er if they need items such as disposable cutlery, napkins,
tles. and bags rather than automatically including them.

Buy used furniture. Thanks to craigslist and other online Mugs. Encourage customers to bring reusable mugs for
reuse resources, many cafes are filled with used furniture. their coffee (see below for examples and possible incen-
For example, Mission Pie in San Francisco has a long tives). Implement a “no disposables behind the counter”
wooden church pew that guests can pull up to sit at a large rule and have employees use ceramic mugs and tableware
farm table (also bought used). for their drinks and food.

43 Brinkwire. “Ideasbynet reveals that the average mug is used over 2000 times”. January 25, 2011. http://en.brinkwire.com/2082.
44 Green Research. “Reusable vs. Disposable Cups: Saving Money and Energy.” July 6, 2009. http://greenresearch.com/2009/07/16/reusable-vs-disposable-cups-saving-money-and-energy/.
45 Alliance for Environmental Innovation. “Report of the Starbucks Coffee Company/Alliance for Environmental Innovation Joint Task Force.” April 15, 2000. http://business.edf.org/sites/business.edf.org/files/starbucks-report-april2000.pdf.
46 Wills, Amanda. “Recycling To-Go Plastics.” June 21, 2010. Earth911. http://earth911.com/news/2010/06/21/recycling-to-goplastics/.

20
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
Glass jars. Try serving some items like desserts or cold food banks. Make sure to call ahead and comply with local
drinks in attractive glass jars that can be taken to go but regulations and health codes. Also check with your tax ad-
reused in customer’s homes. You can add the price of the visor about possible tax benefits from donating. Other food
jar to the menu item, and even implement a reuse incentive and scraps can be donated to local farmers for feeding ani-
so if customers bring the jar back they receive a discount mals, which has additional environmental benefits because
or reward. it mitigates the carbon footprint associated with growing
food to feed those animals.
Coffee tins. If you sell coffee beans, consider selling alu-
minum coffee tins (with your brand, ideally) so that regular Fats, oils, and grease (FOGs). FOGs can also be donated.
customers can refill their tin each week, saving on the use When FOGs are poured down the drain they can clog sew-
of traditional paper and/or aluminum coffee bags. ers, which can back up a city’s sewer system. This leads to
costly repair, public health concerns, and even sewer over-
Sleeves. Encourage drink-sleeve reuse by providing a well-
flows into streets or local water bodies. Food-handling busi-
signed place for customers to drop used sleeves so that
nesses are a significant source of FOGs, and can do their
others may use them again.
part to mitigate this problem by collecting FOGs properly
Food waste. Donating food waste is a kind of reuse—the and seeking out biodiesel companies or programs to do-
cafe isn’t able to use the food and figures out how to repur- nate to. For example: San Francisco’s SF Greasecycle pro-
pose it. Leftover preconsumer food waste (such as day-old gram picks up used cooking oils from local restaurants at
pastries and unneeded produce) can be donated to local no cost and turns it into biodeisel to run city vehicle fleets.47

47 San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Community, Water Pollution Prevention, SF Greasecycle. http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=156.

21
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
REUSE IN THE OFFICE Likewise, charities may be interested in your extra card-
Printers and copiers. Keep a stack of previously used pa- board boxes, or you can post them for free online or on
per near the printer. Use it for drafts, scratch paper, or inter- your cafe’s bulletin board—chances are high someone in
nal memos. Make two-sided printing and copying the norm. the community will want them for moving or storage.
If you can’t set your printer and copier to make double-sid- Marketing materials. As mentioned above with other pa-
ed prints, post a diagram on the machine that shows how to per products, when printing brochures or other promotion-
load paper manually for double-sided printing. al materials, try to use recycled-content paper or paper
Mailing and packaging. Reuse packaging materials (such that carries a certification that it is sourced from responsi-
as cardboard boxes, mailing envelopes, bubble wrap, clean bly managed forests.
plastic, and paper bags) when shipping non-food items. Unwanted items. Donate any of the cafe’s unwanted but
Reuse old newspapers instead of purchasing new packag- usable items—including furniture, supplies, or electron-
ing materials. If you have packing peanuts or other packing ics—to schools, churches, libraries, homeless shelters, or
material you can’t use, donate it to pack-and-ship stores. nonprofit organizations so they can be reused.

22
There are many ways that cafes have created incentives for
customers to bring their own mugs instead of using paper
take-away cups. Here are some great examples used by
real cafes.

Sell branded travel

mugs.
Offer a free drink with the
initial purchase.

ENCOURAGING
CUSTOMERS TO
BRING THEIR OWN
MUGS Provide a discount.
From $0.10 to $0.25 is
common. Charge the customer
the price of a small coffee.
Charge for a small no matter
what size mug they bring in.

Connect the incentive to

supporting a favorite local
charity.
Charge an extra fee for the For example, when customers bring
paper cup. their own cup, the business makes a
$.25 donation to the charity it chooses.
Typically cafes charge $0.10. While this It could be run like an ongoing contest
is using the “stick” versus the “carrot,” it —have customers try to beat the
can be successful in significantly reducing previous week’s save-a-cup totals.
the use of paper cups. A neighborhood
cafe in Oakland, California, saw its use
of paper cups drop by 30 percent after
implementing a similar policy.

Connect reuse to charity.

Connect bringing your own Sell travel mugs that are
mug with a customer loyalty cobranded with a favorite
program. charity and donate the profits
of mug sales to the charity.
O Cafe in New York City developed their
“conscious customer card” to reward
regular customers for bringing their own
mug. After a customer brings his or her
mug six times, the seventh cup of coffee
is free. Customers who come every
day with their own mug get a
special reward at the end of the
week!

