 What does it take to be a Zero Waste business?
We asked three of our local stars to give us the scoop on the challenges, successes and joys of going for Zero Waste.
 University Bicycles
839 Pearl St., Boulder
(303) 444-4196
www.ubikes.com
University Bicycles opened its doors in 1985 and is the first known bike shop in the state to go for Zero Waste.
Lester Binegar, General Manager
On why they’re going for Zero Waste:
We started the program in 2010 because our staff is totally into it. Most of us ride our bikes to work every day and love the outdoors, so what better way to contribute to the environment and our community than making sure we aren’t needlessly tossing stuff into the landfill.
On recycling nontraditional items:
We go through a ton of bicycle tires and plastic bags from all the packaging that we receive, and you can’t put this stuff in your regular recycling bin. But after we set up a hard-to-recycle program with Eco-Cycle, we were able to divert all of this waste from the landfill.
On their successes so far:
We used to recycle very little. Now we’re diverting 50% of our waste. That’s pretty cool!
Advice to businesses:
Get your employees onboard in the beginning by making sure they understand what items go in which bins and why. It’s important that the system you set up is organized—ours is color-coordinated. Once in place, it’s flawless after that and you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
Green Garage
1433 Pearl St., Boulder
(303) 991-5650
www.greengarage.com
Green Garage is the only eco-friendly and Zero Waste full-service auto repair shop in the country.
Catherine Greener, VP of Sustainability
On recycling nontraditional items:
Eco-Cycle was able to help us divert spark plugs and wheel weights from the waste stream through its hard-to-recycle program, and they have also helped us research ways to divert other parts that are left over when servicing a car. It is a great partnership, and we hope to continue to find ways to minimize the waste that results from a service or repair.
On what other auto repair shops should know about going for Zero Waste:
It is important to build partnerships with organizations that can help find ways to recapture the materials from the automotive waste stream. At Green Garage, part of our business model is to demonstrate what is possible in reducing waste in the auto repair industry because this industry has never been known for being sustainable, and we want to change that.
On Zero Waste goals:
We are not stopping. We want to continue to explore end-of-life options for all our products and be on the forefront of what it means to be a Zero Waste automotive center.
 HospiceCare of Boulder and Broomfield Counties
Boulder Location: 5290 Arapahoe Ave.
(303) 604-5353
www.hospicecareonline.org
HospiceCare is Colorado’s first and the area’s only non-profit hospice.
Myra Mussack, Fund Development Coordinator
On the best way to initiate Zero Waste within the company:
A business should have a champion of its Zero Waste efforts to garner widespread organizational support, and it must come from the top. It’s not enough just to have staff support because only the company leaders can hold people accountable and change the overall culture of waste.
On adopting new Zero Waste practices like composting:
At first, it was hard for people to grasp because it was novel. They would ask, “Can I really compost these food scraps?” But now they have adopted composting and the program has taken off.
On the importance of Zero Waste training and education:
We could not have been successful at Zero Waste without assistance and the signs, bin placement, training and education Eco-Cycle provided us.
Advice to businesses:
Be patient. It takes time to phase out old habits and phase in new ones. Changing an organization’s behavior toward sustainability is a constant evolution, and going for Zero Waste demonstrated to us how we could move toward becoming a more sustainable organization. As a result, we have recently adopted other green policies for our agency.
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