Sustainable to-go packaging will save businesses money, help city reach sustainability goals
Karibu Grocery and Deli's Somali rice dish in compostable container
NEWS PROVIDED BY
Zero Waste Saint Paul
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saint Paul, MN February 24, 2019
Who would have thought that a take-out container would be controversial?
Not the average restaurant customer in Saint Paul. But many community advocates from Zero Waste Saint Paul (ZWSP) have heard concerns about potential changes to the “Sustainable To-Go” Ordinance amendment. In response, they have met with all seven Saint Paul city council members, many businesses, local organizations, twelve district councils, and the city’s Chief Resilience Officer, Russ Stark to address concerns on the topic. ZWSP thought they secured the city council votes for a 1/1/2021 implementation start, however the vote is delayed to March 6, as council members felt that a hearing before the vote was necessary. ZWSP has a mission and reputation of bridging waste reduction awareness with positive action, and understands the rationale behind the hearing request. The organization works with individuals, businesses, organizations, and elected officials to help reduce waste and increase reuse and recycling opportunities throughout the city. They appreciate any constructive criticism that businesses provide. Their goal: to get the amendment updated to loosen the restrictions of a plastic packaging ordinance that passed in 1990, but was never enforced. The updated ordinance is intended to be more flexible about what is recyclable and compostable, so the language doesn’t require updates with future changes in recycling markets. This amendment would require restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores who prepare to-go food on-site to offer only to-go containers recyclable or compostable in Saint Paul. Polystyrene (foam) #3, #6, and all black plastics are currently not recyclable in Saint Paul, consistent with most recycling markets across the country.
A local Italian restaurant owner self-reported they currently spend over $250,000 a year in non-recyclable, single-use to-go items at their restaurant, the majority of which is thrown away on-site. They believe their costs would more than double. ZWSP members disagree and have researched costs all types of to-go containers, and are quite confident the restaurant’s costs wouldn’t be nearly as high as they indicated. On the flipside, ZWSP is very interested to hear more from this restaurant about what they are paying in waste hauling. ZWSP members wonder if they have run the numbers on how much they would save if they recycled and composted more and reduced their trash. Because, if they instituted in-house recycling or composting, the restaurant would likely accrue a net savings.
“Trash is taxed at 70%. Yes, that’s 7-0 per cent,” says co-founder of Zero Waste Saint Paul, Kristina Mattson. “Recyclables and compostables are taxed at zero percent.” She emphatically shapes her hand in a circle to represent “zero” every time she says this in person. “For months, we (ZWSP members) have worked with council members, restaurants, and others on how establishments could save money.”
Many immigrant-owned and small businesses have made the switch, or are very close to compliance with these proposed changes. La Cucaracha, La Guadalupana, Brake Bread, J. Selby’s, and many other restaurants are saving money and reducing waste, thanks to grant funding they received from BizRecycling Minnesota, a joint program between Ramsey and Washington counties. According to their website, “BizRecycling is a program to help businesses in Ramsey County and Washington County start, expand, improve, and manage business recycling, including organic waste collection, such as food waste. The BizRecycling program was started in 2013 to help East Metro businesses reduce waste and recycle better. BizRecycling connects businesses with recycling experts who can help identify recycling and waste reduction opportunities. We offer free on-site consultations, technical assistance, expert advice and guidance. Businesses can request free container labels for their trash and recycling bins. We also have business recycling grants available (up to $10K per business!) to start or improve business recycling.”
J&S Bean Factory, a coffee shop in Highland Park Saint Paul, heard from Claddagh Coffee about how their BizRecycling grant helped them get a dishwasher and save money. As a result, they contacted BizRecycling for a free recycling expert consult. “Working with the free sustainability experts was so easy, it was exciting to hear how with a couple super easy switches we could reduce our waste and save money, we might not even need the grant to start making changes. I think every business should consider requesting a meeting with one of the experts, they really understand the challenges businesses face, how to help them reduce their waste, and find cost savings,” said Murphy Janssen, co-manager at J&S Bean Factory.