23
 Customers care. The study by Starbucks and the Alli-
WHY CUT DOWN ON THE USE OF
ance for Environmental Innovation surveyed customers and
PAPER CUPS? found that 82 percent liked the idea of reusable cups. When
Trash in landfills. Americans throw out about 58 billion pa- they were asked why, 59 percent noted the environmental
per coffee cups per year. That’s in addition to the 25 billion benefits.52
Styrofoam coffee cups tossed annually.48
WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T SERVE DRINKS IN
Litter. A 2011 study of litter by the Clean Water Fund found DOUBLE PAPER CUPS!
that disposable beverage packaging comprised 19 percent
of the waste collected.49 Doubling up on cups literally doubles the solid waste you
generate per cup of coffee. Stick to coffee sleeves, which
Climate change. One study estimated that a ceramic mug are reusable, recyclable, and often made from recycled
emits 28 times less emissions than a paper cup based on content.
assumptions that a ceramic cup is used 500 times versus
a single-use paper cup (taking into account the production,
REAL STORIES FROM A REAL CAFE:
transport, washing, and disposal of each).50
Incentivizing reusable cups not only saves on waste,
Longevity. Lifecycle analyses of ceramic and paper cups it saves money. A waste assessment done on a cafe
vary, but a study by Starbucks and the Alliance for Environ- in San Jose, California, estimated that if the cafe
mental Innovation found that after just 70 uses, the environ- were to incentivize reusable cups with customers
mental benefits of using a ceramic mug (i.e., reduced solid (assuming a 10-25 percent participation rate), the
waste, energy use, and air and water pollution) start accru- cafe could:
ing. Considering that the average ceramic mug will be used
• Use 554 to 1,385 fewer cups and lids and 1,950
a minimum of 1,000 times, it offers huge environmental and to 4,875 fewer sleeves annually (saving 21.8 to
cost savings.51 54.6 pounds of waste)
Save money. Paper cups cost money to purchase and to • Save from $63 to $159 annually—less the cost of
dispose of. So, fewer paper cups equals money in your the incentive53
pocket.

48 Mazzoni, Mary. “Reusable Replacement: Your Morning Coffee.” September 7, 2012. Earth911. http://earth911.com/news/ 2012/09/07/reusable-replacements-for-coffee-drinkers/.
49 Clean Water Action. “Taking Out the Trash: A Source Reduction Pilot Project. Report on Phase 1, Monitoring Results.” 2011. http://www.cleanwater.org/files/publications/ca/TOTT%20Final%20Combined.PDF.
50 Refiller. “Lifecycle Assessment: Reusable Mugs Versus Disposable Cups.” April 25, 2013. www.refiller.ch/download/pictures/8e/.../refiller_coffee_comparison.pdf.
51 Alliance for Environmental Innovation. “Report of the Starbucks Coffee Company/Alliance for Environmental Innovation Joint Task Force.” April 15, 2000. http://business.edf.org/sites/business.edf.org/files/starbucks-report-april2000.pdf.
52 Alliance for Environmental Innovation. “Report of the Starbucks Coffee Company/Alliance for Environmental Innovation Joint Task Force. “ April 15, 2000. http://business.edf.org/sites/business.edf.org/files/starbucks-report-april2000.pdf.
53 Clean Water Fund. ReThink Disposable: Stop Waste Before It Starts. www.rethinkdisposable.org.

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 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
DID YOU KNOW...?

THE THIRD R: RECYCLE Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to
keep a 100-watt bulb burning for almost four hours or
Purchasing products made from recycled materials is a your television running for three hours.54 Surveys by
great way to make a difference. If you buy recycled prod- the National Restaurant Association have found that
ucts in addition to recycling in your business you are clos- 74 percent of restaurants use a back-of-the-house
ing the recycling loop. Just as with compostable products recycling program and 43 percent have recycling in
(see Rot section below), the key is to gain a better under- the front of the house for customers. The association
standing of these products and materials overall, and then also found that 85 percent of customers are willing to
decide which are the best fit for your business. sort recyclables into designated bins.55

TIPS FOR RECYCLING ANALYZE YOUR PURCHASING PRACTICES

Know what’s recyclable locally. Recycling practices vary (also see Reduce section above)
tremendously by city, town, and waste hauler. So the most Examine the packaging that comes with the products you
important thing you can do is to check with your city and/ commonly purchase and call your supplier if their products
or hauler to make sure you are clear on what items in your are not in recyclable or reusable packaging. Whether you
commercial business can be recycled. This information purchase through a supplier or at a store, seriously consider
should be clearly shared on your city or hauler’s website. changing what you buy if it’s not in recyclable or reusable
packaging. Standing true to your commitment will show
MAKE IT EASY FOR YOUR STAFF suppliers and other companies that you mean business and
Make sure employees understand what items can be placed is the kind of action that makes change happen.
in the recycling bin. Connect this with your general waste
reduction plan or a reward system. Tips for training include: REAL STORIES FROM A REAL CAFE:
Designate recycling gurus. Some employees get really MadCap Coffee in Grand Rapids, Michigan took on
into recycling and they can help make sure your cafe’s the goal of being a zero-waste cafe and manages to
waste ends up in the proper bins with clear and effective divert all of the cafe’s waste from the landfill. They
signage. send their large recyclable items like cardboard and
Invite guest experts. Ask your hauler or city environmen- milk jugs to the county recycling center. Items that
tal department if they can do a presentation for your staff are not accepted by the county, like lids for to-go
at one of your staff meetings. When staff understand why cups, paper products, napkins, and batteries, go to a
waste diversion matters and where waste ends up, they local recycling business called Tree Huggers that ac-
tend to be more invested in making it work well. cepts them. The cafe’s food waste, coffee grounds,
and other compostable items are picked up by Or-
Share interesting facts. Facts about recycling (listed be-
ganicycle, a West Michigan company whose main
low and throughout this module) can help motivate your
purpose is to provide efficient curbside composting
staff. Most people don’t realize how much energy is saved
to assist businesses in becoming landfill-free.
and waste is avoided by recycling even one aluminum can.
How do they make it work? In the front of the house,
MAKE IT EASY FOR CUSTOMERS BY there are no trash cans. Instead, customers place
POSTING CLEAR SIGNAGE dishes and waste in bus tubs to be sorted in back
If you have front-of-the-house recycling bins, make sure by MadCap’s trained staff. Sound like a lot of work?
signs are really clear so customers can sort waste effective- Indeed it is. But they’ve reached their zero-waste
ly. Ask your keen employees to make the signs or suggest goals and are showing others all about the four R’s.
ideas that will be easy for your customers to understand. As MadCap explains on the company blog, “It’s little
steps like this that can encourage others to take a
look at the bigger picture.”
54 Earth911. “Facts about Aluminum Recycling.” http://earth911.com/recycling/facts-about-aluminum-recycling/.
55 National Restaurant Association. Industry Impact. Recycling & Waste Reduction. http://www.restaurant.org/Industry-Impact/Conservation/Recycling.

