(Minneapolis, October 24th, 2007) – As a way to reduce the amount of trash delivered to landfills and lower costs, Corner Table has implemented Hennepin County’s Organics Recycling Program.
While Corner Table has always recycled, the Organics Recycling Program provides an opportunity to greatly reduce the amount of garbage generated and save money on the trash bill. And the program has delivered – the restaurant has cut the amount of trash generated by 95 percent while reducing their trash bill by nearly 50 percent. “Hennepin County has made the program easy to implement and it’s worked even better than we expected,” says Scott Pampuch, chef/owner,
To begin the program, a representative from Hennepin County Environmental Services paid a visit to Corner Table to do an assessment and help get them started. The restaurant now has four recycling/compost bins (for bottles, cans, paper and food waste) and recycles or composts 95 percent of all waste. The remaining five percent includes plastic wrap, and the restaurant has plans switch to recyclable wrap when it becomes available. All wine corks and bottle caps are donated to local art programs, and small plastic grocery bags are given to neighbors for pet waste. The restaurant also uses biodegradable garbage bags made from corn to further reduce waste.
Prior to adopting the program, about 85 percent of the restaurant’s waste (enough to fill a two-yard container each week) went to a landfill or incinerator. With the program in place, the restaurant doesn’t even fill the standard trash bin used by a typical household each week. “Our customers are very interested in reducing waste and making positive environmental change, and they’ve given us a lot of positive feedback,” notes Pampuch. “This program really fits with our philosophy at Corner Table.”
In addition to positive public response, Corner Table is seeing tangible cost savings as well. The initial set-up cost for bins, stickers and biodegradable bags was quickly recouped. “We were able to eliminate our contract with the trash hauler, which is a significant savings, source biodegradable bags, and reorganize how we sort our waste, that was it.” adds Pampuch.
Being at the cutting edge of recycling has paid off for Corner Table. “It’s the right thing to do, our customers appreciate it, it’s easy and it’s saving us money. What’s not to like?” says Pampuch.
To learn more about the Organics Recycling Program for businesses in Hennepin County, contact John Jaimez at Hennepin County Environmental Services at 612-348-5893. Corner Table is an independently owned restaurant located at 4257 Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis.
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