There have been many concerns about the financial impact to businesses, small and large. Not everyone agrees that the impact will be negative, however. Suppliers are often advocating for sustainable to-go ordinance flexibility on personal time for the sake of the environment and not just because they may receive more business. Simon Hefty from LitinPak/Eco wrote to ZWSP members: “If a business would start organic recycling and is the sole payer of these waste bills, they could see an even exchange or even a decrease in costs.” He goes on to say, “Many businesses in the Twin Cities are showing that using compostable and recyclable products still provide a profitable business. I often hear: 'let us make the decision and not force us to change', but a person in charge of making the packaging decisions then has to be fully informed of what is going on in our waste stream and how they are affecting it. We (consumers/customers) don’t have the luxury of choosing what our product comes in, but we have to deal with it after the fact. It costs me (as a consumer/customer) more money at home not to compost, and if I can’t recycle the packaging, I pay the highest amount to discard it.”
Troy Rognrud from Lakeland Minneapolis, another supplier of sustainable to-go containers, agrees. He wrote: “Just like smoking indoors, this will eventually become commonplace. It will be the ‘new normal’ as people are educated on the best practices for recycling/organics collection!” We asked, “but what about the price difference? Aren’t sustainable to-go containers more expensive?” “Yes,” Troy replied. “The pricing for compostable products is higher than polystyrene, but consumers are getting more and more irritated by ‘Styrofoam” containers. As it goes away, the price point for the compostables will not be as big of an issue. And recyclable plastic isn’t much more expensive than non-recyclable plastic. Sometimes it’s cheaper. Plus, people feel better about the restaurants/caterers that make the commitment to using sustainable packaging.” His final comment surprised Zero Waste advocates: “If I was a City Councilperson in St. Paul, I think I would look at this issue as a no-brainer, and would be worried about the message I would be sending to my constituents if I were to vote no!”
Another common concern ZWSP members used to hear from elected officials was about outreach on this updated ordinance. “The Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) did a significant amount of outreach in 2017,” says co-founder of Zero Waste Saint Paul, Erin Pavlica. “They had business listening sessions, they hired interpreters, and gave several opportunities to work with businesses and their concerns. They have offered to go to businesses and discuss packaging alternatives and help them figure out pricing of recyclable & compostable containers.” Thanks to Jane Prince’s aide Stephanie Harr, ZWSP was able to confirm DSI’s future actions, once the ordinance is updated.
Knowing that DSI commits to conducting further outreach and education has assured many city leaders. Also, Minneapolis already successfully adopted this ordinance and no one can point to any hardship that Minneapolis establishments because of sustainable to-go containers. Several St Paul establishments have locations in Minneapolis. They found that over 100 establishments have already made the switch at some level. During two recent visits, members realized that many of the to-go containers at Hmong Village are recyclable. There are sustainable equivalents for Chinese food containers, bakery trays, even to-go taco holders and sushi containers. Yoerg’s Saloon, Saint Paul’s newest (and oldest) brewery opened recently. They have a limited food menu, but everything their food is served with or on is compostable. Waitstaff proudly mention that they wanted to “open their business by being as sustainable as possible from day one.” ZWSP recognizes that it’s easier for new businesses to integrate sustainability before they open, and save money in the long run. That’s why they’re reaching out to establishments that have been around a while, that may not know about the grants and other resources. In fact, ZWSP members put together a “Small Business To-Go Toolkit” that gives small businesses information about price comparisons between sustainable and unsustainable to-go containers. The toolkit lets businesses know how they can receive grants, loans, confidential site visits, even interns to help them with a wide variety of sustainability issues.
What’s next? There’s a vote on March 6, 2019, at St Paul city hall, to vote in favor or against updating the “sustainable to-go” ordinance, with a hearing scheduled before the vote. Supporters can attend in person or send a letter of support to all council members. Nearly 300 individuals have done so already.
All in all, Zero Waste Saint Paul has spent countless hours of work to educate businesses, community councils, city council members and the general public that making the switch to recyclable and compostable to-go containers will be good for consumers, good for businesses, and necessary for the city to help them reach their rigorous sustainability goals. With successes in Minneapolis, St Louis Park, Afton, and many other cities across the country, the city of Saint Paul is poised to join the leaders in sustainability. These cities help businesses save money and give consumers choices in to-go container disposal options, and that is something that should make those against the organized trash collection system something to be happy about.