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 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
CARDBOARD
Old cardboard boxes are commonly ac-
cepted by recycling programs to make
new cardboard and other paper products.
• Recycling one ton of cardboard
ALUMINIUM saves 460 gallons of oil.60
• Nearly everything aluminum can be made
• Nine cubic yards of landfill space is
from recycled aluminum.
saved by recycling one ton of card-
• Aluminum recycling is one of the most ef- board.61
ficient forms of recycling. Recycling an
aluminum can is a simple process that re-
quires 95 percent less energy than making
a new one.56
PAPER
• Recycling aluminum creates 97 percent Non-glossy paper can be recycled into several prod-
less water pollution than making new metal ucts including newspaper, bathroom tissue, and kitty
from ore.57 litter.
• The EPA estimates that producing a recycled pa-
per product requires only 60 percent of the energy
required to create one from fresh wood pulp.62
• Recycling paper requires only half the water nor-
mally used in processing paper from virgin wood.63
THE SCOOP ON • Some cities like Seattle accept clean paper cof-
COMMONLY RECYCLABLE PRODUCTS fee cups for recycling, which could spur huge
Understanding the materials that can typically be recycled changes in the retail coffee industry if the prac-
can help shape your recycling program. In addition, it will tice becomes more widely available. Starbucks is
help you inform your customers about the environmental a big proponent and has implement a goal for all
savings associated with your cafe’s recycling practices. the communities where it owns stores to be able
Note that recycling options vary depending on your city to recycle coffee cups by 2015.64,65
and/or waste hauler’s practices.

GLASS
Glass can be reused an infinite number of times and anything made of glass can
be recycled into new glass products.
• Recycling glass is 33 percent more energy efficient than manufacturing new
glass.58
• The energy saved by recycling one glass bottle can light a 100-watt light
bulb for four hours or run a computer for 30 minutes.59

56 US EPA. “Resource Conservation Tools for Local Government Recycling Programs: Communicating the Benefits of Recycling.” http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/tools/localgov/benefits/.
57 Clean Air Council. “Waste and Recycling Facts.” http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html.
58 The Economist. “The Truth about Recycling.” The Economist Technology Quarterly. June 9, 2007. http://www.economist.com/node/9249262.
59 Clean Air Council. “Waste and Recycling Facts.” http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html.
60 Food Service Warehouse. “Benefits of Recycling in the Commercial Kitchen.” http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/going-green/benefits-of-recycling-in-the-commercial-kitchen/c28135.aspx.
61 City of Thousand Oaks, California. “Waste Management Recycling Facts and Tips.” http://www.wm.com/location/california/ventura-county/thousand-oaks/recycle/facts.jsp.
62 Kazmeyer, Milton. Home Guides by Demand Media. “How Much Energy Does Recycling Save?” http://homeguides.sfgate.com/much-energy-recycling-save-79720.html.
63 Kazmeyer, Milton. Home Guides by Demand Media. “How Much Energy Does Recycling Save?” http://homeguides.sfgate.com/much-energy-recycling-save-79720.html.
64 City of Seattle, Seattle Public Utilities. “Paper Plates and Cups.” http://www.seattle.gov/util/MyServices/LookItUpWhatsAccepted/Paper/Misc.Paper/PaperPlatesCups/index.htm.
65 Starbucks Coffee Company. “Recycling and Reducing Waste.” http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment/recycling.

26
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
STEEL
• Steel is considered to have a never-ending
lifecycle: It can be recycled forever and is the
most recycled material in the world.72
• Every day in America, 100 million steel cans
are used; many of these reach nearly 100 per-
cent recycled content.73
PLASTIC
• Plastic is made from petroleum and • Using recycled steel instead of virgin materials
natural gas, which are limited resources. reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 80 per-
Plastic in landfills represents the waste of cent and energy requirements by 75 percent.74
a resource that could be used to produce
heat, fuel, or electricity.
• Plastic bags and other plastic garbage
kill as many as a million sea creatures ev-
ery year.66,67 Marine debris accumulates
in several locations where ocean currents STYROFOAM
converge, creating massive garbage- • Polystyrene foam (aka Styrofoam) manufactur-
patch gyres comprised predominately of ing produces high levels of ozone, a dangerous
microplastic debris.68 air pollutant whose long-term exposure causes
• Plastic tends to weaken during repro- lung and immune system damage.75
cessing so generally must be down- • Heating food in contact with foam leeches
cycled, meaning it is turned into lower- health-damaging chemicals into the food.67
grade plastic, which is used to make new • Polystyrene foam does not biodegrade in the
materials or products of lesser quality. foreseeable future—it takes hundreds or thou-
• Despite its drawbacks, downcycling sands of years to break down.
plastic is still 70 percent more efficient • Some cities allow the recycling of some kinds
than creating new plastic.69 of polystyrene foam, but very little of it is actual-
• Recycling plastic saves twice as much ly recycled. Of the Styrofoam that does get re-
energy as burning it in an incinerator.70 cycled, it is rarely the kind used in food-service
Recycling one plastic bottle can save packaging. For example, in California, only 0.8
enough energy to power a 60-watt light percent of all Styrofoam is recycled, and only
bulb for six hours.71 0.2 of that is polystyrene foam used in food-
service packaging.76

66 A Recycling Revolution. “Aluminum Recycling Facts.” http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html.

67 US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service. Office of Response and Restoration. “How Big Is the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’? Science vs. Myth.” updated February 7, 2013. http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/how-big-
great-pacific-garbage-patch-science-vs-myth.html.
68 Smithsonian Ocean Portal. “Ocean Trash Plaguing Our Sea.” http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/ocean-trash-plaguing-our-sea.
69 Horton, Jennifer. “What One Thing Should I be Recycling?” HowStuffWorks. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/recycle-one-thing1.htm.
70 A Recycling Revolution. “Aluminum Recycling Facts.” http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html.
71 Bureau of International Recycling. “Recycling Plastics.” http://www.bir.org/industry/plastics/.
72 Earth911. “Facts About Steel Recycling.” http://earth911.com/recycling/facts-about-steel-recycling/.
73 Earth911. “Facts About Steel Recycling.” http://earth911.com/recycling/facts-about-steel-recycling/.
74 Steel Recycling Facts. “Steel, Composite and Plastic Packaging Recycling Facts.” http://steelrecyclingfacts.com/.
75 Earth Resource Foundation. Polystyrene Foam Report. http://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html
76 Clean Water Action. “Facts about Styrofoam Litter (Expanded Polystyrene Foam).” http://www.cleanwater.org/files/publications/ca/cwa_fact_sheet_polystyrene_litter_2011_03.pdf.

27
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
THE FOURTH R:
ROT (COMPOST)
By definition, compost is “a mixture of various decaying or-
ganic substances, such as dead leaves or manure, used
for fertilizing soil.”77 In essence, composting turns organic
waste into a valuable soil amendment, so that it is ultimately
recycled back into plant matter.

WHY COMPOST?
It’s great for crops. Compost is full of nutrients that are
good for growing anything from grapes for wine to plants
DID YOU KNOW...?
for landscaping, and has been shown to promote higher
yields of agricultural crops and to control weeds. According to the EPA, food scraps make up the
second-largest component of municipal solid waste
It’s great for soil. Soil that receives compost has been
in the United States—a whopping 14.1 percent of
shown to retain higher amounts of moisture and air, thus
all garbage.78 In 2011, only four percent of food
requiring less irrigation and preventing erosion. It also has
waste was diverted from landfills and incinerators
been shown to suppress plant diseases and pests. Cof-
for composting.79
fee grounds are excellent for compost; helping to improve
soil structure and providing high levels of nitrogen, a major Curbside composting programs are being prac-
plant nutrient.83 ticed by more than 150 communities across the Unit-
ed States, including Portland, Oregon, Boulder, Colo-
It keeps landfills from growing. This one is a no-brainer
rado, Salt Lake City, Utah, San Antonio, Texas, and
if you’ve been reading up to this point! Composting means
Seattle, Washington—and the number is growing.80
fewer materials in landfills, which emit methane. Compost
decomposes in an aerobic process—oxygen is present— In Europe, the picture is better: In 2011, the 27
and thus odors are reduced and there are few methane member countries of the European Union compos-
emissions. ted on average 15 percent of municipal waste, with
It engages your customers. Some cafes provide well- Austria composting 34 percent and the Netherlands
signed compost bins in the front of the house, which en- 28 percent.81 82
gages their customers in green practices and helps to raise
awareness about waste. For cafes that only compost in the
back of the house, clear signage is also important for your
staff, and you can still inform customers about your kitchen
composting practices with a creative sign near the bus bins
or condiment station. You can also give coffee grounds to
customers who compost and/or garden at home (see below
for details).

77 Dicionary.com. “Compost Definition.” http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/compost?s=t.

78 US EPA, Office of Solid Waste. Municipal Solid Waste in the United States – 2009 Facts and Figures. December 2010. http://www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2009rpt.pdf.
79 US EPA. Resource Conservation – Food Waste. http://www.epa.gov/foodrecovery/.
80 Levitan, Dave. “Recycling’s ‘Final Frontier’: The Composting of Food Waste.” Environment 360. August 8, 2013. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/recyclings_final_frontier_the_composting_of_food_waste/2678/.
81 Levitan, Dave. “Recycling’s ‘Final Frontier’: The Composting of Food Waste.” Environment 360. August 8, 2013. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/recyclings_final_frontier_the_composting_of_food_waste/2678/.
82 Eurostat Press Office, Environmental Data Centre on Waste. “In 2011, 40% of treated municipal waste was recycled or composted, up from 27% in 2001.” Eurostat Newsrelease. March 4, 2013. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/8-04032013-BP/EN/8-04032013-BP-EN.PDF.
83 Oregon State University Extension Service. http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/documents/cffee07.pdf.