CONTACT:
Kristina Mattson 651-249-8587
zerowastesaintpaul@gmail.com
Related Links: www.zerowastesaintpaul.com
Zero Waste Saint Paul
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saint Paul, MN February 24, 2019
Who would have thought that a take-out container would be controversial?
Not the average restaurant customer in Saint Paul. But many community advocates from Zero Waste Saint Paul (ZWSP) have heard concerns about potential changes to the “Sustainable To-Go” Ordinance amendment. In response, they have met with all seven Saint Paul city council members, many businesses, local organizations, twelve district councils, and the city’s Chief Resilience Officer, Russ Stark to address concerns on the topic. ZWSP thought they secured the city council votes for a 1/1/2021 implementation start, however the vote is delayed to March 6, as council members felt that a hearing before the vote was necessary. ZWSP has a mission and reputation of bridging waste reduction awareness with positive action, and understands the rationale behind the hearing request. The organization works with individuals, businesses, organizations, and elected officials to help reduce waste and increase reuse and recycling opportunities throughout the city. They appreciate any constructive criticism that businesses provide. Their goal: to get the amendment updated to loosen the restrictions of a plastic packaging ordinance that passed in 1990, but was never enforced. The updated ordinance is intended to be more flexible about what is recyclable and compostable, so the language doesn’t require updates with future changes in recycling markets. This amendment would require restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores who prepare to-go food on-site to offer only to-go containers recyclable or compostable in Saint Paul. Polystyrene (foam) #3, #6, and all black plastics are currently not recyclable in Saint Paul, consistent with most recycling markets across the country.
A local Italian restaurant owner self-reported they currently spend over $250,000 a year in non-recyclable, single-use to-go items at their restaurant, the majority of which is thrown away on-site. They believe their costs would more than double. ZWSP members disagree and have researched costs all types of to-go containers, and are quite confident the restaurant’s costs wouldn’t be nearly as high as they indicated. On the flipside, ZWSP is very interested to hear more from this restaurant about what they are paying in waste hauling. ZWSP members wonder if they have run the numbers on how much they would save if they recycled and composted more and reduced their trash. Because, if they instituted in-house recycling or composting, the restaurant would likely accrue a net savings.
“Trash is taxed at 70%. Yes, that’s 7-0 per cent,” says co-founder of Zero Waste Saint Paul, Kristina Mattson. “Recyclables and compostables are taxed at zero percent.” She emphatically shapes her hand in a circle to represent “zero” every time she says this in person. “For months, we (ZWSP members) have worked with council members, restaurants, and others on how establishments could save money.”
Many immigrant-owned and small businesses have made the switch, or are very close to compliance with these proposed changes. La Cucaracha, La Guadalupana, Brake Bread, J. Selby’s, and many other restaurants are saving money and reducing waste, thanks to grant funding they received from BizRecycling Minnesota, a joint program between Ramsey and Washington counties. According to their website, “BizRecycling is a program to help businesses in Ramsey County and Washington County start, expand, improve, and manage business recycling, including organic waste collection, such as food waste. The BizRecycling program was started in 2013 to help East Metro businesses reduce waste and recycle better. BizRecycling connects businesses with recycling experts who can help identify recycling and waste reduction opportunities. We offer free on-site consultations, technical assistance, expert advice and guidance. Businesses can request free container labels for their trash and recycling bins. We also have business recycling grants available (up to $10K per business!) to start or improve business recycling.”
J&S Bean Factory, a coffee shop in Highland Park Saint Paul, heard from Claddagh Coffee about how their BizRecycling grant helped them get a dishwasher and save money. As a result, they contacted BizRecycling for a free recycling expert consult. “Working with the free sustainability experts was so easy, it was exciting to hear how with a couple super easy switches we could reduce our waste and save money, we might not even need the grant to start making changes. I think every business should consider requesting a meeting with one of the experts, they really understand the challenges businesses face, how to help them reduce their waste, and find cost savings,” said Murphy Janssen, co-manager at J&S Bean Factory.