28
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
TABLE 1. COMPOSTING: COMMONLY ACCEPTED MATERIALS

Commonly Accepted Sometimes Accepted Usually Not Accepted Never Accepted

Egg Shells

Coffee Grounds Dairy Products Polystyrene Foam (Styrofoam)

Coffee Filters Meats, Poultry and Fish “Compostable” Cutlery Ceramic Dishware or Glassware
(see below) Foil- or Plastic-backed Paper
Vegetable and Fruit Scraps Some Certified Compostable Cups
Foodservice Takeaway Products Petroleum-based, Plastic-coat- Plastic and Petroleum-based
Landscaping Yard Waste
(waxcoated only) ed Products including Products
Cut Flowers Polyethylene-coated Paper Cups
Food-soiled Paper Products
Glass, Aluminum, Metal, and
Tea leaves not in Tea Bags without Plastic Coating
(Napkins, Towels, Cups, other Products
Take-out containers)

TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND

COMPOSTING Costs vary greatly. Depending on your location and haul-
Call your city and/or hauler. First make sure to call your ing options, composting may cost you more or it may ulti-
city or state environmental office and/or your waste hauler mately save you money. Check with your city—some offer
to see if commercial composting is available in your area. In financial incentives to encourage businesses to compost
some cities, private haulers offer compost services to busi- and/or recycle. Consider teaming up with other food ven-
nesses separate from regular trash and recycling pick-ups. dors in the neighborhood and choosing a composting haul-
Check online. Other local organizations in your area might er that will negotiate group pricing. For example, Peregrine
offer composting services. Espresso (see “Real Stories of a Real Cafe” below) has one
Check out www.findacomposter.com. 84 location in a marketplace where waste from all the vendors
is consolidated, and they have initiated negotiations to get
Connect with local farmers. Look online or go to the near-
one compost hauler for the whole marketplace. This is the
est farmers’ market to find a farm that might accept food
kind of commitment, innovation, and cooperation that can
compostables from cafes. Make sure you understand ex-
gain momentum and make waste diversion easier for many
actly what items the farm will accept for its compost.
types of businesses.
Offer spent coffee grounds to customers. According to
There are ways to compost without paying more. As
an analysis by Offsetters in Vancouver, British Columbia, 24
mentioned above, you can divert coffee grounds from the
percent of a 400 gram bag of coffee’s carbon footprint is re-
trash to be composted by customers, even if commercial
lated to the disposal of coffee and coffee grounds. You can
food waste composting isn’t possible in your area. Some
provide grounds to your customers who have a green
cafes purchase a mix of compostable take-away goods
thumb. It can work well to put grounds into reused five-
and recyclable conventional products to minimize the typi-
pound coffee bags with an accompanying sign and edu-
cally higher price tag of the compostable products. For ex-
cational article about the benefits of using spent grounds
ample, you could carry conventional plastic cold cups that
in gardens. It’s a great way to maintain relationships with
are accepted in your local recycling program, but also carry
customers and be involved with your community. Check
compostable paper hot cups. These decisions are highly
out Salt Spring Coffee’s program in Vancouver for a list of
dependent on your local waste hauling options and your
suggestions on other ideas on using coffee grounds:
suppliers, but remember that creativity can go a long way.
www.saltspringcoffee.com/planet/sustainability/our-
giving-grounds-program
Train staff. Once you arrange pick-up for your composta-
WHAT CAN BE COMPOSTED?
ble waste, train staff to sort compostable items from other The million-dollar question! Unfortunately, as with recycling,
waste. Clear signage is important for both staff and cus- the answer varies dramatically depending on your town and
tomers to ensure that material is separated properly. waste hauler. Table 1 lays out some general guidelines you
should know regardless of what is available in your geo-
84 This link is provided for educational purposes only and does not imply endorsement from the SCAA.
graphic area.
29
 Compostable means that the product must meet com-
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT
posting standards set by the American Society for Testing
PRODUCTS LABELED and Materials (ASTM). “Under a managed composting pro-
BIODEGRADABLE OR COMPOSTABLE gram, the product must 1) break down to carbon dioxide,
“Eco-friendly” take-away products, including cups, lids, water, inorganic compounds, and biomass at a rate similar
plates, clamshells, and cutlery, are a growing segment of to paper, 2) disintegrate into small pieces within 90 days, so
the market because they offer an alternative to petroleum- that the original product is not visually distinguishable in the
based plastics and conventional paper products. compost, and 3) leave no toxic residue.” 85
In most areas, these products cost significantly more than
Biodegradable is a more vague term, because one could
their traditional counterparts. Yet with so many cities en-
argue that almost everything is biodegradable within a few
acting waste diversion goals, there is growing demand for
hundred years (although Styrofoam and some plastics are
products that can be diverted from our landfills. However,
estimated to take longer, if ever, to biodegrade). According
it is important to understand just how eco-friendly certain
to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Green Guide, a
products are, because there is a increasing variance in the
product or package qualifies as biodegradable if it “com-
types of products being manufactured and each has both
pletely breaks down and returns to nature, decomposing
pros and cons, making their relationship to composting
into elements found in nature within a reasonably short pe-
complicated.
riod of time after customary disposal.”86 The FTC is making
UNDERSTAND THE LABELS efforts to crack down on deceptive marketing claims, and
The term “compostable” is often confused with “biodegrad- there has been proposed legislation in California to make
able” or “bio-based.” These terms are not synonymous, these labels much more clear and distinguishable for the
and unfortunately some businesses market their products consumer.
as biodegradable when they aren’t. This type of marketing Bio-based means that a product is derived from plant mat-
is known as greenwashing—don’t be fooled! And definitely ter and/or renewable biological resources. This term that
watch out for the term natural—its use is not regulated and can also be deceiving on a label, because while a product
it is a classic term used in greenwashing. could be bio-based it is not necessarily compostable, un-
less it is certified as such.

85 World Centric. “Defining ‘Compostable.’” http://worldcentric.org/about-compostables/definition.

86 US FTC. Green Guide-Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims. http://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/greenguides.pdf.

30
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
UNDERSTAND THE MATERIALS
From cornstarch to sugarcane bagasse, there are vast ar-
rays of materials from which alternative disposable prod-
ucts are made. There is still not much independent research
available about these products (most of the published en-
vironmental benefits are provided by the manufacturers of
these products). When it comes to these products, doing
your homework is worth it. Make sure your distributor is
well informed and happy to educate you on the benefits
and drawbacks of each product described below.
Compostable plastic. Most compostable plastics are made
from resins derived from plant materials, such as corn, soy,
and other starches like potato or tapioca. Bioplastics are
designed to be composted in commercial composting fa-
cilities, where high temperatures help break materials down
in 90 to 180 days. Polylactic acid (PLA) is the most popu-
lar of these materials, and products made of PLA or lined
with PLA (such as paper cups) are often accepted in com-
mercial composting facilities. On average, the production of
PLA plastic resin consumes about 50 percent less energy
than the production of resins like polyethylene terephthal-
ate (PET). The production of PLA plastic resin emits only 60
percent as much carbon dioxide as the production of petro-
leum-based resins.87 However, certain compostable plastic
resins can be made from petroleum, methane, or carbon
dioxide. There are even hybrid plant based and petroleum-
based resins in development and coming onto the market.
What to buy? Ideally, buy compostable plastic that is BPI
Certified (see below) and accepted by composters in your
area. If there are no composting options in your area, then
you may still opt to buy compostable plastics because of the
inherent renewability of the resource and because making
them requires less energy and emits less carbon dioxide.

87 Ervin, Vink. “Eco-profiles for Current and Near-future NatureWorks Polylactide (PLA) Production.” NatureWorks. 1 November 2007.
http://delivery.sheridan.com/index.php?ID=GEN_114998_EP-. as cited in World Centric. http://worldcentric.org/aboutcompostables/
materials/plastics.

31
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
IN A NUTSHELL
Not all products that biodegrade can be certified as com-
postable. In order to be considered truly compostable, ma-
terials must break down within a certain time frame and, in
the United States and Canada, must not contain more than
government-mandated levels of heavy metals (i.e., they
must be safe to add to soil).
Who makes sure these requirements are followed? Orga-
nizations like the Biodegradable Packaging Institute, a
nonprofit association of key individuals and groups from
government, industry, and academia, “which promotes the
use and recycling of biodegradable polymeric materials (via
composting).” If a product is labeled BPI-certified, it meets
ASTM standards for compostability.
Agricultural wastes. A variety of products such as plates,
trays, and other take-out containers can be produced using BPI certification is something to look for when purchas-
the waste products from agriculture, including wheat straw, ing products labeled compostable.
sugar cane bagasse, and palm and banana fibers. This pro- However, even though a product might be BPI-certified,
cess gives agricultural waste a second life and prevents the some local composting programs may still reject it because
use of trees or Styrofoam to make these items. Studies of their composting facility has shorter cycles. This reiter-
these products’ environmental impacts have shown that the ates the importance of understanding your local program.
carbon dioxide emissions and energy associated with their For instance, any cafe in San Diego, California that tries to
production is drastically less than with conventional prod- compost with the county program will be unable to include
ucts made of paper or Styrofoam. Estimated environmental BPI-certified products in their waste stream because San
benefits differ according to the product and the study, but Diego’s program only allows food waste.
consider this example: A product made from wheat straw
has been shown to consume one-eighth the energy and
emit half the carbon dioxide compared with the same prod-
uct made from virgin paper.88
Sustainable paper. Many cafes prefer to use tree-sourced
paper products because of factors like appearance, print-
ability, and customer acceptance as well as functional
performance for hot beverages and soups. They are also
typically less expensive. If your cafe falls into this category,
remember that you can still avoid paper products sourced The compostable label builds credibility and recognition for
from virgin forests by instead purchasing products made products that meet the ASTM D6400 and/or D6868 stan-
from recycled postconsumer waste or sourced from re- dards so consumers, composters, regulators and others
sponsibly managed forests. Generally, unbleached paper can be assured that the product will biodegrade as expect-
or paper whitened with chlorine-free bleach is preferable ed. The logo is designed to be easily recognizable and able
because chlorine is highly toxic when released into the air to be placed on the actual product as well as packaging
and waterways during the manufacturing process. materials and sales literature.89

88 World Centric. “About Compostables: Eco-profiles: Wheat Straw Products.” http://worldcentric.org/about-compostables/ecoprofiles/wheatstraw.

89 Biodegradable Products Institute. “Information about Certified Compostable Products.” http://www.bpiworld.org/products.html

32
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
REAL STORIES FROM A REAL CAFE:
Sustainability is a core value of Peregrine Espresso
in Washington, D.C., considered in every element of
the business from purchasing to operations to labor
issues and social impact. As part of its commitment,
Peregrine has a robust composting program despite
the fact that it costs the business more. The com-
pany pays its compost hauler about 19 cents per
gallon, while trash and recycling costs only 13 cents
per gallon. Composting costs the business an extra
$100 per month. On top of this, the company buys
compostable paper goods that cost about 20 per-
cent more than conventional counterparts.
Is it worth it? The folks at Peregrine think so, and they
put a lot of effort into designing informative, attrac-
tive bins in the front of the house to educate custom-
ers and engage them in the process.

TABLE 2. COMPOSTABLE FOODSERVICE ITEMS: PROS AND CONS

PROS CONS

They can end up in landfills. Undoubtedly, many compostable prod-

ucts end up in trash bins headed for the landfill rather than in compost
bins. This may occur due to lack of consumer awareness or lack of
They turn into soil. These products are designed especially to de-
access to compost bins. Studies have shown that in a landfill, these
grade and turn into soil when disposed of in a commercial compost-
products do not break down faster than any other product, because
ing facility, thus improving our diversion rates and preventing emis-
landfills are anaerobic environments where there is not enough oxy-
sions and other impacts from landfills and incinerators.
gen to allow for proper decomposition. Some say that if these items
end up in the landfill, it lessens the value of making a compostable
take-away product.