There have been many concerns about the financial impact to businesses, small and large. Not everyone agrees that the impact will be negative, however. Suppliers are often advocating for sustainable to-go ordinance flexibility on personal time for the sake of the environment and not just because they may receive more business. Simon Hefty from LitinPak/Eco wrote to ZWSP members: “If a business would start organic recycling and is the sole payer of these waste bills, they could see an even exchange or even a decrease in costs.” He goes on to say, “Many businesses in the Twin Cities are showing that using compostable and recyclable products still provide a profitable business. I often hear: 'let us make the decision and not force us to change', but a person in charge of making the packaging decisions then has to be fully informed of what is going on in our waste stream and how they are affecting it. We (consumers/customers) don’t have the luxury of choosing what our product comes in, but we have to deal with it after the fact. It costs me (as a consumer/customer) more money at home not to compost, and if I can’t recycle the packaging, I pay the highest amount to discard it.”
Troy Rognrud from Lakeland Minneapolis, another supplier of sustainable to-go containers, agrees. He wrote: “Just like smoking indoors, this will eventually become commonplace. It will be the ‘new normal’ as people are educated on the best practices for recycling/organics collection!” We asked, “but what about the price difference? Aren’t sustainable to-go containers more expensive?” “Yes,” Troy replied. “The pricing for compostable products is higher than polystyrene, but consumers are getting more and more irritated by ‘Styrofoam” containers. As it goes away, the price point for the compostables will not be as big of an issue. And recyclable plastic isn’t much more expensive than non-recyclable plastic. Sometimes it’s cheaper. Plus, people feel better about the restaurants/caterers that make the commitment to using sustainable packaging.” His final comment surprised Zero Waste advocates: “If I was a City Councilperson in St. Paul, I think I would look at this issue as a no-brainer, and would be worried about the message I would be sending to my constituents if I were to vote no!”
Another common concern ZWSP members used to hear from elected officials was about outreach on this updated ordinance. “The Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) did a significant amount of outreach in 2017,” says co-founder of Zero Waste Saint Paul, Erin Pavlica. “They had business listening sessions, they hired interpreters, and gave several opportunities to work with businesses and their concerns. They have offered to go to businesses and discuss packaging alternatives and help them figure out pricing of recyclable & compostable containers.” Thanks to Jane Prince’s aide Stephanie Harr, ZWSP was able to confirm DSI’s future actions, once the ordinance is updated.
Knowing that DSI commits to conducting further outreach and education has assured many city leaders. Also, Minneapolis already successfully adopted this ordinance and no one can point to any hardship that Minneapolis establishments because of sustainable to-go containers. Several St Paul establishments have locations in Minneapolis. They found that over 100 establishments have already made the switch at some level. During two recent visits, members realized that many of the to-go containers at Hmong Village are recyclable. There are sustainable equivalents for Chinese food containers, bakery trays, even to-go taco holders and sushi containers. Yoerg’s Saloon, Saint Paul’s newest (and oldest) brewery opened recently. They have a limited food menu, but everything their food is served with or on is compostable. Waitstaff proudly mention that they wanted to “open their business by being as sustainable as possible from day one.” ZWSP recognizes that it’s easier for new businesses to integrate sustainability before they open, and save money in the long run. That’s why they’re reaching out to establishments that have been around a while, that may not know about the grants and other resources. In fact, ZWSP members put together a “Small Business To-Go Toolkit” that gives small businesses information about price comparisons between sustainable and unsustainable to-go containers. The toolkit lets businesses know how they can receive grants, loans, confidential site visits, even interns to help them with a wide variety of sustainability issues.
What’s next? There’s a vote on March 6, 2019, at St Paul city hall, to vote in favor or against updating the “sustainable to-go” ordinance, with a hearing scheduled before the vote. Supporters can attend in person or send a letter of support to all council members. Nearly 300 individuals have done so already.
All in all, Zero Waste Saint Paul has spent countless hours of work to educate businesses, community councils, city council members and the general public that making the switch to recyclable and compostable to-go containers will be good for consumers, good for businesses, and necessary for the city to help them reach their rigorous sustainability goals. With successes in Minneapolis, St Louis Park, Afton, and many other cities across the country, the city of Saint Paul is poised to join the leaders in sustainability. These cities help businesses save money and give consumers choices in to-go container disposal options, and that is something that should make those against the organized trash collection system something to be happy about.
CONTACT:
Kristina Mattson 651-249-8587
zerowastesaintpaul@gmail.com
Related Links: www.zerowastesaintpaul.com