Fewer resources and less pollution. Most manufacturers and dis- The materials used may be renewable, but they have other envi-
tributors of compostable takeout products emphasize that these ronmental impacts. These impacts may reduce their benefit com-
products are made from renewable resources (compared with plastic pared with paper and plastic. For example, many of these products
and plastic-lined paper products). Regardless of where a composta- are made from cornbased resins, and most corn grown in the United
ble cup (or plate or fork) is disposed of, producing most of these items States is genetically modified, which is associated with many envi-
emits less pollution into our air and waterways, and typically has an ronmental issues. Corn is also a crop that could be used for feeding
overall lower carbon footprint (i.e. emits less carbon dioxide). people rather than making disposable products.

The extra cost is worth it. Many proponents and retailers feel that More expensive. Prices for compostable products vary, but overall
the extra cost is worth the environmental savings. Plus, if more retail- they are more expensive than conventional foodservice products. For
ers demand compostable products, in theory prices will come down example, a 16-ounce, compostable, PLA, cold-drink cup could cost
eventually. you 20 percent more than a conventional plastic 16-ounce cup.

“It’s a step in the right direction.” Some people argue that regard- “It perpetuates our throw-away culture.” Some people feel that
less of the cons, these products are the best option right now and these products don’t help address our society’s massive use of dis-
spur innovation for better products that use fewer resources and emit posable goods. They may create a false sense that “it’s okay because
less pollution. it’s eco-friendly,” when in fact they are still disposable products.

33
 INDUSTRY TRENDS
&
ENGAGING CUSTOMERS
NEW CONVENIENCE ITEMS AND
THEIR IMPACT
Single-cup convenience brewing (such as the Keurig K-Cup
system) is a growing piece of the coffee industry that is also
producing huge additions to landfill waste streams. A 2013
study by the National Coffee Association approximates that
13 percent of the US adult population drank coffee made
with single-cup systems every day, up from 4 percent in
2010.90 These individual plastic pods, pockets, pouches,
WHAT YOU CAN DO!
or packets are made of a combination of plastic, organic,
and foil materials. If the materials were separated, each
could be recycled, but the hybrid packaging as a whole Stick to reusable brewing equipment. Most
generally is not recyclable. Even Keurig founder John independent retailers are not going down the coffee
Sylvan has expressed concern about the waste generated pod road and continue to use a variety of brewing
by his product.91 They are estimated to produce “ten times techniques. Having a pour-over coffee program
more solid waste than a single-cup serving made in a drip is one way to provide an individually brewed cup
machine would.”92 without the disposable waste.

With an estimated 9 billion single-use pods brewed in Encourage reusable pods. For retailers that do
2012, one conservative estimate is that coffee pods create want to venture into the world of single-cup systems
966 million pounds of landfill waste per year.93 Though (or if your customers express interest in using them
some companies have created recyclable pods and some at home), make sure to invest in the refillable filters
consumers attentively recycle them, most recycled pods mentioned above and encourage others to do so.
still end up in landfills. Recycling facilities generally are not
equipped to capture and filter out the smallest containers, so
they are instead diverted to the landfill.94 For sustainability-
minded coffee drinkers who cherish the convenience of
single-cup systems, the good news is that there are now
refillable filters on the market that allow you to fill the pods
with any ground coffee you want.

90 Kalish, Jennifer. “Coffee Makers Wrestle with Recyclability of Single Serve Pods.” Waste & Recycling News. June 3, 2013 http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20130603/NEWS/130609998/coffee-makers-wrestle-with-recyclability-of-single-serve-pods.
91 Worthington, David. “Single-Serve Coffee’s Dark Side: Waste.” SmartPlanet. August 28, 2013. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/single-serve-coffees-dark-side-waste/27937.
92 Rancano, Vanessa. “Waste, the Dark Side of the New Coffee Craze.” East Bay Express. http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/waste-the-dark-side-of-the-new-coffee-craze/Content?oid=3687220&showFullText=true.
93 Badore, Margaret. “Even ‘Recyclable’ Coffee Pods Aren’t.” Treehugger. August 28, 2013. http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/even-recyclable-coffee-pods-arent.html.
94 Kalish, Jennifer. “Coffee Makers Wrestle with Recyclability of Single Serve Pods.” Waste & Recycling News. June 3, 2013 http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20130603/NEWS/130609998/coffee-makers-wrestle-with-recyclability-of-single-serve-pods.

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 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AROUND
SUSTAINABILITY
Once your cafe has taken the initiative to prevent and mini-

WHAT WE DO mize waste, make sure to celebrate your accomplishments

and engage your staff and customers in the process. Some
ideas include:
RECYCLE
Place informative signs at the register or condiment
station. The more creative or catchy, the better. Often
REUSE someone on staff with a creative eye will happily take on
this project.

REDUCE Create a chalkboard or bulletin board. Dedicate it to

posting information about your cafe’s green business prac-
tices, and allow space for customer suggestions.
ROT Link special deals with sustainability goals. Try offering
special deals (such as “two for the price of one”) to reward
customers who bring their own mug or container, or for your
dine-in customers. (See Reuse section above for examples
of creative reuse incentives.)
Highlight sustainability on your website. Two great ex-
amples of business that share their goals and progress re-
lated to sustainability are Counter Culture Coffee and Salt
Spring Coffee.
counterculturecoffee.com/sustain
www.saltspringcoffee.com/planet/sustainability

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 APPENDIX
RESOURCES & REFERENCES
 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
APPENDIX A:
CALCULATING YOUR WASTE DIVERSION AND REDUCTION RATES
Let’s calculate a cafe’s diversion rate so you can do the same. We’ll use a medium-sized neighborhood cafe as our example.

STEP 1: TALLY UP
Tally the number of waste bins you have in your cafe, according to whether they hold trash, recycling, or compost.
Be sure to note:
• Each container’s volume or weight and the number of times they get picked up each week (check your waste
hauler’s invoice and make sure it’s accurate)
• Approximately how full the containers are (sometimes cafes pay for more waste hauling than is necessary and a
simple change in bin size or number of pick-ups can reduce your bills).

Example cafe:
• One full 96-gallon trash bin (landfill or incinerator), picked up three times per week
• Two full 64-gallon recycling bins, picked up three times per week
• One full 64-gallon compost bin, picked up three times per week

STEP 2: DO A LITTLE MATH

Calculate the total volume or weight of waste per week for each type of bin.
Note: Some haulers measure waste by gallons and others by weight. For the purposes of keeping our example simple, we
use gallons, but also provide a weight in pounds. (For this example, we assume that all types of waste weigh the same,
though in reality weights tend to vary greatly. We assume one gallon of any type of waste equals 2.5 pounds, a conservative
estimate for the weight of mixed waste based on the EPA’s WARM model.95)
First tally the total gallons or pounds per waste type. Multiply your total by the number of pick-ups each week. This is easy
on a spreadsheet or can be done by hand.
Example cafe:
• Trash 96 gallons x 1 bin x 3 pick-ups = 288 gallons total per week (720 pounds)
• Recycling 64 gallons x 2 bins x 3 pick-ups = 384 gallons total per week (960 pounds)
• Compost 64 gallons x 1 bin x 3 pick-ups = 192 gallons total per week (480 pounds)

STEP 3: YOUR DIVERSION RATE

Find the total volume or weight of your weekly waste and divide it by the amount diverted to recycling and compost.
Multiply your answer by 100 to get the percentage of waste diverted.
Example cafe:
• Find the total volume or weight of your weekly waste
Trash (288 gallons or 720 pounds)
+ Recycling (384 gallons or 960 pounds)
+ Compost (192 gallons or 480 pounds) per week
= 864 gallons (2,160 pounds)

• Find the total of waste diverted to recycling and compost per week
Recycling (384 gallons or 960 pounds) + compost (192 gallons or 480 pounds) = 576 gallons (1,440 pounds)

• Divide the quantity recycled and composted by the total amount of material
576 gallons / 864 gallons = .66
1,440 pounds / 2,160 pounds = .66

• Multiple by 100 to get your diversion rate

66 percent

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 GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING
WHAT’S A “GOOD” DIVERSION RATE?
Your cafe’s diversion rate depends on several factors, including your town’s waste-hauling options, your purchasing prac-
tices, and your staff’s buy-in.
For example, in the San Francisco Bay area, cafes have shown that 95 percent diversion is possible, thanks to city-wide
compost and recycling pick-up, and financial incentives for diverting everything possible from landfills. New York City’s
waste diversion goal is 75 percent. The Mayor’s Food Waste Challenge specifically encourages restaurants to reach a mini-
mum 50 percent food waste diversion rate, which will help improve the business’s (and city’s) overall waste diversion rate.
Remember, ideally your waste diversion rate will improve in conjunction with overall source reduction.

WHAT ABOUT SOURCE REDUCTION RATES?

Write down your current waste operations and volumes (see steps 1 and 2 above) as a baseline of your total waste gen-
eration and then track whether any of these waste streams decrease in one month, two months, three months, and so
on. You can then calculate the percentage decrease over time. You’ll be most successful if you keep this information in a
spreadsheet or a paper log and you keep track along with your waste hauling bills.

APPENDIX B: RESOURCES
Biodegradable Packaging Institute
Compostable labeling program, with resources on how to find a composter. http://www.bpiworld.org
Earth 911
Facts and articles about fighting waste. http://earth911.com/
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Benefits, Composting. http://www.epa.gov/composting/benefits.htm
Food Recovery Challenge. http://www.epa.gov/smm/foodrecovery/
Feed Families, Not Landfills. http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/foodwaste/fddonate. htm"
Food Waste Reduction and Prevention. http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/foodwaste/fdreduce.htm
Federal Trade Commission – Green Guides
FTC’s Green Guides “are designed to help marketers ensure that the claims they make about the environmental
attributes of their products are truthful and non-deceptive.” http://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/press-
releases/ftc-issues-revised-green-guides/greenguides.pdf
Food Service Warehouse
Benefits of Recycling in a Commercial Kitchen. http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/restaurantequipment-
supply-marketing-articles/going-green/benefits-of-recycling-in-the-commercial-kitchen/c28135.aspx
Green Flash Recycling
Our Environment. http://greenflashrecycling.com/Our_Environment.html
LeanPath
Food Waste Tracking System and other resources on food waste prevention. www.leanpath.com
Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC)
Food Facts. http://www.nrdc.org/living/eatingwell/files/foodwaste_2pgr.pdf
San Francisco Department of Public Health
Green Restaurant Guide: Waste Reduction. http://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/EHSdocs/Green/WasteReduce.pdf"
San Francisco Green Business Program
Green Your Business: Recycling and Waste Reduction Guide. http://sfgreenbusiness.org/greenyour-business/toolkit/
recycling-waste-reduction-guide
World Centric
Defining “Compostable.” http://worldcentric.org/about-compostables/definition"
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GREEN GUIDE: MODULE THREE - WASTE REDUCTION & RECYCLING

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